A Needed Adjustment

I believe that most of us in the baby boomer generation needed an adjustment because we were really the first generation to grow up with credit cards.

For generations before us, if people could not afford something, they worked hard, saved up and then bought it.  Then along came credit cards, which gave us the opportunity to buy first and pay later.  We're in the mess that we are in this country because we've lost sight of the difference between things "we need" and things that may be nice but we do not necessarily "need".

For instance, past generations would wear their pants until they had holes (they did not buy them with holes back then).  Now if we see a commercial on pants, we go out and put it on our credit card even though we may not need them.

Our grandparents and great grandparents also lived in a time before television and mass media, so they didn't have commercials and advertisers brain-washing them into what is "cool" and what will make you look better, run faster...or help you with the opposite sex.

Everyone needs to own a new car now, again having to take out a substantial loan.  Years ago, it was rare to see a new car because everyone owned used cars and repaired them.

You shopped for houses within your budget after saving up for a down payment.

We're in the mess we're in because we put ourselves here.  It's time to downsize and to live within our means.

Do you need that four wheeler or that expensive vacation or that expensive jewelry?  Take a walk in the woods, vacation somewhere nearby and discover what is just around the corner from where you live and spend time with the person(s) you care most about.

Greed got us to this point and we as a whole are now paying for our greed.  The economy is forcing us to stop and think before we purchase and to NOT use plastic to pay for everything.

The times are forcing us to think more like our grandparents and great-grandparents, when times were simpler and they knew the difference between "want" and "need".

We will dig out of this mess but not until we all take responsibility for our own actions and realize that we are still the richest country on the planet...not just monetary wise but with our values and the freedom that we all enjoy every day.

Less is more...time to make a much needed adjustment.