do you think they will go back....

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-24-2009, 02:13 PM

okay..so the world has gone to crap... people are losing their houses, their possessions, their jobs, their investments & retirements...and on and on...

in spite of this crisis-

they are cutting back, downsizing, saving, recycling & re-using, conserving.... and on and on....(you know the things that WE already do on a daily basis)......they are all jumping on the wagon..

things are changing.... because we finally WANT them to ? or because of the current situation..... ??

do you believe that this is the wave of the future ... or do you think as soon as we get this mess under control...things will just start going right back to where we came from.....(and We all here at FV become the minority-once again....)

**Marie78** · 01-24-2009, 02:23 PM

That's a good question! I think some will stick with it, initially I came around to the frugal way of thinking because of a job loss, too many bills I couldn't afford, and debt that I thought was a way of life

.

We keep adding things each month or year to our frugal lifestyle. For the last 6 months Dh and I have been riding in together to work and we started that when gas prices started to improve. We just didn't see a reason to go back, even though gasoline was considerably cheaper...it looks like it is creeping back up again now.

We can afford to do many more things that aren't frugal, but knowing where we came from we have become much more mindful of our actions regarding money...I'm sure others will remember how their struggles felt before making frugal choices, and they may decide to continue the lifestyle.

**Frugal Cook** · 01-24-2009, 04:24 PM

If we are entering in to a true Depression and there seems to be little doubt that we are, history has shown that the only thing that will bring us out of it will be the sheer destruction and recovery from a World War. That means years of suffering for most. But there are other things going on too.

Many of us got the 'message' and have spent possibly years now trying to stockpile food and supplies to help cut the harshness of survival during this period, and to become more frugal so that we are not dependent on the material things that got us on the wrong track to begin with.

Events occur in cycles and we have lots of cycles that are now coming to an end and others just beginning. When you realize that our planet is a living entity, as is our Sun, as is our Solar System and the Universe as a whole, you can research and study "their" cycles and get a better picture of how our lives are being effected.

The Earth is going through changes, the most noticeable is the shifting of the Magnetic North and eventual "flip" of its poles that may toss the planet into a new ice age. The Sun is changing to and its most noticeable issue is "Cycle 24", an 11-year cycle of intense sunspots and solar flares that we have not seen in over 600 years. And then we are aware of "Global Warming", which ironically is occurring on ALL the planets so I don't think Al Gore can take credit for it. Most consider it is caused by increased friction caused by gravitation and magnetic (field) influence from a huge celestial object coming towards us. Then there is the issue of our Solar System and our Milky Way moving into an alignment with the center of the Universe and a known Black Hole. Nobody knows what will happen then, but lots of theories and is why scientists built a super atom smasher/accelerator in France.

Yes, life is a little more complicated that our little lives and neighborhoods, but perhaps we will have a better chance of living through it all if we take the time to learn what it is all about.

And if you are a spiritual person, you know that God placed mankind on this planet for a reason and that He is on an agenda and a schedule that we cannot influence. And if you are a reader of the Bible then you know we are living in the Age of Revelation.

Are things going to get better? Yes, much much better, but not in the way you think.

**homesteadmamma** · 01-24-2009, 04:29 PM

I don't think this mess will ever get under control as it was in the past. It's going to be a totally different age we live in. If it by chance does, will people go back to spending like they did - I totally believe most will because they are trying to fill a void in their lives.

I love how Fugal Cook put it at the very end - yes things are going to get much better, but not in the way people think. I agree 100%.

**dcompton** · 01-24-2009, 04:37 PM

I think it may depend on how severe it is and how long it lasts. Recent recessions obviously didn't do much to dampen the extravagance once they were past. However the depression did, and deeply marked a generation or two, the adults living through it and their children as well, many of whom retained their frugal ways long after the crisis was over.

**Parksfamily5** · 01-24-2009, 05:13 PM

Hopefully as a whole this will make us change our ways and learn to live healthier and better.

**Ilovesewing** · 01-24-2009, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by dcompton

I think it may depend on how severe it is and how long it lasts. Recent recessions obviously didn't do much to dampen the extravagance once they were past. However the depression did, and deeply marked a generation or two, the adults living through it and their children as well, many of whom retained their frugal ways long after the crisis was over.

I agree with that!

**rowdy35** · 01-24-2009, 09:11 PM

it is hard to predict what is going to happen but I do think most people will go back to the days of high spending, dining out and spending more than they make.. after all, it's the American way !!

for me, if I get a little breathing room in my budget, I will loosen up and actually allow myself to go out to eat or to a movie once a month, so no extravagance here !

**forHISglory** · 01-24-2009, 09:15 PM

Based on what I've observed over the past few decades, I would guess that as soon as things lighten up, folks will go back to the high spending.

**khjmom** · 01-24-2009, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by homesteadmamma

I don't think this mess will ever get under control as it was in the past. It's going to be a totally different age we live in. If it by chance does, will people go back to spending like they did - I totally believe most will because they are trying to fill a void in their lives.

I love how Fugal Cook put it at the very end - yes things are going to get much better, but not in the way people think. I agree 100%.

I agree with you.

**MRAHoffman** · 01-24-2009, 09:33 PM

Depression. Think about it, we GOT in this mess because of bad home buying practices, bad credit practices etc, so with home buying reversing to the way it SHOULD be (good credit and 20% down), credit card companies requiring you to have GOOD credit for a card (and all of THIS will transpire only AFTER all the bad mortgages have been removed...there is another wave of ARMS due this year as well as the credit card bubble hasn't "truly" occured yet not to mention the banks aren't lending to anyone yet as they are trying to prop up their own capital). My question is with so many people losing their homes and jobs, not to mention having the good credit (foreclosure won't look good on a persons credit report) or the $ to put down on the house, WHO is going to buy up the surplus of homes and WHO is going to be able to "charge" the economy back to the way it was...NO ONE!!! This is why I fear that we will be "stuck" for a longer period of time. They have YET to figure out how to stop the markets from tanking, not to mention how to get OUT of this mess. Deflation is driving the price of things down (not bad for the consumer), the this is causing business's not to hire and or layoff existing workers (bad for the company). Who is going to shop this economy back into shape (no ones charging OR spending cash and even when things stabilize, who is going to be as INDULGENT as we were). I just don't see things getting better for a LOOONG time as not only do we NOT have the desire to spend our way out of this, but we don't have the "charging" ability to do it. Take care and God bless.

**fixer** · 01-24-2009, 11:25 PM

I think some people will learn. The pain will be bad enough for people to look for a better way. The question is how many people will get it. My guess is the ones who feel deprived because they can no longer afford to eat out, buy expensive coffee every morning will go back as soon as they can.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 01-24-2009, 11:33 PM

I think they'll all go back. It's hard to give up on habits that you've been so accustomed to for your entire existence. It takes pure willpower to really want to make changes in your life and stay with those particular changes.

Most people in this world aren't too bright. They don't realize the damage they're doing to both themselves and the people around them with the degrading lifestyle choices they choose to encompass. Those of us whom have seen the light and don't want to turn back into the direction that led us into perpetual ruin are going to be the ones who keep going with what we love to do the most... be frugal.

**elphie** · 01-24-2009, 11:38 PM

I don't think it is a matter of simply "learning the lesson". No one has ever shopped themself into trouble without trying to fill a void. It could be boredom due to the wrong job/relationship/location, it could be trying to bolster a low self-image by keeping up with the Jones's, it could be a false sense that things are the key to happiness, it could be that they bought into the idea of the way life is "supposed" to look instead of figuring out what they want.

At any rate I don't believe the current state of the economy is just a wake up call to how we (collectively) spend money but how we send our lives. I think the people who will come through truly better off are those who choose to look deeper than their wallets and bank accounts.

ETA: I know very frugal people who are looking to that for security and happiness much the same way the spendthrifts are looking to things. Two sides of the same coin if you don't discover that true happiness comes from within. IMHO

**ladykemma2** · 01-25-2009, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by sabrelvssammy

okay..so the world has gone to crap... people are losing their houses, their possessions, their jobs, their investments & retirements...and on and on...

in spite of this crisis-

they are cutting back, downsizing, saving, recycling & re-using, conserving.... and on and on....(you know the things that WE already do on a daily basis)......they are all jumping on the wagon..

things are changing.... because we finally WANT them to ? or because of the current situation..... ??

do you believe that this is the wave of the future ... or do you think as soon as we get this mess under control...things will just start going right back to where we came from.....(and We all here at FV become the minority-once again....)

i believe the only way out of this mess is to bring manufacturing back to this country. heavy tax on imported goods.