Meet our writers

Money April 2012

Inside Out and Round About

Deeper in Debt: A New Year, New Goals

By Patrick M. Kennedy

If you could do it then, you can do it now -- only a little differently because you can’t get a penny for bottles anymore because they are all disposable, and the energy might not be there to deliver papers.

You probably remember the old song by Tennessee Ernie Ford that springs to life in reality these days: “Loading 16 tons and what do you get? Another day older, and deeper in debt.” As the hardball-economy smashes bank accounts and dreams with flim-flam excuses and elaborate pie and bar charts that say nothing, many seniors are on the edge, or even over it. “I can’t go; I owe my soul to the company store.”

Your income, whatever it is, stagnates, and the savings shrink and shrink daily as the bills and food costs get higher and higher. “Some people say a man is made out of mud.” Many seniors may feel that way these days. But real muscle and blood must be fed meals every day and there has to be a way to serve them.

Do you remember the days when you were a kid and on Saturday mornings you went to the garage and gathered all the beer bottles your parents drained during the week? You hauled them down to the corner store and turned them in for one cent apiece and collected enough to go to the Saturday matinee movie. Do you recall getting up early in the morning, or dashing off after school every day to deliver papers so you could buy a bike? That was called initiative and resourceful thinking.

If you could do it then, you can do it now -- only a little differently because you can’t get a penny for bottles anymore because they are all disposable, and the energy might not be there to deliver papers.

These days it’s called the pursuit of extra income, or short-term spending cash … pocket change … or in many cases plain survival. It will take some time, effort, and persistence. There is no easy way out or way to get rich quick, and if anyone tells you differently, they are most likely pulling your leg.

You must start with a plan, an idea, or how to go about getting this extra cash for the coming year. One way is to make your hobby an income. Do you knit? You can make sweaters and scarves you can sell. Do you paint or do water color prints? Do you build airplane or car models, or wooden bird houses? But how do you turn these items into money? The flea market business offers a great opportunity to make some extra money. They are all over the place; you just have to search your local area. That’s where the internet comes in. If you have items to sell at a flea market it is fairly easy and the initial investment doesn’t have to be a lot.

Or, on the other side of the coin, for those who can remember back that far, there is the doo-wop song by the Silhouettes in 1957 “Sha na na na, get a job.” That is a horrible thought to most retired seniors, but may be a necessity in this time of lower incomes and higher prices. There are areas to pursue. Baby sitting or being a tutor to kids, pet sitter or dog walker, mowing lawns or doing landscaping, cleaning houses or being a general handyman/woman, or even house sitting while your friends/neighbors are out of town. Or, getting back to the internet, maybe selling some of that stuff/junk in the garage or attic on eBay may get a few coins. That’s not exactly a job but it will be work.

Try to be positive about it all and use your imagination. “Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction,” said Anne Frank. And, fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, work pays off that debt.


Patrick M. Kennedy does full-service editing and writing and has published several books. http://www.abetterword.com/ and
http://www.funwithretirement.com/


Meet Patrick