8 Good Things about Bad Times

I was reading RedBook Magazine this morning, (www.redbookmag.com) and I came across an article focusing on the upside of recession living, with a few real life examples of couples that have had some tough changes to deal with in the past twelve months due to the impact the recession has had on our economy.   I found these tips from the article to be  a healthy outlook on living with a reduced (or no) income during tough times.  

8 good things about bad times
Tighter times don't necessarily equal doom and gloom — and cutting back doesn't have to hurt. Here, a few reasons to love living on less:

You finally have the time to check out your local museums, historical sites, and parks during your staycation.

You discover that you're still killer at Boggle/Scrabble/gin rummy.

Rather than wasting time shopping online, you waste time filling your Netflix queue: Much cheaper, and everything fits perfectly!

You're no longer stressed out about what you don't have. Instead, you feel good and grateful for what you do have.

You realize that generic products really do work just as well as name-brand ones.

Spending less and saving more gives you an incredible feeling of control over your finances. (Priceless!)

Who needs Starbucks? Folgers is better than you remembered!

You actually have a good excuse to invite your girlfriends over for a cheap bottle of wine: Instead of shopping, it's clothing-swap time.