Originally published at American Family. Please leave any comments there.

I just can not get myself to sit and write about those posts I linked in the last post.  Sooner or later, I swear I will get to it.  But this just may not be my week.

Maybe it is just me (and the stress of knowing we would lose money if we sold our house now), but very recently, The Economy has started creeping into my consciousness. 

I don’t get much news except for the NY Times and some NPR, but even then I don’t read economic stories because I think it is boring.  Even with my aversion, the dire predictions are starting to feel really scary.  Except for the mortgage crisis and gas prices, I couldn’t even tell you what is going on with The Economy, except that it seems like there is a growing consensus that things look bad.

Due to our childhood experiences, both Mr. A and I are very conservative with our finances.  I loathe debt.  Even “good debt” like our school loans and mortgage can keep me awake at night.  Mr. A lives to save for retirement and the girls’ college funds.  In his spare time, he doodles charts of compound interest and notes about the tax benefits of socking away money now. 

While we do have a few indulgent purchases like my fancy stroller or Mr. A’s crazy touring bike or the twice a month housekeeper, we don’t care much for designer goods, fancy clothes or the newest gadgets.  We drive used, crappy cars* until they die and then we buy another used car.  I wear the same two pairs of jeans, one pair of tennis shoes and cheap t-shirts from H&M every day.  Most of the girls’ clothes are purchased by my mom or handed down from generous friends.  Mr. A buys his suits and work clothes at the annual half price sale.  A lot of our furniture is either used, trashpicked, from Ikea or from an outlet.  It was a huge anomaly when I recently bought a new dining room table & chairs because it was the first time in 6 years I paid retail for furniture (and that was only the chairs which were on sale, the table was from the outlet).  Our biggest indulgence is probably eating out more often than we should, but I try to stick to my $50 a week budget for that.

Despite Mr. A’s comfortable salary, it isn’t like we are living large.  Most of the time, we are just living within our means.  We don’t carry consumer debt, but after retirement and college funds, we aren’t socking away a ton of savings either.

I look around at a lot of other people and I wonder how on earth they can possibly afford to live how they live.  You know who I  mean: The 4,000 square foot houses filled with brand new furniture, a designer wardrobe and new cars in the driveway.  Most of the time, when I see that stuff, all I can think of is that it is all probably creating debt and it makes me feel anxious.  Even here, in our part of the Midwest where housing costs are so obscenely low, I don’t understand how people can afford those things.

Our family is fortunate because Mr. A is pretty employable and his job is very stable.  We are also fortunate that he earns a good amount of money.  If things with The Economy go into the crapper, Mr. A is probably going to keep earning what he earns now.  But as the talk of The Economy gets worse, it feels scary. 

I know we are doing a lot of things responsibly, but I am finding myself thinking more and more about cutting back and buying less.  We do not need a bigger, fancier house.  We do not need to live in a replica of a Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn catalog.  We do not need a professional-quality kitchen or a spa-like bathroom. 

We are fortunate that we have everything we need.  I do not have to be a slave to the seduction of advertising and marketing.  What we have is enough for us.

*My last car cost $4,000 and has lasted 4.5 years with only minor repairs and very little maintainence.  Mr. A’s cost around $5,000 and he has had it for almost 4 years.