Who would have thought...

That it would be so hard in the year 2012 for so many people to make ends meet financially. Single people, families, mostly all people I know are having a very hard time just making it through to the end of each month without running out of money for necessities and some, I include myself in this group do not make it to that last week of the month and we end up having to

 take out payday loans which we have to pay back the next month with interest which of course that costs us even more money we really do not have to spend. It's truly a vicious cycle.

I have seen and heard stories of people being at the check outs in Walmart at 11:30 PM the night before their Social Security checks are direct deposited because they have run out of food for the month and as soon as that check is available they are there to buy what they have been without for that last week of the month. I've also heard others put these people down by calling them trailor trash, trash, rednecks etc. I can tell you first hand the majority of these people are none of these things.. These people are not what has been called "Welfare hogs" they are, senior citizens and disabled people as well.. My husband and I are both disabled and we live on a fixed income and don't think for a moment there haven't been times when I almost found myself at the Walmart check out waiting for my check to clear.

Of the people I know we have stopped buying anything that we don't need. Nothing extra. We don't go out to eat, we don't go to the movies.  As for vacations, most of us haven't seen one of those in years.

I am thinking about learning how to get into canning.  I know some of you have been very blessed to have had grandmothers and family members who have been doing this for years be able to teach you. I don't have the first clue about how to can but Im going to try and learn. I just pray I don't poison anyone by messing it up..I also want to learn how to grow herbs and vegetables in pots on my deck as my body doesn't allow me to have a full blown garden...


What about you and your family? Have you cut back on things? Only buying the bare necessities? Have you begun canning and growing some of your own food? Are you able to make it through the month? How are you stretching your dollars?

                                                                                                                                                                  Care to share any tips and ideas for myself and the readers?