Love in an Economy We Hate

There is no doubt that the current economic climate is having adverse impacts on many aspects of our lives. Our wallets are lighter, our spending is tighter and coupons are finding a strong resurgent use in the every day. One of the things most greatly impacted by everyone no matter what your preexisting tax bracket or what it may be today is our relationships. I don’t mean friendships and casual acquaintances falling to the wayside because one of you lost your job or moved on to something more stable, I mean our personal relationships, husbands and wives, girlfriends and boyfriends, and every other combination of them combined.
   
Divorce rates are already finding a new low because simply put divorcing someone right now is not fiscally responsible. Plain and simple one’s personal misery is being outweighed by the importance of how many incomes you can get under one roof.
   
But what if you don’t want a divorce, you just want to go back to the way things used to be between you and your sweetie?
   
How can you rearrange the dramatic shifts that have taken place and find a new positive ?

Let us start answering these questions with the most obvious solution. You need to talk to one another. When left in the dark within a relationship anyone and everyone’s fears tend to end up taking control. By speaking to each other about what you are doing, how you are feeling and just airing out grievances can open a great and wide path for both of you to form a team and work together for the same mutually beneficial goals.
   
It becomes simple for each other to help the other, with enough communication anything is possible.

The other most obvious solution is sex. Here the two of you are pooling your monies and every penny is going toward paying the rent or mortgage and keeping lights on within the roof over your head. When all of your income is going to necessities there is no disposable income left for so much as a trip to the movies and the splitting of a bag of candy. Sex however is relatively free depending of course on what amount of props, birth control or tools you may use. Sex in addition to being a great way to pass the time is going to much more to bring you two together and closer as a couple than any trip to a movie ever will.

After those obvious solutions that I may as well have heard on Oprah if it weren’t for the fact that I am a man who tends to watch more Discovery Channel than anything else there are a lot of things you two can do together that aren’t only good for your relationship but fun too.

Start a Garden Not only are seeds cheaper than produce but a garden helps you to have something that the two of you can control together toward a mutually beneficial goal in a world that seems like it is out of your control.

Shop and Cook Together  Not only is this another aspect of your life that you can find complete control over in a world going mad but you are supporting each other in an activity. If your husband or wife is a better cook than you make sure you tell them so. Positive feedback toward each other boosts everything from self-esteem to sex drive. If you are the better cook make sure that your partner knows how much you appreciate being told so. Saying Thank You goes a long way.

Pick a Flower It may seem trite and small but do not underestimate the power of expressing your love and appreciation for your better half. While just walking down the street or through a park there are flowers everywhere and the greatest part is that they are free. There are a ton of variations on the giving of a flower. You can take a walk along the beach and bring home that one stone in the shape of a heart. The point here being no matter who you are being thought of makes you happy.   

Write a Love Letter Don’t use Facebook, do not use your email ! Sit down with a pen and paper and write out to that special someone just how you feel.

Massage Tactile expression of your love that is probably appreciated as much if not more than sex and once again it is free.

I hope that my few offerings help your relationship everyday or at least remind you that all relationships need to have something more to rely on than an expensive date. Most of all, and I can’t stress it enough, make sure that your partner knows how much you appreciate them.

If you have any other great free or inexpensive ideas I encourage you to comment and share, not just for me and my girlfriend but for everyone else struggling in their relationship from day to day. To weather this storm of an economy will be much easier when done together.

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities
or pride; so I love you because I knew no other
way than this, where ‘I’ does not exist, nor ‘you’.
So close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so
close that your eyes close as I fall asleep” -Pablo Neruda.