Comments on: Romance in a Recession

By: Monica

Monica — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:02:05 +0000

“Disposable income will get you a disposable wife.” Absolutely!
My favorite date with my boyfriend of a year is still splitting a sub($9).I’m not sure why. I think eating something messy with your hands together is a weird bonding sort of thing.

By: Boomer

Boomer — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:22:54 +0000

I knew an older couple who told the story where the man got a job because someone sponsored his radio show and they got married on that money. 6 Weeks in the sponsor pulled out. “But we stayed married!” the man would always joke. And they did for over 50 years. Sometimes these “hard times,” which are hardly so hard for us gifted Americans as Laura points out, are in fact ways to draw closer in relationship. My wife and I do some volunteering as a way to not only give back but also have a budget date. We’ve had better discussions than ever because of this and have grown closer to God and others as well.

By: Laura Lockett

Laura Lockett — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:57:02 +0000

Be oh so grateful that you have 20 bucks to spend on movies. Come on guys, get a grip! And, Tim, since when is ‘disposable income’ necessary for a date? Disposable income will get you a disposable wife.

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:52:42 +0000

My friends and I have always found ways to have fun on small budgets, and generally our girlfriends/boyfriends and spouses were simply invited. The easiest way to enjoy things on a budget is to form a small community. Lots of the things Ronald said above: potlucks, board-games, watching dvd’s, rock band (don’t knock it till you try it!), hiking, canoeing, etc. Most of the greatest things in life are not high budget, and I think that these are very culturing things to do. We actually have to use a little elbow grease and social coordination to make things happen. This has always led to much more fun in my view.

For the record, all of these things also apply to weddings. You’d be surprised at the skills your social network of friends and family can pitch in to a successful wedding party. Here’s the kicker, I have yet to go to one of these “home made” receptions that wasn’t an absolute blast.

Of course, if you have no taste for the quaint or amateur-but-touching things in life, then a recession is just an unmitigated disaster. I feel for people who have this mindset. I feel for people who have to be waited on hand-and-foot. But I also hope they get over it. While the economy will heal up a bit (I think), I am not inclined to believe that we will “return to where we were”. Where we were was a falsehood to begin with; an artifice propped up on debt and careers to service debt. What we are experiencing is not only a recession, but a slight paradigm shift.

-Ray

PS: I disagree with the sentiment that manliness is tied to a career. I get it, it’s very American, but not a Christian attitude, and therefore I believe it should be re-thought.

By: sensei ronald panlilio

sensei ronald panlilio — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:42:20 +0000

yes I keep myself on a frugal budget. I tend to go on group activities with friends. So a bunch of us will go play tennis, or go running, picnics with volleyball and playing catch with softballs. Or cooking meals for people instead of going to restaraunts. If we do go to dine, we often do family style, order less plates of food and share it among all of us. One time I went to the beach and packed a cooler full of snacks, a couple books to read, and notebook to write in, and just sat back at newport beach. I know a spot that doesnt require me to pay for parking :), but still has a bathroom and shower nearby.

We went to a college sports game, to watch cuz it costs way less than a pro game…

I buy dvds used now, instead of going to theaters as much as I used too. So if I get 4 movies for 20 bucks, that is lot better than one movie for 2 people at 10 dollars each….and if its good we can watch it again…

more potluck gatherings than before….Really the recesion is teaching me how to have fun with friends, get to know them and work on a budget…and we pray and praise together in our ministry group.. So we lift up our time and energy to the lord, and jesus is with us where two or three are gathered…he does not ask us how much we are gonna spend on a date, but he asks for our faithfulness, and for what we can offer in tithes, for everything we have is his gift to us…live simply, love deeply and unconditionally, be thankful for quality time, and touch, and service, and less expensive gifts, but still gifts that come from the heart like a story, poem, or song about your beloved…now we really must test the theory of whether or not we can love each other when money is not abundant…..in sickness and health, richer or poorer, until death do us part

Sensei Ronald Panlilio