If only it was easy as pressing a button, right? Unfortunately it is not “easy” but it is possible. I recently heard a quote from Mother Teresa that really hit home, “If each one of us would sweep our own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.” There are things that you and I can do to make our lives better and that could even make the lives of those around us better. Things that we are perfectly capable of and that are within reach. If we can each do our part to make our personal economy better, imagine how much better the world would be.
The first thing you can do to stimulate the economy is to donate UNUSED items around your house. Did you know that when you donate items to Goodwill, that that product is then sold for a profit, and then that money is used to create jobs. You want to see the unemployment rate go down? Then this is one thing you can do to make that happen.
The second things to do is pay off your debt. I know this sounds counter-cultural, as there are many financial professionals that say to never pay of your debt as long as you can get a better return elsewhere. Well, my response is that the average credit card rate in America is 14.75% according to www.CreditCards.com. You show me a place where you can get that kind of return without risk! If you pay of your debt, eventually you have more money to keep because you are not paying interest to a bank. In turn, you can take that money and buy goods and services.
Lastly you can clean up and repair the exterior of your house. The real estate market in America has taken a tremendous hit and it doesn’t help the cause when you the exterior of your house is a mess. Imagine going to look for a house to purchase and the neighboring houses have excessive weeds, paint chipping, trees that need to be trimmed, etc. You would think twice about living next door, right? I know I would.
Remember to sweep your own doorstep.
