Before all the recession buzz started, I thought about money as a kind of often-absent roommate. We were pretty close, but when she wasn’t at home, I never really knew where she was or what she was doing. Sometimes she showed up, and we had a good time, but more often than not she was off somewhere else and she never told me how to get in touch with her. And that was ok. I knew she’d come back. Sooner or later.

 

But lately it’s been hard to have such a casual relationship with someone you’re seeing in the news every night. So my relationship with Money is changing. All the reports are saying that I should have more control over this delinquent roommate of mine. That she should be on my schedule, rather than me chasing her around all the time.

 

So I’ve taken a hard line. She’s grounded. She’s staying at home, where I can keep an eye on her. And it’s become a liberating experience to realize that if I take the right approach, then Money and I can live quite happily together. And you know what? I actually prefer having her around. And the more she’s around, the less inclined I am to let her go out. I think we might even think about taking things to the next level.