Remember Cupcake? Well.... My fiance and I are fostering her short-term starting on Saturday! I am really looking forward to taking care of her this weekend, and I am hopeful that she is now one step closer to finding a great family to love her.
I also hope that she likes Happy Ta*ls Mini Hot Dogs because she has a pack with her name on them waiting for her!
Now for the Question: Even if you have not made extreme changes in your life because of the financial situation in our country (if you live in the US), what are some things that you have done to cut back? And, what are some things that you like to do for free/inexpensive entertainment?
What we have done to cut back: Turned off the A/C in the end of August and have not turned on the heat, turn off lights we are not using, un-plug appliances when they are not in use, and the big one...we don't have cable or internet right now. We use internet at (law) school, work, or cafes. We can pick up a few channels of TV, but we aren't really big "TV people," anyways. I think we are probably saving about $100.00 a month, possibly more.
That savings helps in several ways: We can work the same amount and have more money left over, which translates into less stress. And we have more time and energy (that we aren't using stressing over finances) to spend doing volunteer work or doing other fun things.
For free or inexpensive entertainment we plan to go to the park and play soccer and tennis this weekend. We may also (weather permitting) go on a great Fall bike ride, and have been going out to eat less. We also try to go to Costco on Sundays for sample day. That might sound cheap, but we really are buying things anyways while we are there, it's just always more fun on sample day :)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Someone Out There Needs You
I'm sure we have all heard the news, our country is going through a financial crisis. The politicians are talking about this crisis hitting "Main Street" and what this means to middle class Americans. Thankfully, even though times are tough and we have cut back on certain spending, my fiance and I are blessed enough to have a nice home, food on the table, and warm clothes to wear.
Unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury. With more and more foreclosures, where are all of these people going? I have seen news reports of families living out of their vans, or living in a tent at a campsite. And those aren't the worst of the stories. I'm not pointing fingers on whose fault that is, and each case is different, but it is definitely not the children's fault when their family is homeless.
The children, who need stability and security, can be traumatized when their family becomes homeless, and schooling often becomes an afterthought. When the parents have enough trouble just figuring out where they will live that night and what they will feed their children, you can't blame them if education is not their top priority. Or maybe it is, and the ends just aren't meeting. Whatever the situation, sometimes these homeless children need extra assistance with their education.
There are some great programs out there that facilitate volunteers spending an hour or more a week, helping children in homeless shelters or YMCA's with homework, tutoring, or general school support.
Here is more information homeless youth:
http://www.bisd.us/State_compensatory_UIL/homeless.htm
Here is a list of many organizations that help homeless youth:
http://www.zoominfo.com/Industries/foundation/charitable-organizations-foundations/tutoring.htm
Helping with schoolwork is obviously only one of the ways that you can help homeless youth. It is a growing problem in our country, especially now as economic times are especially tough.
Education is a window of opportunity for the youth of America. It is so very important in breaking the cycle of poverty. When a child is constantly being shifted from shelter to shelter, couch to couch, or place to place, gaps in education are highly likely. Without extra outside help, many of these gaps will never be filled, and educational progress is difficult when you don't understand the underlying concepts. How can you learn multiplication and division if you never correctly learned how to add and subtract?
Maybe you could help be a tutor, mentor, or friend to a child or teenager during a time of crisis in their life? If this appeals to you, please find an organization in your area and get involved.
Unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury. With more and more foreclosures, where are all of these people going? I have seen news reports of families living out of their vans, or living in a tent at a campsite. And those aren't the worst of the stories. I'm not pointing fingers on whose fault that is, and each case is different, but it is definitely not the children's fault when their family is homeless.
The children, who need stability and security, can be traumatized when their family becomes homeless, and schooling often becomes an afterthought. When the parents have enough trouble just figuring out where they will live that night and what they will feed their children, you can't blame them if education is not their top priority. Or maybe it is, and the ends just aren't meeting. Whatever the situation, sometimes these homeless children need extra assistance with their education.
There are some great programs out there that facilitate volunteers spending an hour or more a week, helping children in homeless shelters or YMCA's with homework, tutoring, or general school support.
Here is more information homeless youth:
http://www.bisd.us/State_compensatory_UIL/homeless.htm
Here is a list of many organizations that help homeless youth:
http://www.zoominfo.com/Industries/foundation/charitable-organizations-foundations/tutoring.htm
Helping with schoolwork is obviously only one of the ways that you can help homeless youth. It is a growing problem in our country, especially now as economic times are especially tough.
Education is a window of opportunity for the youth of America. It is so very important in breaking the cycle of poverty. When a child is constantly being shifted from shelter to shelter, couch to couch, or place to place, gaps in education are highly likely. Without extra outside help, many of these gaps will never be filled, and educational progress is difficult when you don't understand the underlying concepts. How can you learn multiplication and division if you never correctly learned how to add and subtract?
Maybe you could help be a tutor, mentor, or friend to a child or teenager during a time of crisis in their life? If this appeals to you, please find an organization in your area and get involved.
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