Access of West Michigan » Be positive http://accessofwestmichigan.org Providing a place at the table Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:45:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Copyright © Access of West Michigan 2010 shelly@accessofwestmichigan.org (Access of West Michigan) shelly@accessofwestmichigan.org (Access of West Michigan) posts http://accessofwestmichigan.org/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg Access of West Michigan » Be positive http://accessofwestmichigan.org 144 144 Providing a place at the table Access of West Michigan Access of West Michigan shelly@accessofwestmichigan.org no no Be Positive! Refuse to participate in the recession http://accessofwestmichigan.org/2009/05/16/be-positive-refuse-to-participate-in-the-recession/ http://accessofwestmichigan.org/2009/05/16/be-positive-refuse-to-participate-in-the-recession/#comments Sat, 16 May 2009 20:54:31 +0000 Marcia Szumowski http://accessofwestmichigan.org/?p=980 Be Positive! Refuse to participate in the recession.  A local printing company (Fast Signs on 29th St) are giving free bumper stickers with this message on them.  While it might seem like a simple concept, I truly feel that it has merit.  With all the doom and gloom we are being bombarded with about the economy, who wouldn’t feel cautious?  At the same time, if we buy into the theory that we are facing an economic depression and don’t spend, doesn’t that create a vicious circle of decreased purchases, increased lay-offs, decreased income, decreased purchases and on and on.  Regardless of the state of the economy, we should be educated and informed about how we manage our money….plan for big expenses; only spend what you can afford and on things you actually need; discuss large purchases with someone you trust; remember that even little expenses can add up to be big expenses, etc. 

On Wednesday, May 14th the GR Press featured a story titled West Michigan is not all gloom and doom.  The focus of this story was about a recent study completed by West Michigan Strategic Alliance http://www.wm-alliance.org/   Apparently West Michigan ranks high for keeping students in school as well as providing a greater percentage of people with health insurance.  

An area of concern is the fact that 1 in 3 households devote more than 30% of their income to housing.  In 2007, the Michigan League for Human Services published an Econonmic Self-Sufficiency Report www.milhs.org/Media/EDocs/SelfSufficiency2007REVISED.pdf   This report states that HUD has determined that for housing to be considered affordable, it must consume no more than 30% of a family’s monthly income. 

There ARE things that we have within our control that can determine our ability to Be Positive, and Refuse to Participate in the Recession…. The challenge is to take personal responsibility for our choices and live within our means.

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