In a Tough Economy, We Still Have Choices

We packed our car, reluctant to leave our tiny cabin behind. We'd barely had room to move inside, and had to do all of our cooking and eating outside, but still, staying in the cabin at the campground was refreshing. It was a simpler way to live.

It also didn't cost as much as staying in a hotel, eating in restaurants, and visiting theme parks or tourist traps. We could have afforded a slightly more extravagant vacation, had we made different choices with our tax refund money, but we felt other things were more important.

For instance, we've established a $1000 emergency fund. We don't want to get caught with no money for food, like we did in early January. We don't want to have to choose between emergency car repairs and paying the rent.

We're a two-income family. My husband and I both work for school districts. My district isn't anticipating job cuts at this time, but I still don't take my job for granted. My husband is a bus driver, and his employer hasn't announced any transportation cuts yet, but they have been known to cut the number of school days when money is tight.

Despite the two incomes, money is always tight for us. A hefty portion of the money goes to child care. It's not easy to plan ahead financially when you're living paycheck to paycheck, but with today's financial insecurity, we have to try.

That doesn't mean we've stopped spending money, though. It does mean that we have to be mindful about our spending. For instance, we just bought a new bike. For some people, that might be an extravagance, but for us, it's an important tool. I'm a full-time bicycle commuter, and we're working toward being more car-free (using the bike for grocery shopping, errands, etc.). I bike because it's in line with my values, and because it saves us money.

We also put some money into buying organic food when we can, because we feel it's important for our family's health and because that also is in line with our values. It is more expensive, but since we choose not to have a big-screen TV and a video game system, and we choose not to buy a lot of DVD's and toys, we can usually afford a couple of gallons of organic milk. And if we don't buy a lot of convenience foods from the supermarket, we can afford organic produce through a co-op.

For us, navigating this economy is all about choices. Some people feel powerless, but we feel we can still choose how we live.