What an economy, what an economy! Due to having a very high unemployment rate and dealing with a situation in which your chances of finding a steady job are slim to none, especially if you do not already have a job, a lot of us are forced to cut back on spending. We are arguably living in the worst economic period since the Great Depression. If you have basically been out of work for many years like I have, you have undoubtedly become unable and reluctant to spend money on anything other than your necessities. You will learn how these tough economic times have made me suffer from savers remorse.
I have had to stop buying snacks. I used to enjoy purchasing items from vending machines. They included Doritos, Cheetos and other packages of flavored potato chips. Now whenever I see a vending machine, I lament that I am not able to get the foods and drinks that appeal to me.
I no longer have the ability or will to buy any books other than perhaps one per year as a Christmas present. Heck, I do not even buy a library book for fifty cents to a dollar anymore. Now, I am just reading from a variety of books around the house that have been read by my family members but not me. If I did not have all of these books here, I would feel a little deprived from not buying library books because I am such an avid book reader.
Over the last several years, I have only gone roller skating about two or three times. I am missing out a little bit but I am doing what I have to do. This is what you have to do once you are no longer able to pay your bills with plenty of money to spare due to becoming unemployed or underemployed.
I never go to a theater to see a movie anymore. No matter how much a particular movie might appeal to me, I do not give into temptation to see it. It can cost at least five or six bucks to see a movie and if I saw one, I would be tempted to see more. I just cannot afford to do this. My grandmother likes to call me a cheapskate for this. I do not think I will ever get her to understand that the income I earn from writing articles and taking surveys is only a tiny fraction of what people who have a real job earn and that I have very little buying power.
I have explained the savers remorse I have suffered from during this recession. If we ever come close to having another economic boom like the one we had in the late 1990s, I will start spending much more freely.