Six months ago, I was laid off from a job I loved and a salary I really loved. I left with a nice little pile of severance and had accumulated a substantial 401K. But I was single. It makes a difference, it turns out.
In our fun and free series of great, cheap date ideas, we're taking a turn for the creative. Why go to the movie theater when you can make one at home? Instead of spending on art and entertainment, create your own.
Getting laid off by your boss is one thing, but downsized in your relationship? Often, that's harder.
As I watched them work, I felt a thousand miles away from my staff job, and a million miles away from business as I knew it. It wasn't just a gender thing; I was seeing physical evidence of that tectonic shift we've all been reading about for years. The corporate office as safe haven from domestic reality is finally dying. Here are my pregnant wife and her friend, a newly single mom, venturing forth together into the wide world on the deck of a new business model. No doubt about it: this is Oz territory.
Ikea allows its shoppers to use their childcare services while shopping. Some shoppers use this service a little less than scrupulously and just take the time to cool out without their kids. That means that a number of other businesses just have to be doing something similar. Your next fun and free date may involve taking advantage of one of those programs.
They say you’re never supposed to talk about money, but in the recession, it’s kind of hard not to. Despite a growing savings rate, there has been massive income loss and a dramatic devaluing or even obliteration of assets. For a lot of us, money is forefront and ever-present on our minds.
In this bummer of an economy, gift ideas are just as hard to come by as date ideas. Instead of purchasing yet another thing that you don't really need, try coupons.
The Onion brings us this hilarious video about the nation's girlfriend's solution to the economic problems facing this country. The solution? They want their boyfriends move in with them. The question is, are the nation's boyfriends ready for that kind of commitment? More Juicy Content From YourTango:
Nice as it is to hear about indications that the economy is turning around, the layoffs aren't over yet. You've probably just heard that yet another colleague, friend, neighbor, congregant, teammate got the ax—or you will soon. If you've been there, you know how isolating and demoralizing it can be, even now that joblessness is more norm than humiliation, more zeitgeist than badge of shame.
"I feel like in the time that I've been laid off, I've become a family man," he continued as I listened while stuffing my mouth with sustenance from the hen. "Maybe I've been growing that way anyway, but being laid off has given me another level of awareness. It makes me want to be somewhere where you can hear the roosters crow—like back in Puerto Rico."
When the economy becomes a real bummer it's time to try out some cheap date ideas. This time around, try the library. Not for exhibitionism but for checking out books, music and movies. If buying entertainment items can further a relationship, borrowing them for free may be even better.
