So its goodbye Cappuccino - and hallo again Nescafe instant - and a drop in house prices.
And bearing that in mind, and with the au pair gone, I've taken to dusting and cleaning again - taking pride in what i have - my home still more a sanctuary than any step up some one's ladder.
Nesting or investing? Well I'm nesting thanks very much - and taking a break from the chores as I gaze beyond the window - stare at a woman sobbing on the bonnet of her SUV - just across from a bakers shop where a Starbucks used to be. And that's when I counted my blessings - framed my credit cards - hung then on a wall above the box I stash my cash in.
And then I giggled, you know, about the good old days before the rise in sub-prime lending - safe in the knowledge that the good times would come again.
And how do I know that? Because I've been through it all before - currency problems, the energy crisis of the early 1970's - Current credit crunches just another few crumbs off a giant digestive biscuit - determined as it always will be - to keep on turning as its earning.
Enough said.
