Recession-proof

Like many people caught on the wrong end of the housing market, we lost a small fortune (“small” maybe to you, big spender; “fortune” okay, only if you have really, really low expectations) on our house in Florida. So far we’re resisting the urge to sue our agent, which supports the idea that people don’t sue doctors, or agents, they like.

But despite a bond forged over losing the first house we bid on and miscarriage commiseration, I’m still pretty ticked that she urged us to offer just over the asking price three years ago, and didn’t march us down to the police precinct to check out the crime statistics. What was she thinking?

But that’s over, that’s done. We’re not thinking about that any more. No seller’s remorse allowed. Better to just be out of that situation completely now we’re into a pre-recession or full-out recession, depending on who you talk to. And it turns out that we may be, comparatively speaking, in a pretty recession-friendly state right now.

Basically, if you were poor and knew it and acted like it before the recession, and if you have a stable job and reasonably good credit and don’t already own a house, things might actually be looking up. But what if you didn’t know it or weren’t acting like it?

Apparently, one only needs to make $50,000 to be a part of the trading up crowd, or as Tiffany’s puts it, the “midtier luxury consumer.” Of course, they probably weren’t thinking of a family of five when setting the 50,000 starting point. Although Dick and I did shop at Tiffany’s in Manhattan once. I had a gift certificate from my second favorite job of all time, as a secretary in the Economics Department at Columbia University.

I loved that job. I usually wasn’t very busy, and I got to yak with fun women and eat yummy (free) lunches and help plan parties and generally play at being an adult (this was before and right after Sally was born). Maybe it was my number one favorite job of all time. hmmm.

Anyway, Angela, my boss, didn’t laugh when I chose a Tiffany’s gift card for my 175-ish Christmas bonus. It was probably a good thing that I only had under 200 to spend, because what I really liked at the time, besides the canary diamonds, was the Blackberries china pattern. Welcome to Pooh Corner, anyone?

Now, I know all the words to Moon River, but I think it’s safe to say that the prize quality in cracker jacks has sadly deteriotated since 1961. So we got a sterling silver baby’s first spoon and had it engraved for Sally. It’s still safely wrapped up in the soft blue cloth envelope, nestled in that pretty blue box. Maybe we’ll let her see it when she’s twenty-one.

In the meantime, Dick will gratefully wear his thrift shop trench coat that he initially scorned. (Hard to feel superior when it’s like Siberia out there). And I’ll pass up that $400 handbag in favor of my $14 Shopko hobo, and just be glad that I probably won’t even notice my ‘sudden’ inability to buy 200 dollar jeans.