Frugal Living Today

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A report on CNN today revealed that consumer spending was the lowest in the first quarter of 2008 since the previous recession.  Not a startling or surprising revelation, to be sure, and yet it does illustrate the problems of everyday people here in the United States.  Regardless of how the current administration wishes to spin it, the average person is in a financial bind now more than ever.

The Social Security Administration has been quoted as saying that as many as 85 out of 100 Americans who reach the retirement age of 65 will do so with less than $250 in the bank.  Our senior citizens who have survived the Great Depression are now faced with the very real prospect of being forced to ration the medications that keep them alive and healthy and even go without other necessities like food and even heat in the winter months just to be able to afford to live.

If that isn’t enough of a downer, check out this article that tells the story of a man who has been evicted after paying $30,000 for his rental home, because the home he is living in is being foreclosed on.  The landlord, it seems, has not paid the mortgage since he moved in last August and though the renter has paid what was due regularly, he is soon to be homeless and without the security deposit of nearly $8,000 that he paid when he took possession of the property.

And to think, people ask me why I am obsessed with frugal living and teaching other people to live on less and be happy at the same time.  The news is grim, folks, and it is up to each and every one of us to find joy in everyday life.  Despite the people who are against what I stand for, I have found that joy.  I live a reasonably comfortable and happy life even though the average price of gas is higher than ever and shows no signs of going down this year.

Why am I frugal?  The real question you should ask yourself is why are you not.

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