Now that we don't hear much about COVID-19 anymore, it seems like the storm is over, life is "back to normal" for many and everything is the same as it used to be (at least around here). But it's not.
Things have been changing and continue to shift, forcing more and more people to adapt to new realities in which the same money doesn't get us even close to where we were. So, it's probably the time for us to start relearning some skills mastered by people, the majority of whose lives were in the 20th century.
In the last few years, our local Salvation Army, as well as other organizations providing groceries and meals to people across the country to make it a bit easier to get from paycheque to paycheque, has been reporting on the greater and steadily growing number of individuals and families reaching out for support.
But the money doesn't stretch as far as it used to. Homelessness grows not only in big cities, which are a more traditional environment for it, but across the country in all settings.
There is a multitude of reasons behind what we are experiencing now, most of which need to be addressed systematically and collaboratively from different perspectives. It will take time, but I'm positive that sooner or later we'll get out of this quieter but not-less destructive storm. However, I feel that to get through it, most people would eventually need to kick into a different gear.
We went through quite a few good, fat years, and actually decades. I wasn't here during the 2008 financial crisis, but as far as I understand it wasn't as bad as it was in some areas in the U.S. Of course, there are always ups and downs, but it seems that the downs lately weren't too bad, while the ups were pretty impressive. And I feel that growing up and living through those safe years, we forgot how to save, and thrift became a notion of the past.
Even though I grew up in a family with grandparents, who went through the Siege of Leningrad and its famine, I didn't soak up that skill. They lived through the years when food was scarce, to say the least. Even decades later, when things changed, they were fine economically, and fresh bread could be purchased anytime, anywhere and in any quantity, they'd never throw any away.
I remember how I'd scoff at them for cutting mould off or making sure they finished the end pieces, even if they were stale hard. At their home, no one was allowed to throw away food.
And that was their approach to everything. They fixed things, they patched clothes, washed off the stains or found other ways to recover things. Those tough times they experienced traumatized but also reshaped them to be stronger and survive. They never dropped that skill of being frugal.
While things definitely were different here than in the USSR, it wasn't that easy for a while mid-century, either. Probably most families don't have memories of not eating enough, but I know the older generation, the war and post-war youths, were tougher and stronger than any generation that came after them. They worked hard and they knew how to save.
And it's something that we need to turn back to. Not that people don't work hard anymore, we do, but stretching every dollar is a rare talent. And even if an individual situation is not that bad at the moment, to me, it's not clear how much the world has yet to tilt and how long that ride down the hill will last.
So far, it doesn't look like we are close to being done with moving in the downward direction. There is still tension between China and the U.S. There is still war between Russia and Ukraine. There is now a war in Israel which threatens to grow bigger any day. And in a globalized world, one state's problem affects everyone. And then there are so many other internal and international ducks that are far from being in a row.
So, it is a good time to turn to grandparents (in my case) or people who've been there, done that, and know firsthand what it is like to keep within the compass and make every dollar last longer, and try to learn from them.
P.S. And if you are fortunate to be in a better position today, try to help out those in need. The Salvation Army's food bank always accepts food and monetary donations. The Warm Welcome Kitchen, which offers free meals to anyone twice a week, is running its grocery dash fundraiser and also accepts donations. Every little bit helps.
