Bad Moon Rising?

Everything I read and hear lately about our economy makes me nervous. The housing boom has officially gone bust, and many homeowners are now stuck with property that is worth considerably less than what they paid for it. People with ARM and interest-only mortgages will find themselves struggling to stay afloat. Gas prices are expected to spike this summer. I don't know how people are going to make ends meet, and this has me worried. I don't like to think about folks losing their homes.

I am not a doomsayer by nature, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Currently, my husband and I are shopping for a home and are having a difficult time finding something that I can live with financially. My husband is an optimistic person and, usually, I am too, but we've taken a number of business risks in the last two years, and I am afraid of getting in over our heads. Right now the business is chugging along nicely, but what happens if it dries up? While we're a b2b company, the industry we service is based on expendable income—folks who are strapped for cash are not going to spend money with our clients.

I keep telling myself to think positively. Would our livelihoods be any more secure if we were not self-employed? Not really. In 2000, my husband was laid off with almost no warning. These days, very few jobs offer true security. Are we working hard to pay off our debt? Yes, that is our number one priority, and while it's slow-going, we are making a dent.

I didn't used to be afraid all the time, and I don't want to be trapped in a scarcity mindset. There has to be a happy medium. We will always incur risk, but I also want a certain measure of security. I have a feeling that there are a number of folks out there who feel the same way these days.