Obama can throw a kajillion dollars at this economy and it won’t fix the problem.

As Suze Orman says, “What makes you think this is about money?”

 This is a problem in people’s hearts. This is a problem with how we think about money and things. This is a fundamental problem with our relationship to money, other people, our businesses, our government.

As soon as everyone takes responsibility for their part in this and changes their thinking – the economy will miraculously improve.

It won’t go back to what it was. Who wants an economy based on lies? No one. That’s what got us here in the first place.

We don’t want to  go back to being an economy based on debt. Circulating Credit is NOT the answer to America’s new economy. Circulating Credit is the bad mojo that created the current unemployment rate of over 8%. If companies are charging their employees salary and benefits they didn’t create a JOB. They created DEBT. There can be no stability in an economy based on debt. As long as we keep thinking like this – we’re in for bigger trouble.

I still have a glimmer of a hope that I’m going to turn on Larry King or CNN or my local news and hear someone – a banker, an automaker, a mortgage broker, a Republican, a George Bush, a kajillionaire businessman, an upside-down homeowner, a government official in charge of interest rates, a stock broker - talk some sense.

Here’s the Crib Notes for Talking Sense about this economy:

We screwed up. We believed we could ride the credit train forever. We thought profits were limitless. We didn’t think. We didn’t think about how our actions would effect the next generation. We didn’t care how our actions affected you. We didn’t think about the whole. Our extreme capitalism harmed our capitalist economy.  We’re sorry. Please forgive us. We take responsibility for our actions and vow to change the way we do business. We’re going to be socially responsible in our business practices from here on out.

You can not change what you do not acknowledge.

Post from: Blisstree

Obama, Why Haven’t You Fixed the Economy?

I scored this healthy air popper from the 1970s at a thrift store for $2.

The top part is broken, but it’s still functional.

But, then I saw this really pretty Nastalgia Electrics Hot Air Popper . I thought it was so cute I bought one for my brother’s family for Christmas too. It was our special family Christmas treat.

It SUCKS!!!

It didn’t even pop a lot of kernels and the bowl it fills is 1/3rd the size of my other bowl. Popcorn – popped and unpopped – flies all over the room. The second time we used it – it smoked.

One side effect of the last several years of hyper-consumerism is that makers of products – from cars to popcorn makers – began making disposable products that don’t even work when you buy them.

Mixers, blenders, popcorn makers We buy them and they work for about 30 days until we can’t return them anymore and then bam – dead.

Yet, if I pick one up from the 70s and 80s at a thrift store it’s still just chugging along.

Back then manufacturers still believed consumers expected their products to last 20 – 30 years instead of 4 weeks.

Images source: The Girl Revolution

Post from: Blisstree

Pop Off ‘78 v. ‘08

It’s so nice how open and communicative our President-Elect is about his plans and ideas.

Post from: Blisstree

Communicative President-Elect’s Economic Recovery Plan

Employers report they must send jobs overseas to find an educated workforce.

This is patently inaccurate.

The truth is we have all the talent we need. Women are this country’s most underused resource. We have insight, college degrees, years of experience and yet, employers would rather go to India than give us a family-friendly workplace and equal pay?

Invite the women back with tax incentives and initiatives that reward family-friendly work environments and you will see a profoundly positive shift in every sector of this nation’s personal, private and business life.

The last thing this country needs is to replace the fired and retired CEOs who created this disastrous, short-sighted, profit-is-our-only-motive economic crash with like-minded thinkers.

Women are the resource, ingenuity and fresh thought this country needs to forge a new economy. The feminine perspective is one every Board of Trustees and Government Program needs to mine for creativity.

Hire me.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

Post from: Blisstree

Open Cover Letter

But, I’ve given it some thought and though the Capitalists have F’ed things up royally with a complete and total lack of long-term planning or insight into how their business practices truly effect the overall economy and political stability of the United States and the entire world economy as a whole . . .

We need to spend some dough. As much as possible right now. By “possible” I mean as much as you can afford to spend in CASH. Credit card spending isn’t helping anything – it’s how we got in this mess.

But, if you get a PAYCHECK and CASH IT and PAY YOUR BILLS and meet your LIVING NEEDS and you have some LEFT OVER – then you should throw some Cold Hard Cash at the economy and pray it will keep the good companies in business.

Shop consciously. My friend Jeanne from Jeanne’s Endo Blog emailed me and suggested that since I can’t collect commissions through my own Amazon store I might shop through hers.

Which is freaking brilliant! Of course I should shop through a blogger-sister’s Amazon store to boost her economy. Hurts Amazon none and helps my friends in the Blogosphere. And since I’m using actual cash and not credit its like Motrin for the economy.

Do that for me at my Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me site and at my Blog Fabulous Giving Guide, please.

If you want to see a business survive the winter – spend some money there (by there I mean HERE).

This year bloggers from around b5media’s Lifestyles, Health and Wellness channels are giving readers a special surprise. We’ve created a virtual mall to help ease the anxiety of shopping for those on your Christmas list who may be a little more difficult to buy for.

Stop by Kettle and Cup and select your favorite hot beverage, kick back and browse this years Holiday Gift Guide Shopping Extravaganza.

Cherie from Career and Kids has the perfect list for the business woman/working parent.

Mary Emma from One Book Two Book shares a suggest shopping list for the avid reader and artist on your list.

Everyone knows what to get a jewelry lover – but do you know what to get one who loves to make jewelry? Cyndi at Jewelry and Beading has the answer!

Cherie at Diabetes Notes shares gift ideas to keep those visions of sugar plum fairies dancing for the diabetics on your list.

Chloe at The Doggy Blog shares an adorable wish list as written to Santa Paws.

Christine at Mad Cropper knows how to please those who are crazy about scrapbooking during the holiday season.

Quilters anyone? This unique craft makes for the tougher shopping experience – but that’s so yesterday considering we have a pro in our corner. Let Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork help you pick out the perfect gift.

Angela from Breastfeeding 1-2-3 provides a list of gifts for the breastfeeding mother on your list.

So maybe giving kitchen appliances isn’t the best idea – but what about a cool and unique Cooking Gadget? I’d say your bound to surprise the cook on your list with something from Cyndi’s list.

Peggy at Lively Women has put together a list of gift ideas for the health conscious female on your list.

Christine at Our One Heart shares tips and gift ideas to keep that Bride-to-Be happy during the Christmas season.

Tracee at BlogFabulous has put together an amazing store displaying gift ideas for the woman’s woman.

Christmas is for everyone and shopping for an Alzheimer’s patients can present a challenge – allow Mary Emma at Alzheimer’s Notes helps you overcome that challenge and get on to the joys of the season.

Have someone who might be looking to become a little more organized in the new year? Let Jennifer at Declutter It help you give the gift of time and organization.

Do you have a fabric-aholic or a needlehead on your Christmas list? Don’t get them the same old boring sing-song gift – let Chloe at Tangled Thread help you pick the perfect gift.

Unique gift ideas for the mixed media art lover on your list is what Cyndi from Layers Upon Layers has on display.

Have an aspiring to advanced chef on your list this year? Cyndi at Busy Family Meals has an extensive list to cover every stage of cooking from beginner to pro.

Eliza has pieced together a shop that covers mom, dad and baby at Babylune. Why leave anyone out?

Heather at The Food Bowl is taking care of pets and their people with a fun list that’s bound to connect you with the perfect gift.

Did someone say chocolate? Heather at Chocolate Bytes did! Our resident chocolate expert has put together sweetest gift shop you won’t want to miss.

Who says married couples are boring? Check out the letters to Santa as shared by Marc and Marye of Marriage Actually and see what might appeal to the married couple on your list.

Jennifer from Tree Hugging Family provides a wonderful list to help you go a little more green this holiday season.

Don’t forget about that single and dating friend or relative! We all know how difficult it can be to buy for them – Lucky for us we have Dating Dames and the Dames have the answers.

It’s never too early to start buying for your favorite gardener and Linette at Mother Earth’s Garden has a wonderful list to help you decide.

Have someone a little offbeat or kooky on your list this year? Let Jennifer of Offbeat Homes help you find the gift that’s spot on.

Linette at Play Library is haring the Best of Toys list this year – check out what’s hot and get to buying! We know how quick those hot toys sell out every year.

Have someone on your list who always hosts the best parties? Surprise that person with a unique gift as recommended by Linette at She Knows Parties!

Marcie from One Book Two Book and A Child Chosen shares a wonderful shopping list she’s broken down by age groups and hobbies.

Whether it’s tea or coffee you are looking for, Marye from Kettle and Cup has unique gift ideas that’s sure to add a little spice to your favorite hot beverage.

Haven’t figured out just how to shop for the junk lover and crafter on your list? Let Peggy from Junk Creation assist you with your selection.

Susan from Grounded Fitness has a little something for the health and fitness buff on your shopping list.

Liz at Health Bolt offers up a nifty gift idea list for everyone in the family – down to the computer geek.

Just what do you buy someone who’s crazy about genetics? Let our very own Grace Ilbay help you with that one at Genetics and Health

For those on your list who have a taste for wine and cocktails – check out Drinks After Dark and the shop full of gifts that Colleen has compiled that might just add to the element of surprise this year.

For the baker on your list – Marye from Baking Delights shares some of her personal favorites for her baking adventures in the kitchen. At a time when flavors, colors, aromas and tastes are at their peak, finding the perfect gift can be a bit of a challenge.

Eliza at She Knows Coupons has a fun list of items that will make any couponing mom jump with joy. The only thing that makes a coupon mom more excited than an awesome deal is doing it in an organized fashion.

And last but certainly not least, I’ve compiled a list of MomGadget Favorites – A Year in Review 2008 instead of a storefront for you to shop.

From all of us at Lifestyles – Health & Wellness

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2009!

Image credit: Stock.xchng

Technorati Tags: holiday gift guide,shopping guide,unique gift ideas,b5media,lifestyles channel,health and wellness,christmas gifts,black friday shopping,cyber monday

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All around b5media’s Beauty & Style Channel, the Splendicity bloggers have put together some amazing holiday gift guides. Everything from makeup and skincare products to little black dresses and accessories, we have it all.

Let’s go shopping!

Beth at Aging Fabulous offers a selection of terrific beauty gifts.

SP shows you some terrific handbags at Banging Bags, fabulous stocking stuffers at Shopaholics Daily, and even more holiday gifts at Style Her Hair.

Nikki shows us some wonderful little black dresses at Celeb Look.

Gayla features some adorable gifts for your pets at Couture Critters.

Aly offers beauty products for holidays at eBeautyDaily.

Star shows us a selection of fabulous gifts for him and her at Glamour Gift Guide.

Chloe features jewelry gifts for family and friends at Gleaming Things, and offers The Twelve Days of Shopping Christmas Guide at Her Accessories.

Tracy has a not so secret wish list and her holiday gift guide at Hot Mama Daily.

Dexie’s jewelry gift guide for her lights up She Knows Best. And don’t miss out on her Under $100 Holiday Looks at Style It Less.

Kori offers fabulous shoes for every woman in your life at ShoeBlitz.

Colleen features wonderful spa and beauty gifts at Spa Beautifully.

Ashley invites you to indulge in luxury at The Latest Luxe.

Lara provides 8 top 8 lists of holiday gifts for everyone at The List Maven.

Happy Shopping!!

Post from: Blisstree

Shop Your Heart Out – Virtual Mall

My cousin got married and I got to go to a really fancy wedding. There were “whispered secrets” about how much this shindig cost.

We had to drive 10 hrs round trip to Houston in the same day. I almost didn’t go to avoid the driving. But, then I went to the bathroom with a book and my kids wouldn’t leave me alone for two lousy seconds and I thought “Hey, I could read for 5 hrs straight without annoying kids screaming at me - I’m in.”

I had two really important goals to accomplish.

I’ve been praying and meditating lately that God heal my mind about money. I think my perspective could use some work. My money attitudes might be more habitual and familial than authentic.

From Marrianne Williamson’s Return to Love, Our judgement of wealth is actually an ego ploy to make sure we never have any.

On the way to the expensive bash I read an article in Real Simple magazine titled Embrace Your Inner Cheapskate and the author reminded my far too much like myself. I don’t subscribe to that magazine, but there it was in the car waiting for me. Thanks for the mirror, God. It was an unflattering reflection, at best.

So I went to the wedding to bless the people who could afford to spend whispered amounts of dough to see their daughter get married.

Perhaps, their attitudes and views on money are healthier than mine since they actually have it. I’m considering the idea that it’s the wrong attitude about money that keeps us from it.

I looked at the shoes and the purses – because I’ve read enough fashion magazines to realize that’s where REAL serious money is invested and I blessed those women and their good taste and their luxerixous ability to buy fine things to decorate themselves and make them feel good and I prayed, “these fine people probably give loads and loads of money to charity and help others and they sure are being generous to throw this party and buy us big fat shrimp and velvety pate and lovely wines. Heck, they must be decent wonderful people or my cousin wouldn’t want to marry into their lives. They must have generous spirits or they wouldn’t be stimulating the local wedding economy, which it surely needs. Bless them Lord. I’m open to this kind of wealth Heavenly Father.”

I felt like it was important inner spiritual work for me to do and it felt good to emanate love rather than morally superior money judgement as I sometimes do.

The other true and vital reason that I went is because of the Wedding Band. I have a Secret God Given Gift. Does everyone?

A single straight girl doesn’t go out every Friday night for many years to a gay disco to meet men. Cause that would be self-defeating.

If that is how you spend your evenings in your single 20s – and it is how I spent my weekends in my single 20s with my friend Violet – it is because you have discovered an aspect of your truest, innermost self and you must let it shine. Meet my Inner Super Hero –

Dancing Queen.

(Why gay and not straight dance clubs? Because I don’t like my Inner Super Hero being fondled and groped by disrespectful straight men – I have far too much respect for her.)

Photos Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

Post from: Blisstree

Spiritual Money & Dancing Queen

Did you know women are opening their own businesses at rapid, never-before-seen rates? (Over The Top Aprons)

I, personally, believe it’s because women want to work, find fulfillment and validation in work, need the economic stability of work, but don’t want to pay the unnecessary price of a patriarchal workweek which ignores the existence of children and women’s need for flexible hours.

(Baby Fabulous)

I want to see these new women-owned businesses succeed.

(Quirky Dolls)

My odds are on women changing this economy with these new businesses and their new business models that put children and families first. We’ll get equal pay, probably only partially because the government insists on it, but because women will become the bosses in our new economy.

(New Song 64)

This Christmas, where ever possible, I want to shop from women-owned companies.

(Heart of Autumn)

Have you checked out the super COOL stuff on Etzy? These are magnificent examples of The Feminine Arts and all of these women are self-employed with their own little businesses. There’s even a pledge to buy only “Mom Made” stuff.

Click around the Blogosphere and you’ll find tons of women who are selling brilliant items.

Post from: Blisstree

Stimulate Women’s Economy

I want to introduce you to my Frugal Guru, Jen from Jlogged.com.

She recently redid her website to help people use their money wisely. If I want inspiration to stay on track with the family budget she’s my “go to.”

Jen’s one of the few people I can compare detailed notes with about income and out-go and saving and financing, etc.

She knows her business. Her business is living a larger life within her means.

And she lives a pretty good life, eats organically and reduces her carbon footprint, etc.

She’s doing Nablopamo and she’s writing about money for all 30 days. You don’t want to miss it. She’s got good stuff.

She has this one on cars.

This one on books you should read to change your thinking about money.

This one about those damn Jones’.

This one about lunch boxes.

This one on costumes for Christmas.

Her ideas are always worth stealing (I steal them all the time) so I’d sign up for the RSS feed if I were you.

Post from: Blisstree

Frugal Guru

Unlike most of America – we have no car payments.

And we love it.

We keep an emergency fund of $1,000 for car repairs. And we use it. Lately we use it a lot.

Over the summer we drained it – more than once. Lately, we’ve been replacing batteries, alternators, air conditioning compressors, starters in our old 1990s wheels.

We accepted there will be no more air conditioning in our van and Thank the Good Lord winter is coming cause 103 East Texas heat and humidity is like unto hell.

Our second commuter car kept dying for no reason. We don’t know the reason and we’re tired of sinking money into a piece of crap car to find out the reason.

My theory lately is that they make cars to be a lot more disposable than they used to.

Car makers used to believe Americans would drive a car for 30 years since they cost so much money. They figured out they were wrong about that and stopped making such good cars. Now, they make cars to last about 10 years. That’s my theory having driven a great deal of used cars. The ones not made in the 1990s were more reliable and easier to fix.

That or I was a lot more tolerant about push-starting my stick shift.

We live in a small town and just decided – hey, we can really walk or ride our bikes to almost everywhere we need to go and I work from home. We really have other things we need to do with our money. Not the least of which is save money for a more reliable car.

We’ll just one-car it for a while. It will be fun.

Then our van broke down.

No car-ing it isn’t really viable. We will have to borrow cars from kind relatives. We’ll have to bum way too many rides – which seemed to be a way cooler thing to do in my 20s, but with the addition of 2 kids and their car seats it seems like a big imposition now.

People will start to pity us. Which is such a shame, because I pity them for having the burden of car payments.

Why don’t we – like millions of Americans just go finance a car? As if this is some Major Financial Emergency? Everybody else is doing it, why not us?

If I had one single explanation for the cause of the international financial crisis we’re facing today I would say it’s, “Everybody else is doing it.”

Everybody bought more home than they could afford.

But, they shouldn’t have.

(Except it wasn’t everybody. It was just a lot of bodies. And those lot of bodies really impacted the entire world in a profoundly negative way.)

Something in my DNA tells me that if we skip groceries for the next two weeks to pay for this $300 car repair and keep on saving our money there will be a whole lot of cars – nice financed 2000ish cars – on the market at rock bottom prices.

I’ve got my eye on a van with double doors and working air conditioning with no car payment.

Check out my friend Jen’s Cash Car 101 at jlogged.com. She’s a money-saving guru.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me

Post from: Blisstree

2 Cars to 1 Car to No Car? Redefining “Financial Crisis”

I AM Middle Class America.

My husband has a job at a fortune 500 company.

I work from home as a writer/blogger.

We went to college, spend the last 4 years paying off debt, bought a house earlier this year with a fixed FHA loan.

We’re doing all the right things.

Here’s how OUR economics look:

* Groceries went up 20% in the last year.

* Gas seems to be on ever higher roller coasters.

* Health Insurance Premiums are rising in January – AGAIN.

There will be no cost of living increases, overtime or raises at the company as stock prices are plummeting down to earth.

This will effect what we eat, how often we can see our family, whether we can see the doctor.

I’m guessing that you’re getting similar news from insurance companies and employers. That you are wondering where to go from here.

I’ve got some ideas – but I’d love to hear yours.

Leave a comment and tell me if you’re discussing similar news over dinner.

Photo Source: Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me, my family during better times, this summer Chevy lent us this Tahoo. (I’m so relieved I didn’t finance one.)

Post from: Blisstree

Middle America Economic Reality