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"When most people think about the recession, they generally equate it with rising unemployment rates, decreasing 401(K) funds and a shaky stock market. Yes, the recession has caused many of us to lose our jobs, homes and/or become uncertain about our financial futures but the recession may actually be benefitting some of us in ways we haven&amp;#039;t realized. Just last week, I was sitting in a Sprint store waiting for my phone to get serviced and I casually picked up a Time magazine from March 2009. The cover story was titled &amp;quot;The End of Excess.&amp;quot; I began reading the article and it slowly began to make sense to me. Up until now, many of us have been spending more money than we earn, buying homes and cars we can&amp;#039;t really afford and purchasing items without looking twice at the price tags. I then began to think about family members and friends of mine who have either downsized homes or cars, cut back on shopping or started putting more money into savings since the recession begun\u2014 and how they are in a much happier place now. We have begun to embrace a frugal lifestyle, a lifestyle that was once looked down upon has now become totally acceptable. And hopefully once the recession passes, we will all continue to spend less, save more and live better financial lives. So the next time you find yourself complaining about the recession, think about how it may have helped you or a close friend get on the right financial track. Has the recession made a positive impact in your life? Tell us in the comments. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a41639/why-the-recession-may-be-a-good-thing-4519/>