No More Recession, Just a "Slow Recovery"

I saw a news blurb a couple of weeks ago in which "analysts" stated that the recession is over. Well, that's comforting, isn't it? It's also really nice to know that economic analysts, at least, don't have to worry about losing their jobs, since they seem to be in higher demand during down times than when the economy is humming along at full steam.

For the rest of us who live in the real world, though, the recession is still here. The only thing that seems to have changed is that economists are now calling it a "slow recovery" rather than what it really is. A report released last week by the New England Economic Partnership tries to be upbeat, but paints a picture of lingering economic doldrums, particularly for the New England states. Maine and New Hampshire seem to be faring the best, but will still experience sluggishness for at least another year. Vermont and Massachusetts' economies will supposedly "bottom out" this quarter, with slow improvement over the next year. Connecticut is facing problems until 2013, and Rhode Islands' economy is so bad that the report did not even offer a projection for recovery.

An Associated Press article by Judy Lin delivers even more good news. She cites a study by the Pew Center that declares 10 states on the verge of economic disaster. Not surprisingly, Rhode Island is one of them. The others are California, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin. These 10 states represent more than one-third of the nation's economic output. Goodness! Imagine if the recession wasn't over, the mess we'd be in!

So, the next time you are feeling down because of the Great Recession, just remember that those who really know what's going on have declared it "over". And if you live in New England and have lost one of the nearly 400,000 jobs that have disappeared in our region since early 2008, take heart. You can always retrain to become an economist.

Do Coupons Really Help Save You Money?

Like everyone else, the recession has caused my husband and myself to squeeze every little bit of value out of a dollar.  Which was why, when I saw that the weekend newspaper contained six coupon flyers, I was elated.  Surely, I thought, I would be able to find one or two money-saving coupons for items that I normally buy.  I scrutinized each and every page and came up with:  Zero.  Not a single coupon for me!  Now, I admit that we are not the best consumers in the world.  My husband is a vegetarian, we buy organic whenever possible and rarely buy ready-made meals, industrial-strength household cleaners or anything with tons of packaging.  Guess what?  Those are exactly the kind of items coupons are targeted for.  Here's a few examples.

There were many coupons for yogurt products, but not the vanilla quart-sized containers we buy.  These were individual servings, already flavored, sold in six-packs.  Not only are these products loaded with sugar and other additives, but you wind up throwing away six plastic containers, plus a cardboard box.  Sure, a lot of this can be recycled, but why bother? Not only is is healthier to add your own flavorings to the vanilla style yogurt, but you get this nifty reusable container in the bargain!  Even if you don't reuse it, it's still a lot less packaging to dispose of!

Another product consists of a chocolate pudding-cake type of treat, again in six plastic, individual-sized portions.  Now, I have a killer recipe for chocolate pudding cake that I make from scratch.  As a matter of fact, I only make it once in a while because we would just gorge ourselves on it and turn into houseboats.  It doesn't have refined flour or sugar, preservatives or hydrogenated oils and it tastes heavenly.  There is also no waste.  And don't get me started on laundry detergent--I have yet to see a coupon for the scent-free, vegetable rather than petroleum-based kind that I use.

It makes me wonder if most people really aren't aware that we are drowning in our own waste, our health is being compromised by additives in prepared foods and that petroleum is a finite resource.  Manufacturers wouldn't offer these promotions if people didn't use them, so I can only assume that they are popular.  If you don't delve too deeply into the dollars and cents issue, I guess it looks as if you are saving money.  But all that packaging and convenience has a cost, not only in money but in the toll we are taking on the earth. 

The next time you're tempted to use that coupon for Hamburger Helper, instead try this:  Buy a pound of ground beef, a bag of noodles and use the seasonings you have on hand to create a meal instead.  I'll bet you'll not only save yourself some money, but you'll also reduce the mound of refuse you have to drag out to the curb every week.  Kind of gives you a warm and fuzzy anti-coupon, money-saving feeling, doesn't it?