Reset?
Feeling more blessed than usual lately. With all the reports of the deteriorating economy, right now, my household is reasonably secure.
My job provides me with a security that many do not. That is not to say that I am bullet proof by any means. I recognize this very well. I am a long term employee, and as a result, cost my company more than new grads.
The Rooster isn't so fortunate. His job is in a company that provides what many would consider a luxury product, moderately higher end furniture. Layoffs have been coming in waves already, and he is all too aware that he isn't safe by any means. He also has a retirement check coming in from a civil service job, is that secure?
He and I came through a severe patch of high debt, and after 5 years, last summer, paid our debt down to a manageable level. Ironic that this happened just before the economy tanked, and while we are not what would traditionally be considered rich, are feeling quite rich under the circumstances.
As a result, I have been feeling the weight of having so much while many have so little. I went to the local food bank with a bag of food sometime before Thanksgiving, and asked them what items they tend to run out of first. Not only did I want to be a help, I wanted to be the best possible help. They told me powdered milk and peanut butter. I have committed myself to buy a box of powdered milk packets, and/or a jar of peanut butter every time I go to the grocery or Wally World, put it in a box in the back of my truck, and once a week or so, deliver it to the food bank.
The food bank is located in a not so great part of town, of course, and I pass many empty lots on my way. These lots are mostly areas where Ivan took out shotgun houses of people who had no resources to rebuild, and in two of those empty lots I noticed raised areas where there were neighborhood gardens, sponsored by the food bank. I couldn't tell what was growing, but whatever grows in the winter around here was flourishing. I don't know if the neighbors in that area were actually tending that garden, or if it is volunteers from the food bank, I will ask when I take my next load in. Of course, I am hoping I hear that the food bank helps them get started, then they take over from there.
We also have a very active Habitat for Humanity program in the area, and there is a sort of thrift store where they resell donated building supplies to help defray some costs of the houses they build not covered by contributors. Sounds like a good place for the Rooster and I to shop for items we need to continue working on our own Ivan ravaged house. (We got lazy, still not done, but completely functional.)
"Charity begins at home" means something different to me right now. My son, who is a plumber, is having trouble getting enough hours work to pay all his bills. Side jobs are keeping him barely afloat, and like me, just the nature of his job provides him with a certain security that many do not. But "home" to me has taken on a wider view. I like the idea of being able to see what my contributions actually help. Without the military in this area, we would be hit much harder. Not a lot of industry here to provide jobs. This is a tourist area, and have seen the effects the economy has had on that industry long before anyone was admitting we had a problem.
We daily hear about people getting nailed for big time fraud ...people who got away with it for years and years, greed run rampant, finally having to pay (?) for the Karma they were emitting into the universe. In scaling back our own consumerism, I am finding companies more and more willing to "work" with me to lower my bills to keep my business. It works much better when there are many other options available to you. The local utilities pretty much have you over a barrel, but it doesn't hurt to ask them to audit your usage. The local water/sewer company will lower your sewer bill if you point out your water usage is below average. The companies that provided poor service, charged for services that should be included as part of your purchase, seem to be some of the first going out of business. A good example for me is Circuit City, now having their "Going out of business sale". One of the first to charge a "restocking fee" for items you brought back, and reported to restock those items brought back even though they knew they were not functioning properly.
Are we going to FINALLY start being held accountable for our bad behavior? Are most of us going to demand that we get more for our dollar? Will prices that have crept up and up just because we showed that yes, we would pay that much for 'whatever" start coming back down to ensure we won't eliminate from our want/need list? Think of all the services we were provided as kids that we now pay for. People my age remember pulling into a gas station, getting our gas pumped for us, our windshields washed, our oil and transmission fluid checked each time we pulled in, and even our tires scrutinized to make sure they had enough air. AND if they didn't, the air was put in to top them off, free of charge!! I say bad words when I am topping off my tire pressure, because inevitably, the machine shuts off just a millisecond before I get to that last tire, in spite of taking off the stem caps ahead of time. I usually don't have any more quarters with me, and to drive to the one or two gas stations that provide free air is counterproductive.
I have long been one who would write that letter, call that 1-800 number and speak to the manager when the service I received was on one end or the other of the spectrum. (YES, you need to give the attaboys, too) Maybe now, I will see the result more often and more quickly. After 6 letters to a local restaurant, we finally found a trash can outside the bathroom to dispose of our paper towels we used to open the door of the bathroom as we exited. (Past blog). Maybe it won't take 6 letters any more.
This is my hope. While we have a terrible time yet to endure, if we are diligent and aware, we will emerge from all of this with the reset button having been pushed to transport us back to a time when service was provided with a smile and integrity was the norm rather than a surprise.
Pie in the sky dreams?
My job provides me with a security that many do not. That is not to say that I am bullet proof by any means. I recognize this very well. I am a long term employee, and as a result, cost my company more than new grads.
The Rooster isn't so fortunate. His job is in a company that provides what many would consider a luxury product, moderately higher end furniture. Layoffs have been coming in waves already, and he is all too aware that he isn't safe by any means. He also has a retirement check coming in from a civil service job, is that secure?
He and I came through a severe patch of high debt, and after 5 years, last summer, paid our debt down to a manageable level. Ironic that this happened just before the economy tanked, and while we are not what would traditionally be considered rich, are feeling quite rich under the circumstances.
As a result, I have been feeling the weight of having so much while many have so little. I went to the local food bank with a bag of food sometime before Thanksgiving, and asked them what items they tend to run out of first. Not only did I want to be a help, I wanted to be the best possible help. They told me powdered milk and peanut butter. I have committed myself to buy a box of powdered milk packets, and/or a jar of peanut butter every time I go to the grocery or Wally World, put it in a box in the back of my truck, and once a week or so, deliver it to the food bank.
The food bank is located in a not so great part of town, of course, and I pass many empty lots on my way. These lots are mostly areas where Ivan took out shotgun houses of people who had no resources to rebuild, and in two of those empty lots I noticed raised areas where there were neighborhood gardens, sponsored by the food bank. I couldn't tell what was growing, but whatever grows in the winter around here was flourishing. I don't know if the neighbors in that area were actually tending that garden, or if it is volunteers from the food bank, I will ask when I take my next load in. Of course, I am hoping I hear that the food bank helps them get started, then they take over from there.
We also have a very active Habitat for Humanity program in the area, and there is a sort of thrift store where they resell donated building supplies to help defray some costs of the houses they build not covered by contributors. Sounds like a good place for the Rooster and I to shop for items we need to continue working on our own Ivan ravaged house. (We got lazy, still not done, but completely functional.)
"Charity begins at home" means something different to me right now. My son, who is a plumber, is having trouble getting enough hours work to pay all his bills. Side jobs are keeping him barely afloat, and like me, just the nature of his job provides him with a certain security that many do not. But "home" to me has taken on a wider view. I like the idea of being able to see what my contributions actually help. Without the military in this area, we would be hit much harder. Not a lot of industry here to provide jobs. This is a tourist area, and have seen the effects the economy has had on that industry long before anyone was admitting we had a problem.
We daily hear about people getting nailed for big time fraud ...people who got away with it for years and years, greed run rampant, finally having to pay (?) for the Karma they were emitting into the universe. In scaling back our own consumerism, I am finding companies more and more willing to "work" with me to lower my bills to keep my business. It works much better when there are many other options available to you. The local utilities pretty much have you over a barrel, but it doesn't hurt to ask them to audit your usage. The local water/sewer company will lower your sewer bill if you point out your water usage is below average. The companies that provided poor service, charged for services that should be included as part of your purchase, seem to be some of the first going out of business. A good example for me is Circuit City, now having their "Going out of business sale". One of the first to charge a "restocking fee" for items you brought back, and reported to restock those items brought back even though they knew they were not functioning properly.
Are we going to FINALLY start being held accountable for our bad behavior? Are most of us going to demand that we get more for our dollar? Will prices that have crept up and up just because we showed that yes, we would pay that much for 'whatever" start coming back down to ensure we won't eliminate from our want/need list? Think of all the services we were provided as kids that we now pay for. People my age remember pulling into a gas station, getting our gas pumped for us, our windshields washed, our oil and transmission fluid checked each time we pulled in, and even our tires scrutinized to make sure they had enough air. AND if they didn't, the air was put in to top them off, free of charge!! I say bad words when I am topping off my tire pressure, because inevitably, the machine shuts off just a millisecond before I get to that last tire, in spite of taking off the stem caps ahead of time. I usually don't have any more quarters with me, and to drive to the one or two gas stations that provide free air is counterproductive.
I have long been one who would write that letter, call that 1-800 number and speak to the manager when the service I received was on one end or the other of the spectrum. (YES, you need to give the attaboys, too) Maybe now, I will see the result more often and more quickly. After 6 letters to a local restaurant, we finally found a trash can outside the bathroom to dispose of our paper towels we used to open the door of the bathroom as we exited. (Past blog). Maybe it won't take 6 letters any more.
This is my hope. While we have a terrible time yet to endure, if we are diligent and aware, we will emerge from all of this with the reset button having been pushed to transport us back to a time when service was provided with a smile and integrity was the norm rather than a surprise.
Pie in the sky dreams?
posted by Mommanurse at 2:56 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, I hope you are right.
For years we've been teaching our children that there is no good or evil, only "shades" of what is right and what is wrong.
Think about it...
Single Motherhood used to be scandalous. Now it is BY FAR the norm. (Some actually start yearning to be pregnant when they reach puberty. Some think it's perfectly ordinary to have eight fertilized eggs implanted, expecting the rest of society to pay millions for her story so she can live in fame, surrounded by fortune.)
Like single Motherhood, we've rewarded all sorts of negative behaviors, and I fear we are about to reap what we have sown.
We are not at all the same society that experienced financial chaos in 1929. Most people are far removed from being able to plant their own vegetables, hunt for, dress, and store their own meat. In order to survive, those that cannot fend for themselves will do what they've learned over the last decades... they'll take from those that can, legally or otherwise. (Shades of right and wrong.)
While hoping my thoughts are extreme, I also remind intelligent friends to remember-
Hope for the best.
Be prepared for the worst.
"Overcharge?"
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