~Save Money Momma~

Blogging is my first love, besides my children and hubby.  It’s a passion, even though my daughter is a better writer than I at the age of 12, I feel inspired by her. When she reads her stories to me, I can clearly visualize the places and colors she is describing, the circumstances surrounding her characters and what they look like.  She is a girl who uses her adjectives!

Besides writing, I am always hustling. Always. I am a mover and a shaker and I get the job done.  I run an ebay store named delicious_denims_and_desirables, I go to the local flea market on weekends when weather permits and sell all my treasures which aren’t so popular on ebay. I also run an event planning business named Pocono Party Planners.  I even invested in a carnival cotton candy machine. You should see me dragging that cart around.  Kids and adults LOVE, I mean LOVE cotton candy. 

What’s my point? I’m getting to that. My point is, with the bankruptcy, foreclosures, job loss and borderline poverty I noticed something on Saturday. Saturday I paid $15.00 for a spot on the great lawn at the Fernwood Resort.  It’s not a normal flea market location, it was a charity drive kind of thing with all paid vendor fees going towards Bushkill Outreach. (The local food and clothing pantry.)

On Saturday, I woke nice and early as I usually do and we loaded up the van and drove the 10 minutes to the Fernwood.  We got a great spot on the end, (which is what I prayed for) and by 8:45 am I was set up and ready to “vend”.  By 1:00 pm I had decided to check my earnings and actually did better than I expected.  Then I sat down in my chair because I am sick and needed to relax for a moment.  When I did that, I looked around at all the other tables and realized this lawn is packed. I don’t mean with vendors, I mean packed with buyers. PACKED.

I sat there and as I looked around I realized something. I was there because I need to earn some money. I needed to suppliment my income and this is what I have found that works for me.  I honestly feel the squeeze of the economy for what it is now, it has been so difficult at times that I have driven my van for two days straight red lined. I know I am not alone on that.  There were other people there who were shoppers. People spending money and smiling and laughing because they got a good deal on something or maybe they found an item they had been looking for, whatever the reason spending that money made them feel good. My realization: even with the economy being what it is, people want to be comfortable and not feel restricted. Not live within the confines of a “poor” life, or even have a poor quality of life. People want to feel good, live well and be happy. Yet, we are concious shoppers. There were so many people who asked me if I could do better on pricing. I had an $88.00 gold leather coat with the tags still on it. I asked only  $20.00 for it, and the lady talked me down to $18.00.  Saving the $2.00 was the deal maker for her.  Saving that $2.00 was enough for her to hand me that $20.00 bill and get her change and stroll away feeling satisfied, like a smart shopper.

My opinion, I think that the government to some degree has sympathy for the country but doesn’t feel the pinch of what the average household has to suffer through, nor do they understand it. The emotional toll it takes on parents with multiple children and what thier needs are.  The saving, the cutting corners, printing out online coupons, clipping sunday paper coupons, using one credit card to pay for another, paying the minimal balance on the bills and  the WORRIES.  The Sacrifices. I believe that the people in government will never feel the full impact of what the people go through because their financial situations are stable. They will never be told “NO”.  They will never have to worry that a check will bounce, that a bill cannot be paid, that there is not enough food for thier families, that opportunities will be denied due to financial constraints.  Is it our fault? To some degree, not all Americans are good budgeters, but today, yesterday and tomorrow we have to be. How many people have been laid off?  How many people have lost thier homes? It’s not because we are bad people, it’s because resources and circumstances have been limited so, that what we are entitled to is limited as well.  It’s because banks and lenders are scared for themselves.

What do we do? I don’t know. I don’t have any answers, except to keep doing what I am doing and pray for the best.  I think that is why I started this blog as well, to try to give something to everyone. It feels good to get a deal, a bargain and something for free is even better.  I feel like I’ve had a productive day if I found a way to save money and still receive the items I need for my household.  I don’t know about you, but I feel something needs to be done now because tomorrow it may be our children faced with these stressors and I didn’t give birth to my children so thier future could be ruined by poor governmental decisions, corrupt policies,  oil schemes and religious wars.  The Lord said, “Go forth and be fruitful” why not apply that to the earth and who matters right now, the generation of tomorrow.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS