Free reading materials!
And I thought I was cheap by going to thrift stores for 50¢ paperbacks.
This is even better! and FREE! and you have more to choose from! And they don’t smell like grandma’s graveyard attic!

And there are no portly old men trying to pick up on you (no comment).
And you can sit down for a moment and hang out at a clean desk- and ask someone for their expertise on literature!

amazing stuff people- free. FREE!

Even with budget cuts and strange hours, the library system is a great resource for the avid reader and non-avid reader alike.
If you don’t care for reading, get a library card and rent a book on tape, rent a movie, do some family history research, or watch a concert!

So many FREE things to do, borrow, and learn about in you own neighborhood.

Find your neighborhood library, here.

One of my favorite life-improving sites, Zen Habits, had a post the other day on ways to boost your mood in this pathetic economy of ours.

I don’t know about you, but with the combination of the holidays approaching, I could use a little boost.

My favorite tips from Leo include:  

4. Perform an action that reflects your values. Do you think organ donation is a good idea? Sign up online to be one yourself; it takes less than a minute. Worried about climate change? Refill your water bottle from the tap instead of buying a couple of bottles throughout the day. The First Splendid Truth holds that to work on happiness, we should think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth. Living up to your values will help you “feel right.”

and…

9. Act happy. Put a smile on your face right now. Research shows that even a fake smile has a positive influence on your emotions—turns out that just going through the motion of happiness brightens your mood. And if you’re smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

 

Not bad, it doesn’t cost anything, and when thinking about this economy, it’s not that bad if you’re smiling….

‘Tis the season! (for buying stuff)

In the height of the biggest consumerist holiday of the year, I think a little perspective (on just why we are flocking to the malls in the masses) would be helpful.

Intersting, no?

I find the part about planned and perceived obsolescence to be amazing.

You can watch the rest of this video on the Story of Stuff website, and think twice about your purchases this holiday season.

I came across an article in the New York Times by Stephanie Rosenbloom about how people are cutting back spending for the holidays this year in order to buy gifts for their kids.

The article is amazing. Here’s an example of it’s amazing grasp of the financial situation of moms in this country:

Weathering the first severe economic downturn of their adult lives, these women are discovering that a practice they once indulged without thinking about it, shopping a bit for themselves at the holidays, has to give way to their children’s wish lists.

What? They have to change their spending habits to have money for their kids?  Say it ain’t so!

“I want her to be able to look back,” Ms. Hunt declared, “and say, ‘Even though they were tough times, my mom was still able to give me stuff.’ ”

Boy I know if my mom never bought me “stuff” I wouldn’t be driving up 200 miles tomorrow to see her, eat side dishes and chit chat about my latest blog posts. Because even in tough times, getting stuff from your mom is more important than having her love, support and guidance.

Don’t think I don’t remember being a kid at Christmas and the joy of opening up the My Little Pony lunch box I had been unsubtle in hinting about all year. I know part of that magic of Christmas is the presents, especially when you are young, but don’t you think we’re going a bit too far, when it’s news that a mom has to “sacrifice” for her kids by not buying the latest pair of designer jeans? Is that sacrifice? 

The comments on this story are worth the read. To quote from Lost in the US, Random Lake, WI,

Shop for myself? What a laugh! This is not “sacrifice”. This is just being a parent. Next time you want to do an article on parental sacrifice, find someone who actually falls into that category. Like one of those parents who are working three jobs to keep a roof over her/his kids’ heads. Not buying dumb designer jeans is not sacrifice. By the way, that is way too many toys in the photo. Small children just get confused and confounded when they get an orgy of “stuff” on Christmas morning. 

Not to compare this financial crisis to the Great Depression, but let’s read this CNN article by 91 year-old Walter Stoiber, who looks back at the Great Depression days.

Now that puts things into perspective. He was just a kid during the Depression, they had no money, he had a full and happy childhood, and -get this- he survived!

Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing if your kid looks back at this Christmas and says “they were tough times, my mom was not able to give me stuff but we managed, and being kids, we used our creativity and imagination (gasp!) and had fun anyway.”