Oh Crap. Really.
You know we are in serious sh*t when diaper sales are going down and diaper-rash ointments are rising.
Because according to the Wall Street Journal, as the economy tightens that is exactly what is happening as more families are finding it increasingly difficult to provide even the essentials.
Things like diapers. Which can lead to higher rates of angry red diaper rash, hence the increase of sales in diaper rash cream.
And here I am talking about investment finance and the stock market. Shame on me, right?
How (and why) can we even address investing in this new reality?
Writer Hannah Karp writes, “ a growing number of parents…must choose between buying diapers and paying for food and heat”…”Proctor and Gamble (P&G) also suggests that parents are also potty training children earlier to save cash as economic uncertainty deepens.”
Prematurely potty-training out of necessity?
I am not even sure I can properly comprehend that properly.
In my culture we don’t bring any baby items into the house until after the baby has safely arrived. Which suited me fine. I was too busy Being pregnant. I simply could not plan for a future of shriveled up umbilical cords or school yard bullies – my energy was devoted exclusively to wishing baby well – ok, that and timing my next vanilla milkshake.
Same goes for investment finance. Our daily obligations are important and overwhelming enough. Sometimes there is simply not enough time – and more importantly, resources – left over to even contemplate our financial futures.
So the question is: Is there a place for investment finance in our lives today?
The answer has to be yes. Essentially, investing is just a way to manage (and grow) your savings. It doesn’t matter if it is $10 a week or $1000 – investing provides hope for a manageable future.
“Experts” agree that the stock market is among the only ways for the average person to gain wealth, beyond wage earning. So, that means that for average person to be able to pay off debt sooner, save for retirement or simply buy their baby some diapers, they absolutely need to be invested.
So, I am asking you reader: What is your financial lifestyle? What can we discuss that would be relevant and of real value?
When her youngest child caught her stealing from his piggybank, Marci
O’Connor realized she needed to gain control of her finances. She has
made it her goal to educating herself about personal finance and
investments, and share what she’s learned with her readers. Marci
chronicles her journey on beingmarci.com. To read more posts written by Marci visit Wall Street Survivor. Wall Street Survivor
helps people invest in the stock market with confidence, giving them
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Agreed. I do believe that there is starting to be a trend to using cloth diapers. I think several things are happening, 1) Us mama’s, are becoming increasingly educated about the products we use on our babes, this is largely due to the access to information and social media networks we share 2) While many mom’s are still uncertain about dealing with cloth diapers (laundry, poo etc.), it is something you will find women from all areas of the city and spectrum doing for variety of reasons like being eco-conciousness. 3) Families ARE looking at cloth diapers as an investment, they save $$ for families through the baby years, and can actually be sold to recoup some of the initial costs.
This all said, it is worrisome that a sign of economic downturn is the rise of diaper cream usage. Many studies show that families equate being a good parent with the ability to diaper their child. I wish that there was more help in place for families with cloth diaper banks rather than disposable diaper banks. This would enable them to be able to not have to make decisions about keeping their baby clean as they would have all the need to do so.
Do you think this is also about a trend to using cloth diapers? This could be explained with both a desire to be environmentally and fiscally conscious. Both trends in this modern day.
My financial lifestyle is that I really do try and save when I can but sometimes, it is worth it to splurge – like diapers!