Stretching the dime

We can't afford present days.

Remember when we fried a skillet of potatoes, heated or slightly browned a package of bologna and opened a can of pork & beans. That was supper

With the cost of food going out of sight.....the highest prices in 17 years....we need to conserve.

Economists tell us wholesale prices are rising and that the consumer can expect more shocks at the supermarket and gas stations. We may have to revert back to the Victory garden days.

Cutting back may be the name of the game.

With gasoline prices hitting $3.29 in our area, some people will be reducing their driving time, at least their pleasure driving time. There are predictions that the price will hit $4 per gallon this summer.

I've already noticed more conservative driving habits among my friends. Whereas they used to make two trips to pick up store items, they've learned to combine two trips into one. That saves time and gasoline.

Many women are going to exercise classes or line dancing in their own communities, rather than traveling to distant towns. It makes dollar sense to stick closer to home. More people are turning to books and reading, and of course, television.

Homemakers need to be more saving in the kitchen too. It's a waste to toss good food. Leftovers can be made into additional meals The USDA predicts another 4 percent hike in the cost of food this year. This month the price of soap and detergent jumped 2 percent and pet food jumped 1.3 percent.

Though the government wants us to get out there and spend money to boost the economy, many find themselves in a financial bind and feel the necessity to reduce their spending, especially frivolous spending.

I shake my head sometimes at the high cost of items.

Take school pictures, that time honored tradition of the taking and selling photos to students. In some schools, the students have their picture taken three times a year, not once annually.

My daughter/teacher was telling me that if she purchased the most recent packet of school photos offered her, it would cost $40. Can you imagine such a ballooned price.

Same goes for high school annuals which range from $80 to $100. The traditional school annual is almost priced out of the hands of some students. Imagine the expense for parents who have several students in school. And don't even think about the expense of the graduating senior. There's the class ring, invitations, graduation photos, the prom and its sundry expenses. All that adds up to hundreds of dollars for one graduate.

I'm reminded of a sweet girl who was graduating from an area school. She had no money for graduation photographs or for invitations. So she did the best she could. She brought a photograph to me near graduation time. She had had a friend take a candid photo of her. She was wearing a simple long dress and she was holding a single red rose. It was a nice photo, but certainly not professional. I framed it and still have it today.

Because of her family situation, she had missed a lot of her senior year in high school. It was borderline whether she would graduate. She had almost dropped out several times. I promised her that if she would graduate from high school I would be at her graduation ceremony.

She struggled on and was awarded her diploma. She was so proud when she walked across that stage. She beamed when her eyes caught mine.

Yes, I was there. I'm glad that I was, because her parents were not.

What I'm saying is that life isn't easy for the smalltown American in this economy.

He's down to stretching the dime, not the dollar.

If we harbor anti-immigrant sentiments or anti-trade sentiments, it isn't because we don't have compassion. It's because we are fighting to keep our head above water in our own backyard.

How high's the water, mama?

"Five feet high and risin'"