Humor in Hard Times

Everyone is looking for someone to blame. Sometimes we want to blame the people on Wall Street, or the past or current administration, but that is sometimes not as effective, not as personal, and certainly not as much fun as blaming those close to you.

Who should you blame? There are a whole list of possible "blamees." Here's a great way to point out your feelings at the next family gathering or company picnic with a t-shirt or button from Cafepress. Try these items.

It's my MOTHER'S fault
It's my FATHER'S fault
It's my KIDS' fault
It's my HUSBAND'S fault
It's my WIFE'S fault
It's my BOSS's fault
It's my X's fault

All these people are likely candidates for blame, and think of how pleased they'll be when they see you in one of these fine t-shirts.

However, if stress is affecting your personal relationships too much, you should probably seek some help. If you can't afford a counselor, you can inquire at a local church about free counseling or the help of a Stephen Minister.

With the economic downturn, [or would that be the economic plummet?] more and more retirees are finding themselves in need of going back to work. It's important to have a healthy attitude about these things, especially in light of the fact that you aren't exactly the only person on the planet who is facing this unfortunate situation, and there's little you can do about it now.

So smile and try to cheer others, even if you are bagging groceries or handing out smiley face stickers at the local Wal-Mart. It could always get worse; let's just hope it doesn't.

I'm not old, I just need some WD-40, available on a variety of fun merchandise over at Cafepress.

Lost your job? Rather than think about it as though you lost something, think of it as a gateway to the new rest of your life. Which is all fine and good unless you have other mouths to feed, and then it becomes really stressful. Try to relax and joke with the kids about eating beans. Say this rhyme:

Beans, beans, the musical fruit.
The more you eat, the more you toot.
The more you toot, the better you feel,
So eat your beans at every meal.

We recite this rhyme around our house frequently. Aside from the earthy aromas emanating from our clothing, we're all doing pretty well. And we're all "regular;" what a bonus!

Ask Me About My Pink Slip, available on all kinds of commemorative gack at Cafepress.

Join today.

OK, there's nothing really all that fun about making every penny count, but if you approach it with a good attitude, it will be easier to bear. Have the kids collect and cut out coupons from the Sunday paper and any magazines you might have lying about. Look for other coupons in packaging, and in those little automatic dispensers at the grocery store. Make a list and stick to it. And, VERY IMPORTANT, never go to the store when you are hungry or you will come home with all kinds of stuff you didn't need.

Catch a case of OCD - Obsessive Coupon Disorder - at Cafepress. Great to wear on your next shopping trip.

Are you facing foreclosure? You're not alone. A lot of people are. And it's hard to find humor in losing everything. We are not in foreclosure, but we are trying to sell our home which is now priced at less than we owe, so we'll have to sell a lot of our stuff just to pay the real estate agents, should it ever sell. It seems unlikely.

If you are in foreclosure or short sale, life seems pretty grim. We have simply told our kids that these are the "Hobo Years," which sounds like more fun than telling them their college educations just went down the crapper.

Ask me about my foreclosure over on Cafepress.