Babies are so 2007.

Back in 2007, birth rates were on the rise and families were expanding. Then the recession hit and *boom* people instantly stopped having so many kids. It wasn’t just the overall recession that triggered the drop on birth rates, though. A new study finds it was the bottom falling out of the housing market that caused couples to put their family plans on hold.

What do housing prices have to do with fertility? Not much at first glance. It turns out, though, that birth rates are closely tied to home prices. As home prices drop, so do the number of babies being born.

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Times is tough. At this point, we’re all working hard…and many of us are wishing we were working harder.  Getting our families the things they need is a struggle for lots of Americans.

But it might not be as bad as we think—or as bad as it’s been before. I’m not talking about the Great Depression worst case scenario here. I’m talking about 1974, when a stock market crash, rising oil prices and massive government spending from the Vietnam War created “Stagflation” (Inflation+Stagnant or slowed economic growth).

Check out how many more hours you’d be working to buy your family a TV, a vacuum cleaner or a tire for your car  in the mid-1970s: Continue reading »

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Grandparents are saving the day for many families financially and as caregivers.

Yes, it happens to be the ten-year anniversary of September 11, but it’s also Grandparents Day, and boy do they deserve to be celebrated more than ever. Many families rely on grandma and grandpa to help make ends meet (and as Madeline wrote recently, it’s not such a bad thing to have grandparents more present in kids’ lives.)  But, what happens when the grandparents – and their money- is gone?  It seems as parents  continue to consume and over-schedule with lessons and sports, grandparents are often helping with the bills. They’ve become the financial safety net in many families that are making less money and having a hard time keeping up. Continue reading »

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Baby butts are an economic indicator.

Is your baby’s butt redder than usual?  That’s one sign of a down economy, according to Business Insider.  What’s the correlation between high rates of diaper rash and the recession, you ask? Continue reading »

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An article in yesterday’s Boston Globe sheds light on a heartbreaking trend: childhood hunger, right here in the United States. According to doctors at a prominent Boston hospital, the percentage of “significantly underweight” children seen in the emergency room rose from 12% to 18% in just three years (2007 to 2010), while the number of families with children who reported not having enough food to eat rose from 18% to 28% in the same time period. And there’s more: Continue reading »

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Before the recession, Corbyn Hightower was making six figures at her high powered sales job. Then her position was eliminated, leading to a spiral that left her family of five living below the poverty level. They found a cheaper, less comfortable home. They sold their car, and became the only people in their suburban town to use bicycles as transportation instead of recreation. They went from eating “the world’s most rarified smoothie out of acai and goji berries, frozen wheatgrass juice, hemp seeds, a three-dollar organic peach, and raw cacao nibs” to food stamps and dumpster diving.

In this economy, way too many of us are living without a financial cushion. Which makes Hightower’s story incredibly chilling.  What stands between here and there, and what would it take to wash it away?  But there is inspiration here. In Corbyn Hightower’s self-assured voice, it’s possible to see how a family could survive, even thrive, under the kinds of circumstances we try to pretend could never happen to us—and maybe feel more confident that should we find ourselves in the same bad boat, we might be able to handle it, too.

“Peering through a bag of rejected broccoli from the garbage for signs of brown or yellow patches is something I couldn’t have imagined doing just a few short years ago…

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Salons and Spas: An Indulgence During Tough Economic Times or a Bare Necessity?

It’s become something of a cliché that people focus on their physical health and well-being starting January 1st, suddenly moving it from the last thing on the list to the top of their agendas. The gym parking lot is once again full. Weight Watchers meetings are hopping. I’m dodging more and more runners in reflective gear as I drive in the cold, dark of night. Maybe we’re all just so exhausted from the holidays, from the overeating and the overindulgences and the general overconsumption, that we’re eager to draw a line in the sand on January 1st, and put it all behind us?

For whatever reason, the Internet is suddenly bustling this week with people interested in salons and spas and Caribbean vacations. Is it a sign that the economic recession really is nearly behind us, or just a reflection of a completely exhausted population looking for a break? It begs the question: Do people suddenly have the disposable income for luxury items like a vacation or a visit to a salon? Or, are we just so desperate for a little rest and relaxation this time of year that we’re willing to go to any expense? And what about you moms out there, specifically? Is a trip to the spa/salon a luxurious indulgence for you, or do you see it as a bare necessity, and therefore, a required expense for your own mental and physical health, especially this time of year? Continue reading »

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