That's Free Entertainment

When one's financial future is on shaky ground, one shouldn't act as though it isn't. In other words, because we don't know what the future holds for us, we can't continue to live as though everything is the same as it was a month ago, which means entertainment for ourselves and for the girls has to be either free or extremely low cost. We're no strangers to this concept anyway since I work only part-time, but now that revenue is down the expenses have to follow. (Wish we could teach D.C. to do the same thing.)

Thankfully our girls are at an age when it doesn't take much to make them happy. We purchased a season zoo pass back in March, so you know we'll be using the heck out of that thing for the rest of the summer; I plan to be there so much that the animals will know us on sight! Our town doesn't have a huge library, but it provides enough excitement to kill an hour. Ray loves a good story and is especially fond of going to the library to see what new & exciting stories she can find. Our library offers story time, and other nearby libaries offer additional activities for free, which is nice. One of the local malls offers a free end-of-the-month family night complete with several inflatables, story characters, crafts, face painting, balloons....aaahhhh the wonder of it all. We took the girls to the August family night, and they had a blast. Until the weather gets cold, there's always the park or playdates with friends - not to mention several other places around the area that offer various free and low cost activities for little ones.

If our girls were older, entertaining them might be more of a challenge, but right now, I bask in the uncomplicated glory of watching them simply explore their world. It doesn't get much cheaper than that! They are well supplied in the toy area. Whatever we don't have, grandma usually does. I frequent garage sales often because I know all too well how fast a child's interest fades in a new toy. (In other words, retail is for suckers.) I'm especially proud of last week's purchase of a water/sand table for the backyard and a huge dollhouse with a gazillion accessories that was in great condition. (That one will get tucked away for Christmas and/or birthday.)

I cancelled our cable service earlier this month...was planning to anyway, not just because of hubby's job loss...so there are times when that has been a challenge. The girls watch way too much T.V. as it is, which is definitely our fault, but when they want to watch a show that's only on cable, redirecting their desire to local programming or our video library is a challenge. It's been hard for me too because I'm used to watching a little Food Network in the afternoon while they nap and because local programming isn't all that great. What's a girl to do? Never fear; there are free and low-cost ways to enjoy television too! Why pay for cable when I can watch most of my favorite shows (current and oldies) via online services like Hulu.com *for free*. When our budget allows for it, we'll purchase a Netflix box can download just about anything instantly. That's not free, but at less than $10/month, it sure beats the pants off cable.

Hubby & I have very little free time as it is, so we're not too worried about how to entertain ourselves beyond the boob tube. When we're not trying to keep up with the kiddos, we're either working or cleaning. Our house is such a disorganized mess that whipping it into shape will be our form of entertainment for awhile. We also have family in the area, so we enjoy just hanging out with them and shooting the breeze. We know several families who have children about the same age, so I'm looking forward to inviting many of them over throughout the winter. The kids stay occupied w/each other, and we can get some "adult time". He & I need to do better about scheduling time alone to enjoy each other's company though. That may be hard to do for nothing or next to nothing, but I'm sure we'll find a way.

What's interesting to me is how many times we've been asked in the past month to go do something. These activities vary from $20 to a hundred dollars or more. And even though I appreciate being asked and included, I can't help but wonder. Are we being asked because the person doesn't putt two and two together (as in, unemployment + two kids + uncertain future = not a good time to spend extra money) or if the person themself would think nothing about spending money as if there is no looming problem?

The trouble with living like there is no tomorrow is that tomorrow always comes sooner rather than later (unless you kick the bucket), and you usually end up with a mountain of debt to climb. No thank you! We've been down that road and don't care for a return trip. I don't assume anything malicious or hurtful by those who asked us to do things. I just don't know if it's because 1) they don't grasp the severity of our situation or 2) they wouldn't change anything if their financial future was on shaky ground.

Unfortunately a lot of people in this country tend to fall into category #2. I think it's how we got into the position we're in now...too many individuals & families (not the government and not the greedy Wall Street brokers) buying things they really didn't need and couldn't afford. They never thought about The Piper until he showed up on their doorstep loudly blowing his horn. Don't think for a second that I judge you if you are in that position now because I've done my fair share of the same thing. In the last three years though, I've fought with an intense focus to change not only the way that I live but also to spark a generational change in my family tree. The girls may not have the best of anything and may not get to do everything they'd like, but they will have what they need. In many parts of our world, folks don't even have that. The poorest in this country are still far better off than the poorest in the world.

Question: If you lost your job, would you continue living as though you hadn't? Would you take vacations, buy toys or cars or houses or clothes or whatever thinking that you'll be on stable ground again soon and will pay it off then? What happens if your period of uncertainty lasts much longer than you initially think it will? What would you do if you were in our shoes....live it up or conserve?