Here's the place to complain. Since the economy flipped what have you given up?

I took my money for granted before, and spent it when I wanted to, now I have to think twice before I buy Oddly enough I'm a lucky one since I've been below poverty and homeless in my life etc so when it comes to makin it work I'm pretty good at it..(I say oddly because really who would think that being homeless at any point in life would have been a "lucky" thing ya know)

Sweet, you are lucky that it is just a little belt tightening right now for you. A lot of people are struggling(like myself) to keep food in our house and in our bellies. Last week my household paid our rent (late) and were left with no money, no food in the house at all, and no toilet paper. Lady J that which does not kill us makes us stronger. I too have had a time in my life when I was living pillar to post also. Though at the time you think to yourself that it really cannot get much worse for you. It always can, and there is sa curious kind of freedom to haveing to "roughit" besides the sum total of your experiences is you as you are now. Everyone has to go through what they go through, but these days aren't you glad for the steel that such an experience welded into yourspine? Keep your head up baby, "This too shall pass."

You have had times when things were much worse. And for good or for ill you still have your man, your family intact, and hopefuly your health. Giving up a little take out is fairly minor to losing your home, cars, and the lifestyle that you have become accustomed to. It seems that from where you have alluded that you have "come from" I think that not only is this minor set back a good thing, it has for many people, taught us all to appreciate what little or much we do have. I had the feeling that people were beginning to lose that "attitude of gratitude" for the things that God has granted them in this life. There were a lot of people who had been living large or at least living well who began to forget who they are and where they have come from. They also thought that they had the luxury of "re-inventing themselves" because they were someone new now, some one with money and nice things. A lot of those same people are having to give up a lot of their luxuries and lifestyles, and they don't know what to do. Like I tell the bf, at least we already know how to be poor, and we know what it is to go without, so reverting to whom we were before is not much of a stretch.