GIVING UP OR MOVING UP

The economy stinks.

And people are hurting because of it. People are losing their jobs, their homes, and their cars. If you have been so blessed to have avoided losing any of these thing in the past few years, then you know someone close to you who has lost something big. I'm not talking about loss as in death or other physical or emotional tragedy: I'm talking purely about the loss of "things."

And I'm here to help you (help them) to make the hurt sting less.

Whenever you face the loss of personal items for financial reasons, whether something as large as a home or as small as a favorite set of earrings, TRY TO REPLACE WHAT YOU'RE LOSING WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS A PERK.

"What are you talking about? How can being in foreclosure be a perk?!"

So you're losing your home, and you've done everything you can to prevent it from happening, but it's too late. You're moving next month, into a rental you have yet to find. Rather than wallow in the "woe is me" muck of self-pity, look for the perks. FIND SOMETHING IN THE REPLACEMENT THAT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF MOVING UP RATHER THAN GIVING UP.

Let's say your house in foreclosure was large and had great landscaping, but you've always wanted a pool. Rent an apartment that has a pool. Voila, a perk!

Or move closer to your job to cut commute time and gas expenses.

Or find a newer (albeit smaller) home with nicer closet space, or vaulted ceilings, or a gas fireplace, or a playground on site for the kids.

Look for the perks!

You have to give up your minivan with the hefty monthly payments, and make do with a very used compact car. Find one in the color you've always wanted, or with heated seats, or a sunroof. Perks!

You decide to eBay the set of pearls you never wear, in order to have enough to pay for the electric bill. Take some of your profit and spend a couple bucks on enlarging that photo of your vacation to Jamaica three years ago, and hang it up so you can daily be reminded of happy memories. A perk!

Losing things is not tragedy; they're just THINGS. Look for the perks in your situation, and be encouraged!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Well, maybe not technically, but it's a beautiful day out west, and the perfect time to go through your winter clothing and purge what you never bothered to wear in the past few months of cold weather.

You don't need to over-think this. Go to your closet and drawers and pull out any sweater you never wore, silk long johns that were a great idea at the time (but too much trouble to actually put on underneath your work blouses), long sleeved t's that you like having but don't like wearing, those droopy knee-high boots that hurt your toes, the parka fit for the Iditarod with the price tag still dangling from its sleeve, and the hand-crocheted scarf your best friend gave you for Christmas that looks like a pink poodle gone mad.

Really, it's perfectly FINE to get rid of those things. Hypothermia won't suddenly overtake you if you donate it all. Stuff them into a clean trash bag and call a charity thrift store to pick them up.

Make way for spring!