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realistic budget. For sorne ideas on
how to go about setting up a
budget, see the article "Coming to
Gr ips With Your Finances" in the
48-page Apri l issue of
The Plain
Truth .
Hanglng on to Your Job
Once you ' ve got your financia!
house in a rder, you will be free to
enhance your position on your job.
Now there is no way you can guar–
antee that you will keep your job–
this recession has proved that. But
there are sorne things you can do to
make yourself one of the last people
your employer thínks of when he
has to lay someone off.
Be diligent. Be loyal. Make sure
that you gíve "a fair day's work for
a fair day's wage." If you don' t
have anything to do on the job for
the moment, look for something.
Take pride in your work. " What–
ever your hand fi nds to do, do it
wíth all you r míght" (Eccl. 9: 10).
Most of these may sound like
clichés, but they are valid pr inci–
pies. Proverbs 22:29 says, " Do you
see a man skilled in his work? He
will serve before kings; he wi ll not
serve befare obscure meo."
H ard work stands out. Em–
ployers notice it.
What About Working Wives?
When times become tough for their
families, many women begin to
consider taking a job outside the
home- if they haven't already done
so. But for you housewives who
may be thinking of taking a job,
here are sorne things to consider:
Before you take a job, know
something about it. How much tax
will you have to pay? Are there
deduct ions for medica! insurance,
pension plans or union dues? How
much will it cost for food if you
have to eat out? Is there extra
clothing required that you mus t
buy? And who will keep your chil–
dren and at what cost? What about
transportation?
If
you'll need a sec–
ond car, how much will it and the
insura nce cost? Now take the cost
of these " incidentals" and subtract
their sum from your expected gross
wages. Sometimes, not always, an
outside full -time job isn' t as finan–
cially rewarding as it may sound .
There are alternatives, however.
One such alternative is called
24
work sharing. In work sharing, two
workers spli t the work day on one
full-time job. This arrangement is
also att ract ive to employers since
few fringe benefits are available to
employees in these situations. Fast–
food shops, government and profes–
sional offices are leading the way in
work-sharing hi ring programs. The
job is done at a savings to the
employer while allowi ng the work–
ers the flexibilit y they need to suit
their particular schedules.
Anotber possibi lity is bringing
work into the home.
If you are a talented seams tress,
t ry taking in sorne sewing. If you
are a good baker, try baking for
others. Make use of your talents or
develop sorne. Be creative.
A word of caution about looking
after other people's children, or
baby-sitting as it is called . On tbe
surface it may seem like an easy
way to make money, but there are
drawbacks. Are you required to
have a license? How much wi ll
in s urance-a necessa r y safe–
guard--cost you? How will this
affect your own chi ldren ? Many
children are jealous of what they
view as competit ion for their moth–
er's affection and attention.
One final word: Make sure that
any work you do is what you and
your husband really want.
Changing Careers
One of the facts that is increasingly
being brought to light by this
recession is that fewer and fewer
people will have li felong careers in
these times of fast changing tech–
nology. Accept it and do something
about it. Develop a wide range of
ski lls tbat are tangible in the labor
market. Being an expert at only one
thing may wind up being like a
d inosaur-it could lead to career
extinction.
Go to school to learn a new ski ll.
Learn more than one skill.
If
an
opportunity is given to you on your
job for sorne cross-training, "take it.
By learning sorne other kind of job
you will be adding to your invento–
ry of job skills.
A word on changing jobs. Before
you do consider changing careers
and leaving your job, make sure
you have another job waiting for
you. One of the worst tbings you
can do in a recession is to quit a job
with nothing to take its place. Wait
until something firm turns up. Use
sorne wisdom. Make sure that you
wi ll be happy witb a new job.
Food and Health
One of the quickest ways to financia!
ruin today is to owe a large medica)
bill. Medica! costs in West Germany
have risen sixfold in the past decade.
Britain's National Health service
paid out the equivalent of U.S. $442
(approx. ! 270 per Briton in 1982)
for health care claims. In the United
States, healt b care costs have
become mind boggling. In 1981,
health care averaged out to more
than $1 ,200 per citizen.
Much of the problem in rising
health care costs can be curbed
simply by improving your diet, by
exercising and by getting the prop–
er amount of rest. That means eat–
ing wholesome, more natural foods
rather than processed foods . You '11
find that it is cheaper to buy a bag
of potatoes than it is to buy pack–
aged, pre pared frozen potatoes.
According to the U .S. Department
of Agriculture, more than half of
what Americans eat is processed
food. When possible, try to eat
those foods that are whole, unpro–
cessed or that will spoil unless you
use them relatively quickly.
Quite simply, as one article on
the Wes t German Food and Drug
Administ ration's findings on food
addit ives reported, " Balanced food
prevents dietary disorder and ill–
ness while wrong diet can cause
sickness"
(Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung fuer Deutschland,
Sept.
11 , 1982).
Marital Problems
What about your marital relation–
ship? When f ina nces begin to
pinch, many couples fi nd that they
are faced wi th problems that seem
to be insu rmountable. So insur–
mountable as to be unsolvable.
Divorce begins to look like an easy
way out. But if you want to take
one of the quickest paths to eco–
nomic di sas ter, divorce is an
accommodating choice. Divorce
will effectively c ut your income in
half-accordingly your life-style,
too. There are d ivorce lawyers,
court costs and settlement laxes to
consider. Those costs alone should
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The PLAIN TRUTH