President Obama, what can WE do?

I’d like to be of some help!  I’m not comfortable sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the President and Congress to do something.  That is, they have already done something, several things, some of which look promising.  But surely they are not the only ones who can have an effect on the economy!

As I have been thinking about it, it seems there are a few areas where an ordinary citizen might be of help.  Certainly, we can keep up the payments on our houses, finding a way to make extra money if needed, and aggressively pursuing refinancing if the loan is variable and escalating treacherously. Depending on the size and layout of your house, you could get one or more roommates. Even housing a young person who will help with babysitting could be advantageous to both the young person and the family. Rent in exchange for half-time child care? Cutting those child care costs could help with the mortgage. Let’s get creative and use some of that American ingenuity we seem to have let go dormant.

During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt annoyed the Department of Agriculture by planting a large garden on the White House lawn, and encouraging all Americans to plant one as well. (The USDA was apparently concerned that this would harm the food industry.) The people responded. Their grocery buying was limited by severe shortages and rationing, and the Victory Gardens they planted kept everyone in nutritious food. According to Living History Farm, “The result of victory gardening? The US Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 20 million victory gardens were planted. Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables.” Some organizations advocate reviving the Victory Gardens program to promote sustainability, improve nutrition, and perhaps even make a dent on the junk food obesity crisis.  I’m not the only one promoting this outlandish idea. This blog focuses on more than food, but on sustainable living on earth. Much food for thought!

What about job loss?  Well, of course hunting for a job is the first priority. There’s help that is offered by the state or former employer, such as perfecting the resume, learning new skills, and being as open-minded and flexible as possible can help a person connect with a new job..

It’s not uncommon for people who lose their jobs to finally start that business they always wanted to start.  This can be a very good idea, if carried out thoughtfully and carefully.  Investing the last of the grocery money in ventures or educational programs with limited promise is not thoughtful!  Seek help from the Small Business Administration, SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives), and the library have ample resources.  So does the internet, of course, but sometimes it’s harder to evaluate something on the net, whereas the SBA is unlikely to run a scam on you!

If we are not unemployed, what can we do?  It would help the economy if we all went out and spent money on new stuff, whether durable goods, restaurant meals, teeth-whitening – almost anything.  And this idea is not new, but it’s important: when we do buy, we should buy locally, and buy American-made, when we can.

While it would be helpful for us to do more spending, it’s not a very good idea unless one has a whole lot of discretionary income. Saving more, not spending, is the wisest course for us right now. Investing, if there are discretionary funds, and building a business so that it could support more jobs, would be great.

If I weren’t involved in real estate, I might be buying things at tag sales to sell on eBay, learning new computer skills at home or at a free class at the library, doing volunteer work where my community had been hit the hardest (the schools may need our help, the poor certainly need our help, and I’m sure there are some services in your community that have recently been cut and could benefit from volunteer help.

This post needs help! Do you have any ideas about individuals or groups taking action to improve the economy?