One recent Saturday evening, hungry and scrounging around the kitchen for something to munch, I found a fortune cookie at the bottom of a canister. Before I devoured it wrapper, fortune and all, I pulled out the small piece of paper and read the message, "Make all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can." I had a true "ah-ha" moment. I began to ponder the meaning of life, fortune in hand.
With all the gloom and doom coming from Wall Street and beyond, we should take heed and remember old sayings like, ”A penny saved is a penny earned.” Of course, we all know that a penny and even a dollar isn't worth much in the current economy, but if we hang on, who knows? What if that penny or that dollar mattered when you needed it most? What if it mattered to someone else when they are in crisis?
Oh, the Temptation
So many people grabbed hold of the brass ring and kept climbing. They were never content with what they had, even if they had more than they could ever use. Reckless abandon and greed has crippled our society. Make all you can was never meant to be interpreted as take all you can. It's time for the “I got mine” syndrome to end. Make your living without sacrificing your dignity, integrity or losing sight of things that may be even more important.
Squirrels Store Their Nuts
I've lived on the edge so many times. I've always been able to find a job, but just made enough to get by. Saving mattered to me. Did I save all I could? Of course not, who does? But, I did save enough to ride out what looks to be an extensive period of unemployment. Live like the money's going to run out. Don't be paranoid, just be on guard. Yes, it's going to take time for investments and savings accounts and such to turn around, but you have control over your day to day spending.
Contact High
I have a friend who saves found money all year long. She even put aside a special old pitcher just for the purpose. At the end of the year, she tallies it up and donates the funds to an animal shelter. This is money she picks up in parking lots, stores, lobbies, you name it. The same coins other people would ignore or never miss when it falls from their pocket. Last year, her total donation could foster a cat or dog for a month.
The “give all you can” part of the mantra is what I believe is most important. How can anyone enjoy what comes with “making all you can” if they don't share it. The new will wear off of those bright, shiny things, but an act of kindness that fills your heart will stay with you forever. Say it every day. Maybe before you buy that big latte for six bucks or the shirt you'll never wear. Your habits will likely change and soon, so will you.
