June 2008 Archives
While the Notorious B.I.G. may have sang about "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems", I am not so sure the rest of us are feeling like more money would be such a problem right about now. Consumer confidence is at its lowest in several years and the general outlook on the economic future for most people seems dismal thanks to rising food and gas prices, inflation, a sluggish job market and the ongoing housing crisis. Housing prices have bottomed out in many cities across the US and now the Illinois attorney general has filed a suit against embattled lender Countrywide alleging that the company engaged in "unfair and deceptive" practices that resulted in many homeowners taking out risky mortgages beyond what they could realistically afford. Some have countered that everyone has their own personal responsibility to borrow responsibly, but others wonder if lending companies and the glut of easy credit card offers are only preying on desperate consumers. On the In the News message board, this debate is in full swing, with even a few great tips and not-so-obvious facts about credit thrown in. rtmom07 sees both sides of the debate, saying:
"...the ultimate responsibility lands with those who take out those mortgages, or use the credit cards. However, I stick with my vulture analogy - they don't necessarily kill the animal - but once it is down, they pick at it mercilessly."
Regardless of where the fault lies, the fact is many people are feeling the squeeze of financial strain and those that were already in trouble are sometimes having to make really tough choices. And we're not just talking about foregoing the daily latte at Starbucks or skipping movie night. iVillagers are struggling to make ends meet and cover basic necessities due to cost of living increases, job loss and stagnant wages.
The Cost of Health
On our Migraines and Headaches message board, ifrog7 is suffering from migraines, but cringes at the thought of an increased dosage in her medicine:
"I called my Neuro, he wants to see me tomorrow at 8am. I am sure he will want to up my Topamax from 300 to 400. Which I can't afford to buy."
Others are finding themselves in the same situation -- unable to afford the treatments that they need to even be able to continue their normal routines. Several on the Antidepressant Medication message board are finding that even with insurance, the co-pays alone can be difficult to manage.
Financing Fido: Pets or Fuel?
As much as our pets are part of the family, they are an added expense and when push comes to shove, are they too much on the household budget? The ladies on the Family Fitness board are discussing several recent articles about an increase of animals being taken to shelters due to owners' inability to pay for their care. Most couldn't imagine giving up their furry companions, but ginger.cookie offers another point of view:
"Sadly, I think it's a lot more complicated than just either/or. Hopefully people would make cuts where they can before resorting to giving up on pets, but one can only cut so much."
Wedding Bill Blues
It's no secret that weddings are big business -- and a big chunk out of the wallet for most. Even simple ones can rack up hefty bills. Brides on our 2008 and 2009 Weddings communities are talking about how they'll be able to afford a celebration without straining their bank accounts. cl-liamattra is worried about how travel costs will impact her guests, but has come up with a few ideas:
"I think we're going to talk to all of our out of town guests, and see if we can't plan some sort of carpool for the trip. Even if we only get four to a car, that's still saving quite a bit of money. For those who might have to fly, or want to fly, we plan on monitoring the airlines for seat sales, so we can let them know when a deal comes up. It seems like the least we can do for our family and friends who want to be here."
With all the misery that seems to be out there, there is some hint of a silver lining. We've seen a lot of interesting tips and sharing of ideas from a ton of users on how they're managing in tough times. libraone asks the In the News crowd, "What are you cutting back on to cope with rising prices? " and received a lot of interesting replies. While most haven't found the need to take any drastic measures just yet, people consistently are cutting back on their entertainment, minimizing their driving time and retooling their grocery lists. We obviously have seen a ton of sticker shock at the gas pumps, and now we're really starting to see that fuel price impact other goods.
Not-so-expensive Tastes
You may be able to cut back on your entertainment budget, luxury items or even how much you drive, but everyone needs to eat. So how are iVillagers minding their money at the supermarket? We recently highlighted some great tips from our users on how to save money at the grocery store and in the past several weeks, we've seen hundreds more being posted as everyone is looking to get and share their advice on what works for them -- and what doesn't. On the Budgeting message board, melz128 lets us in on her food bill secrets; while on the Frugal Living board many are noticing their eating habits are actually changing, with several users reporting that expensive convenience foods and meat have been the first to go. For those that aren't willing to give up meat just yet, GardenWeb's Cooking forum offers up some tips for buying local and in bulk to save money.
On the Cooking 101 message board, cl-k_roni asks: "My question of the day is...how can $195 in groceries only take 4 trips from car to kitchen?" Of course she also shares some of her grocery list and some interesting price comparisons. In the same discussion, tallgirlcolo relates what she's doing differently:
"As for groceries, I have almost completely stopped shopping at the health-food stores and I have really cut back on what I buy at the regular store. I only buy certain things on sale (chicken breasts, seafood, frozen blueberries, fresh fruit) and I am becoming a madwoman with the weekly grocery circulars. I will hit all three major stores to save money on whatever they have on sale.
I am also making more one-pot or one-dish meals with leftovers in mind. I'm trying to stretch ingredients into more meals. "
Finally, no matter how dire the situation, I can usually find at least one member who can find the humor in it all. This time it's a quote from happysj56 on our 100 Pounds or More to Go community, in a discussion about rising gas prices and saving money she relates:
"I live in the city so already walk most places. I'm telling everyone that I'm afraid the price of shoe leather is going up, so I'm stocking up on shoes - every time I go to Marshall's, I buy another pair!"
Well that's one way to justify a shoe habit.
How is the current state of the economy affecting you? Are you feeling the pinch and cutting back? Do you feel you'll have to make some tough decisions in order to keep your budget afloat? Chime in and share your story -- as well as what you're doing to get by.
There's nothing like a little controversy over teen pregnancy to get the iVillage community buzzing with their reaction -- just look at our coverage of sex ed, teen maternity leave and middle school birth control. The latest story that has our members shocked and outraged is the report that a sharp increase in the teen pregnancy rate for one Massachusetts town may have resulted from a "pregnancy pact" among girls who vowed to get pregnant together. Even though the town officials are now backing away from this story, there has been a firestorm of disbelief and attempts at explaining what most would argue to be a baffling choice (to say the least...) for the girls, many 16 and younger. Whether or not there is any truth to the story of the pact, the notion of teen girls getting pregnant on purpose (and the general concern over teen pregnancy rates) has iVillage message boards such as In the News and Current Debates in a frenzy. Recently the Troubled Teens board also wrestled with this issue and the alarming attitudes teens had about pregnancy epidemics in their own towns.
Many are wondering what on Earth a young girl would be thinking and the whereabouts of the parents. iVillager poppigirl06 from the June 2006 Playgroup echoes the sentiments of many on our boards, saying:
"Wow! Where are these girls parents'? The school and community are talking about making contraceptives available but where are the girls' parents in all of this?!"On our Pregnant After a Loss message board wannabesteph shares her concerns:
"I agree these girls must not have much in the way of parental guidance, or who knows - maybe they do and this is just the new "in" thing to do. When I was in high school it was smoking cigarettes, kwim? Is this the new cool thing? Scares the crap out of me especially since I have a daughter (actually almost TWO!) that I hope and pray I can raise to be responsible adults and fight the urge to follow the pact."candybonesx from the September 2008 Expecting Club offers a different perspective on the issue of parental involvement and I think she may have a point here:
"Maybe I am a little biased because I'm a pregnant teen. But it's kind of dumb to ask where their mothers are. I didn't ask my mom for permission to have sex and I'm sure you don't either."
Touché.
In an effort to explain what would drive a child to want a child, hightopsfrom the Trying to Conceive - 6+ months messsage board offers:
"The girls did it because it is the one thing they can control in their lives. You have a baby, you get an apartment and checks and foodstamps, etc. So, it probably looked like a good deal to them."navygal06 from the Military Wives community chimes in on a similar discussion:
The September 2008 Expecting Club gals had several more great quotes on the topic, witness:
"I have a friend who volunteers at the crisis pregnancy center. The majority of pregnancy tests they perform are on teenage girls who are trying to have a baby. The usual response they give when asked why is either "to have someone to love" or "so my boyfriend won't leave me"."
And while some are pointing fingers at movies like Juno for glamorizing teen pregnancy, thistlemchays (also a September 2008 expecting mom) objects:
From mom_camilled: "And you know who's going to end up paying for all of those babies? Not the father! All of the taxpayers. How stupid can you be to purposely get pregnant like that?"
From sungoddessoxox: "It really does seem to be an "epidemic" of sorts. My sister is 19 and I would say that between 10-15 or her girl friends either have babies or are pregnant (not to mention the ones who are trying for one). Most of her friends had them or got pregnant at much younger than 19 though. Mostly 15-17. I mean if you really stop to think about it...that's a LOT of girls in high school with babies."
mama_lah from the March 2007 Playgroup concurs:
"I guess what sticks out here, to me, is that they are blaming the movie "Juno" as one possible influence on these girls to get PG at such a young age. I have heard this before, in reference to the "teen PG epidemic" of late. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't think "Juno" glamorized teen pregnancy in any way at all. Have you seen the movie? I found it to be kind of sad, actually ... It always puzzles me when I see the movie being blamed for teens getting PG because I just didn't see anything glamorous about it at all. "
"Wow....I am seriously a little speechless.... no wait here it goes. First of all I think it is ridiculous to say that movies like Juno or Knocked up made being pregnant look glamorous."
Of course for all the speculating on the who, what and whys of the situation, the fact remains that the small New England town of Gloucester will be experiencing a teen baby boom in the coming months, and if the pact scenario is true, there may not have been much that could have been done to prevent it. While parents, school officials and experts are lamenting over preventing more teen pregnancies, it will be interesting to see how the community changes, for better or worse, and how these young mothers will be received, if not supported, after a furor of media scrutiny over the past several days.
What do you think? Is there any one specific thing to blame for teen pregnancy rates climbing in some local communities? Are we doing a poor job of educating and offering our teens other options? Share your thoughts and comments on this story with us.
As if the wild weather and crippling heat affecting many areas of the country weren't bad enough, there's one more pain we're all suffering from: gas prices. Across the nation people pulling up to the pump are now greeted with an average price of over $4 per gallon -- and analysts say the price is likely to keep on climbing. The high prices have prompted iVillagers across our community to compare notes and we've seen a lot of chatter on just how high these prices are at the local level. This is definitely not a contest anyone wants to win.
While they commiserate on the impact of this strain on their budgets, the women in our community are sharing just how this is affecting their daily lives -- and what they're doing (or not doing) to cope. Many families have been forced to re-think summer vacation plans, extra-curricular activities and regular errands. Others are making up for the price of gas with cuts in other areas of their budget and relying on alternate means of transportation -- those who can are walking to their destinations and to run basic errands, but for those in the suburbs, this isn't always possible. Our Current Debates community wonders if this is a fundamental flaw in recent urban planning that will cause suburban residents to suffer even more. Over 50% of respondents in our recent poll stated that they've definitely had to nix pricier convenience items from their grocery budget to cope, while others have decided to forego a family vacation altogether. On our Family Fitness message board cl-thegymmom relates some cuts her family's had to make to ease the pressure from the rising cost of fuel:
"One of the biggest things we did was to retire my girls from gymnastics because of the travel expenses. The girls were getting burned out anyway; however, it was the thought of 12 travel trips across the country that helped us make the final decision."In addition to affecting family activities, many of our users are also seeing the pinch of high gas prices affect how they are able to do their work -- or even get to their jobs. The New York Times reports that rural residents are being impacted even more severely due to the combination of their remote locations, low wages and dependence on vehicles that use more gas. cl-thegymmom is reworking her approach as a local reporter:
As a physical therapist gymrat67 is impacted by the sluggish economy compounded by her clients' also struggling with the price of gas:
"I no longer do as many remote interviews as I used to (my editor completely understands), and I try to get as much work done while I am at the office so I do not have to make as many trips."
"I don't know how many of you are feeling the pinch with the economy but I certainly am. I certainly understand that PT is a luxury and I don't blame my clients for having to cut corners where they can, but it's disappointing ... I actually raised my prices recently to account for cost of living/a raise and that was BEFORE the gas prices skyrocketed."For one family, the financial strain is affecting their time together, as mandy1602 writes:
"My (husband) works 50 miles away, and now stays one night a week in the town he works in, and sleeps on the couch in the lounge at his work. It's hard because it's one night every week he doesn't get to see the boys, but it's saving us quite a bit of money each month."
The dismay over the price of gasoline isn't limited to the US, as protests in the UK and Europe are garnering attention. Will those in the US take to the streets in protest? Gauging the reactions we've seen on the boards, it just might happen, but until then cl-busywith5kids' 11 year-old son has written a letter to his senators that gets straight to the point. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.
How are you coping with soaring gas prices? Have you cut back on driving, changed your driving habits or cut back in other ways? Share your thoughts on what you're doing to cope and how the high prices are impacting your summer plans -- as well as life in general.
