If nothing else, I hope we do get back to a 'make and mend' mindset, one that will carry over after any hardships we might suffer due to the current economy. We have taken for granted what we have been blessed with - monetary and otherwise. I count our generation fortunate to have lived in times when it seemed important to teach the home economics and when we watched our elders manage, as MA referred to... and I agree with her, in generations after ours, "many have never had this chance"... instead they have been swept up in the societal norm of 'give me, must have,' so much so that they have cemented and protracted an entitlement mindset. "But alas the mind set of many would believe it to be like the soup kitchens during the 1926 depression"... Instead of subscribing to the belief that it will be like the 'soup kitchen' scene of the (US) 1929-1931 depression, those of us who are willing should promote the belief that this is a good teaching opportunity, a time, for those who know, to resurrect the true fundamentals of life - community, respect for nature and its resources, resourcefulness, enjoying the basics, etc.

this are my opinions...