Sushi Money

     What do you do when it seems like everything is getting more expensive? When I head to the grocery store I keep seeing higher prices and wonder why stuff costs so much more than it used to. Lately I’ve had that experience more frequently than in the past. Inflation may be under control from a macroeconomic perspective, but it’s not under control from the family grocery shopping perspective, or for fuel or electricity costs. Our family is not struggling by any means, but we do try to shop with an eye on prices and work hard not to overspend the budget. Yet when I find prices of grocery items influencing my shopping habits, I’ve got to wonder how other people are doing that really are struggling financially. Energy costs are one of the biggest culprits of course, especially as companies pass their energy costs on to consumers. But what about certain farm subsidies, especially where propping up ethanol production is concerned? Corn and other grain products are in such demand that costs throughout the food processing spectrum are rising like never before. Maybe catching up as well, but it’s still fairly amazing.

     I’ve had these thoughts for some time, but today read an interesting article about how Living Paycheck to Paycheck Gets Harder. Similar themes in the article, especially for shoppers. I found it interesting that Wal-Mart and other larger retailers are seeing the spending gap in the days before and after payday get much larger. In many ways that alone might indicate a recessionary theme for the economy. Once you factor in energy prices and local economic issues such as employment, family economic well-being really becomes a critical issue in many communities. I suspect we’ll see a lot more about this theme in the months ahead, especially with the 2008 election in full-swing. Do you find yourself living paycheck-to-paycheck? I think a lot more families are, and that has me concerned about the next few years.  My nature is to look at things postively, with an optimistic eye for the future.  Heck, I just wrote about Appreciating the Economy a couple weeks ago, but I think it’s also important to look at the challenges people do face.

     Back in the early ’90’s, the first President Bush lost the election because people were very concerned about the economy, and it seemed like the political leaders were out of touch with the reality that many working families face. Remember “It’s the economy, stupid?” Seems to me like we are seeing the same thing happen all over again. Certainly there are many aspects of the U.S. economy that are strong and vibrant. But to ignore the challenges and realities that many families do face is akin to turning away from the problem. Those political leaders who do address these issues in a constructive and positive manner will be heard much more clearly from the voters. Personally, I don’t care about the political aspects other than to see that we are helping Americans to grow and succeed in their lives. There are so many ways to foster financial literacy and economic well-being in the nation. Education is vitally important, as are employment and tax incentives for businesses, homeowners and families with children.

     More importantly however, there’s a lot we can do locally to help others. Just taking a few food items to a local charity or food pantry can really make a difference, especially as we head towards winter and the holiday season. Hopefully we won’t see a recession in the U.S., but whether we do or don’t, there will still be a lot of families that need our help.

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