Recession Proof Your Life

If you're an American like myself, you know our country has entered a recession. The rising cost of gasoline alone is enough to make you want to scream. Today I want to talk about what a recession is and a how to not let it affect your life.

First, let me take you back a few weeks ago to when Bush announced our country had entered a recession. It was like the hammer dropped for more than half the country. Almost overnight it was all anyone wanted to talk about as fear set in. Now lets look at what it really meant. There are just as many jobs today as there were the day before the recession started so why all the sudden panic? Because the President said things were bad? Need I remind anyone that this is the same President that only knows how to say "Stay the Course" when it is so evident that "the course" is broken? This is the first President in U.S. history to ever wage war against an unnamed enemy, spending a billion dollars a day to fund it.I'm sorry, I just don't put much faith in anything he has to say. Times are bad but not as bad as he would have the public believe, this is not the end of the world but we can not look to the government to do what we as individuals must take care of ourselves.

First and probably most important, if you don't have an emergency fund in place, start one. This can not be emphasized enough. Stop overspending on things you do not need. Learn the difference between want and need. I want a Brand new truck however I do not need one so that money is better kept in the bank.

Credit cards- I have them and I think everyone should however I believe that they should only be used when you know for a fact that you already have the money to pay the bill as soon as it arrives. If you can't afford to do that then you damn sure can't afford to charge it, the interest rates alone will dig you a huge hole of debt before you will ever get the money repaid. Robbing Peter to pay Paul should never be an option.

Jobs- get one and keep it. Nobody likes to work but it is a necessary evil. I have been employeed since I was 14 and have never once used the lame excuse that I could not find employment. I may not be able to be a rocket scientist but damn near anyone can dig a ditch, work fast food, or swing a hammer. I am also sick of hearing people claim an illegal alien took their job, if your job can be taken from you, you weren't doing it correctly. Excuses satisfy only those people that make them.

Vote- if you don't like the way things are being done, decide what you would like to see different and when election time comes, ask the candidates their stance on those issues. Remember they work for us. Personally, I will never vote for any candidate that supports NAFTA. It was a stupid concept that has allowed thousands of companies to outsource their work to foreign countries to avoid paying taxes and to cheapen their labor costs. That is the true place where American jobs are going, why would anyone want to sneak into our country and "steal" our jobs when our jobs are not even in our country anymore?

Set goals and achieve them, list your goals in order from easiest to achieve to hardest, then begin to take steps to achieve them in that same order. As you finish one you will see the next doesn't look as hard as it once did. Sometimes a little victory is all it takes to make you see that you can do anything you set your mind to...ANYTHING!

Recession is just a word, you are responsible for yourself and until you learn to take responsibility for your own financial future through better money management, you will never know the meanings of debt free or financially secure. This generation of Americans has racked up more debt than any previous generation, it has also produced more millionaires. The difference being only in how one chooses to spend their money.