Pray for Recovery

This afternoon, as I drove down a local road, I saw a sign on the side of a business that said, "Pray for Recovery". Now, I don't know about you, but prayer may not be the best method for getting the economy going again.

So at the risk of offending everyone who believes in the power of prayer, I would like to list some other things that will have a more imediate impact without divine intervention:

1. Get something fixed around your house that needs to be done. This past week, I hired a local handy man, Stu, to put in some more insulation in the attic and fix some leaky doors upstairs which was running up my heating bills. I have needed to do this for some time, but now made sense. He did the work in just a couple of days and was ready to get on it as soon as I called.

2. Refinance your home. Right now, 30 year fixed rates are the best they will ever be. Yes, you need to have some equity in your home and decent credit, but if you do, then you will add hundreds of dollars monthly to your wallet that can be used for things you need. Not to mention, everytime you refinance one of those loans, it is one less loan that is sitting bundled in with the toxic mortgages.

3. Provide a better service to your employer or client. Since we are in a national malaise, it is understandable that people aren't working at their fullest. Now is your time to shine. Focus on what you do and do it better than you ever have before. Think about it. The best and brightest never are in want.

4. If you are spending your money, spend it on services before imported goods. I am talking about consumer electronics mostly here. If given the choice between a $1,000 HDTV and $1,000 in services (get your will redone, have a room painted, have your car repaired, hire a shrink, get a massage, etc) then the money spent will go much further to help the economy. This is because on the TV most of that money is being sent overseas and thus is leaving your local economy.

Pray all you want, but the real way out of this recession is by collective action.