Recession Blues? I Don't Think So!

Oh boo hoo... Everyone is crying, i-bankers are preparing to jump from their Wall St perches. We are in the grip of a bust, "recession" is screeched as alarmists don their gloomy faces, knitted brows (botox, anyone?) and sombre tones.

I for one think it's a good thing. Here's why:

• Shopping gets serious - we savour making choices again, our maths improves as we consider the better bargain, we weigh pros and cons, save for special items and enjoy them more once we finally get them;
• There's always a fashion-luxe-revolution rainbow once the storm blows over - oooh yes yes it all seems very blingy and must-have right now, but recent struts down the catwalk reflect the economic dip. Hurrah to nods to post-war, depression-time fashions (mmm... 1920s perhaps?). But wait wait wait with bated breath for the luxe revolution signalling the end of sombre, tenuous times;
• Vintage boom - recycle recycle, play dress-ups at your local Vinnies and in the bottom of your mama's wardrobe;
• Wardrobes globally sigh with relief - less shopping = less strain on racks, and less clogging of drawers;
• Stay at home and kiss - man-droughts may end the world over (hmmm.. maybe just Oz) as the i-bankers who ran for the green(back) hills of London and NYC return home jobless;
• Make friends at work - tearooms enjoy a renaissance as workers share a frugal pot of tea instead of that daily la-di-da latte;
• People will be less porky-pig and more lean Wile E. Coyote - where govt policy makers and parents have failed, the combined financial pressures of the credit crunch and rising oil prices mean more people (that includes fatty boom-bah kidlets) are walking to school/work (oooh yes obvious environmental benefits);
• Cherish the (simple) life - dept stores and toy stores report that in the lead up to Christmas longer-life gifts like Monopoly, Dominoes, Scrabble are purchased in favour of the usual play-it-once-lose-interest, bells and whistles toys/games;
• Embrace the vege patch & flower garden - play in the yard, make your own, build your own, throw dirt. Do it in spades.