Surprise! Surprise! It’s lean times but we are actually getting fat! This is because we may be cutting down on the wrong things. A survey conducted by the American Heart Association is showing a troubling trend, people are skimping on healthy activities due to the bad economy! Let’s check out what we are doing wrong:

People are eating worse.
It seems that more and more people are cutting down on fresh fruit and vegetables. Cheap, fast but filling food such as chips, fries, burgers, and 1-minute noodle soups are becoming more popular.

People are cutting down on health care.
Many families are cutting down on medical bills by avoiding visits to the doctor or dentist, even for children. Some people are delaying screening and check ups and even skip taking medications!

People are doing less exercise.
Many of those who used to go the gym or sports club have had to cancel their memberships. Bye, bye exercise.

People are getting less sleep.
Let’s face it. Many people have to work longer hours to make ends meet especially in families which have to make do with one income instead of two.

People are having more stress, but less relaxation.
The travel and tourism industry is suffering as more and more people are cutting costs by foregoing vacation. However, the old adage about all work and no play not being good for our health is applicable now more than ever. Go for recession-friendly holiday activities and destinations. Take a break on the weekends.

All these can actually contribute to weight gain, high blood pressure and poor heart health. The end result is poor physical and mental health outcomes.

However, the economic downturn does have its upsides. This should be the biggest chance for people to break some bad habits.

Quit smoking.
Cut down on smoking and save money.

Eat out less.
Home-cooked meals are definitely better than any fast food meal. Most of the time, at least. This can be your chance to lose a few pounds!

Drink less alcohol.
While a little bit of alcohol may not hurt, excessive consumption is bad for our health. Alcoholic drinks are calorie-rich and binge drinking is hard on the body and wallet!

It seems that the current economic problems are forcing people to cut down on a lot of things. To survive this recession, we should learn to prioritize and cut down on things which are bad for our health but still allocate for things that are essential for good health. Remember, there are things that we just can’t put on hold and our health is on top of the list.

The current recession is affecting everybody. Here are a few examples of how it is affecting family life.

Role reversal: As the recession lengthens, more men are becoming unemployed and assuming the role of Mr. Moms. That leaves a lot of working moms as sole breadwinners. This is due to the fact that men are usually employed in the financial sector and other businesses closely linked to the current credit crunch. The men are therefore the ones who are most likely to lose their jobs. A lot of women, on the other hand, are working in education and health care, and are less likely to be affected by budget cuts and downsizing. There are Moms who are forced to go back to work because Dad becomes jobless. Unfortunately, women usually earn less than men. This role reversal has some effect on the family structure. The family has to make do with less, Mom probably has to work longer hours while Dad has to deal with household chores and childcare. It is not unimaginable that such alteration in the family set up can lead to tension and strife between parents and confusion among children.

Divorce rates: Experts can’t agree how the recession is affecting divorce rates. Previous figures show that economic downturns can have adverse effects on relationships that lead to increased divorce rates. There are however, reports which shows that the current recession drives divorce rates lower because people would rather spend their money on more essential things than divorce lawyer fees. There is evidence that men believe that it is “cheaper to keep her.” Divorce rates for 2008 were the lowest since 1970. In the American states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York which were strongly affected by the credit crunch, divorce filings are reported down to a third of previous rates. This doesn’t indicate that the family structure has been strengthened by the current financial woes. It used to be that couples stay together for the sake of the children. Nowadays it’s for the sake of saving money.

In the UK, the recession seems to have resulted in more families breaking down, according to the Yorkshire Post. This is resulting in more children being placed in foster home, most especially older children.

Birth rates: Finally, the current recession will also have an effect on the future of family structure as more and more people abstaining from having babies. As coblogger Alexandra had written, the numbers of abortions and vasectomies are going up. It seems that the current recession might slow down the baby boom the US has been experiencing lately. In Europe, this is a big blow to countries already suffering from very low birth rates. We will be expecting smaller families in the years to come

Back in August I blogged about the increase in numbers of women trying to sell their eggs to make money. The economy was faltering back then, and now we are in a recession, even more women are considering other means to make money.

Selling eggs can net a woman a quick $4,000, and being a surrogate mother can bring over $20,000. Most women say that they decide to become surrogates because of their desire to help other families, because they love being pregnant, because they’ve witnessed other mother’s struggles with infertility and want to do something to help. Most moms don’t mention the money. But still, $20,000 is no small sum of money and applications from women to become surrogate mothers have rocketed.  But the desire to become a surrogate doesn’t mean a guaranteed check.

According to the director of one agency that matches up surrogate mothers to hopeful parents said that out of every hundred applicants, only a few are accepted. Prospective surrogates have to have the right mental attitude, have to have had at least one successful pregnancy, and have to be in good health, so they have to undergo extensive medical and psychological screening before being accepted by an agency.

Most surrogate mothers say that they are not doing it for the money. Out of several surrogate mothers interviewed, only one woman, an experienced surrogate, said that money was a factor. She said that she wanted to become pregnant again to help pay for an expensive operation her husband needs.

Regardless of the health of the economy, women still want to become mothers, so there will always be a demand for egg donors and surrogates. That is, until families stop being able to afford treatment. Hiring a surrogate mother in the USA costs at least $80,000, with around a third going to doctors and medical expenses, another third going to agencies who match up surrogates and hopeful parents, and a third to the surrogate mother.

So that leads to another issue with the economy that has also been in the news lately: outsourcing. Factories in China can produce consumer goods far more cheaply than American factories, and Indian women are prepared to be surrogate mothers for far less than American women. Hiring an Indian woman as a surrogate costs around $10,000 in total, a significant saving.

Women in India who were interviewed for an article about surrogacy were much more open about doing it for the money, as well as the ability to give happiness to a childless couple.

Is being a surrogate for the money wrong? Should surrogate mothers just want to do it for the noble reasons of helping a couple have a baby? Or, is it best to look at surrogacy purely as a womb-for-hire agreement, to emphasize that the baby really belongs to the couple who hired the surrogate, and to lessen emotional ties between the surrogate and baby?

And would you consider selling your eggs or renting your womb?

I have a 401K from my previous job. Right before the bailout hoopla started and the market started plunging with the alarming rate of a roller coaster on descent, I made the decision to switch all my funds to bonds. Before I did that, I saw my retirement fund lose a sizable chunk in just under a year. I’ve seen my neighbors putting up their homes for sale or for rent. I’ve received a letter declining my request for financial aid for school.

According to some experts, we’re heading for a recession so we should see even more decline in economic activity: low Gross Domestic Product, lower income, low sales, higher unemployment. To put it bluntly, I’m scared. Like millions of other Americans, I haven’t placed my family in the best financial footing. What if the declining economy affects my husband’s job, while he’s our family’s only breadwinner?

According to some experts, to prepare for a recession, a family should prepare itself for the possibility of losing their jobs. So what should you and I do?

• Start storing up for the winter so to speak, by way of an emergency fund. Experts say you should have at least 3-6 months expenses saved up. That can really add up for any family. So start being aggressive in cutting back on eating out, Starbucks lattes, maybe forgo that planned vacation and have a staycation instead. Make sure all those money saved goes to your emergency fund.
• Polish your skills. If your job pays for continuing education, or reimburses for it, get a certification that will make you more competitive or even desirable to keep, in a recession’s market.
• Stock up on pantry items. Yes, you read right. In some previous recessions, prices of consumables have gone way up. The ones with the advantage were families who prepared with lots of canned goods (theoretically unlimited shelf life), beans (can be stored safely up to two years), rice, and even meats which can be stored in a deep freezer.
• Put off major purchases such as cars, big screen TVs, or anything else that’s a luxury. You’ll be happy to have the money in your pocket when the lean times come.
• Look at where your 401k is going and redistribute if needed, and change elections if necessary. You may want to stick to bond funds, or you may want to change the percentage of your income going to your 401k. Just remember never to go below your company matched number. If your company matches every dollar up to 3%, stick to at least a 3% election.

I don’t want to alarm anybody, but I did want to give families some ideas on what they can do, and how they can be prepared. Good luck to all of us, and let’s hope the lean times don’t last that long.