The Money Tree

It seems like every day the government is giving out money. They gave away stimulus checks and now they want to give money for gas every month. Sure, getting money from the government sounds great!

But wait…where is this money coming from? Is it from the Money Tree?

I remember growing up and my parents always telling me that money doesn’t grow on trees. Yet, it seems like someone has forgotten to remind the government of this fact.

I’m not heartless that I don’t want to help the needy. I give to charity. I knit hats and prayer shawls and give money to my church. I try to help those who need help.

But everyone needs to stop and ask themselves where this money is going to come from!

People need to realize that this money is going to come from our taxes, mostly property taxes. Most of the money is going to help those who don’t own property. By doing this, the government is distributing my hard-earned money however they want to do this.

This kind of action hurt those on fixed incomes such as the elderly. Most people on fixed incomes will find their money no longer stretches the way it did. Suddenly those people that use to be able to be independent and pay their own bills will become those who need help. Now we have a larger group of people who will become needy.

How does this help our economy? Does the government think that making more people poor, it will make our country better? Are we rewarding those who don’t work and expect a handout while punishing those that work hard? This doesn’t make any sense.

This reminds me of this version of Aesop’s fable of the Squirrel and the Grasshopper. The squirrel prepares for the winter by laying up supplies while the grasshopper does nothing. In the winter, the grasshopper dies because he didn’t work hard to prepare for the winter. You don’t see Mother Nature taking the squirrel’s supplies to keep the grasshopper alive. Read the rest of this selection to see what happens in the alternate version of the same fable!

I pray that people will wake up and see this. The only way I see that we fight back is by contacting our legislators and urging them to stop giving our money away. I hope that people will fight back by voting against those who think giving away money is the way to go.

Stop thinking there is a Money Tree somewhere!

Photo by micheile || visual stories on Unsplash

10 Tips for Surviving Economy Woes

As we explore the tourist areas of Kissimmee, FL, we are amazed at how dismal things look here. We were just here two years ago and what a difference it seems like. Many restaurants are shut down. Even hotels are boarded up. It looks like it is dying. This is usually the busy time when we come here and there are tons of traffic and long lines everywhere. When we go into restaurants, there are usually only two to three tables occupied. The servers tell us that business is terrible and they are barely making any money. We walked around Old Town and it was more like a ghost town. Years ago, I remember it as a booming hot spot. When we have gone hunting for antique stores, many of them have closed down because most people do not have the luxury of spending money on their “wants” and have to concentrate on their “needs.”

This is a good time to talk to students about the economy. Many of them have family members who have lost their jobs and looking for work. It would be a good time to study the era of the The Great Depression. Discuss how people survived during those times. Discuss what we have learned from history.

Here are some things that I learned that I would share with my students. They are not in any order of importance because I feel all of them are important.

1. Don’t waste things. Recycle and reuse as much as possible.
2. Grow your own vegetables. Learn how to preserve them for later use.
3. Learn a skill that can be traded for things that you may need.
4. Be frugal in your spending.
5. Lower your thermostats in the winter and raise them in the summer. Conserve on energy and lower your power bills.
6. Clip coupons.
7. Look for sales. Ask yourself if you really need to buy something.
8. Make a list of errands you need to run. Prioritize and do them all at one time rather than running back and forth. This will save on gas.
9. Use the internet or call to check on prices. Compare prices at different stores for big items before you buy.
10. Save your money and buy when you have money. Avoid buying on credit or rent to own.

What would you tell your students? How do you save money? Please share!

Image: 'Classic photo of a distress sale --+Great+Depression+$100+will+buy+this+car'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45449060@N00/3109349739