It is an extremely sad statement that almost 50% of American workers in the private sector do not receive even one paid sick day a year. The majority of these people are low –wage employees and can certainly not afford to take a day off without pay no matter how ill they might feel.

The government is currently considering legislation to force companies to provide sick day coverage for their employees. Americans strongly support this new requirement but, as would be expected, businesses say they cannot afford the cost and that this benefit would force them to cut wages or reduce health benefits to compensate for the funds needed.

Apparently, businesses are looking at paid sick days as an expense rather than a necessity. Are they not realizing that it is counterproductive to have a sick person coming to work? They will not be performing their job to the best of their abilities. Meanwhile, they will be spreading illness to all of their co-workers. Soon many more workers will be spreading this disease around the building and serious health issues could eventually develop. Co-workers will be visiting their doctors and this will eventually result in increased health insurance premiums. When examining the big picture, it seems that it would almost be a savings for companies to offer paid sick leave to their employees. It is to everyone’s benefit to leave the illness at home and return to work in good health and physically capable of performing your job.

It is very sad to realize that women live longer but have much less in retirement savings and often have to continue working. Most have not prepared well for their retirement and many never had the opportunity to save for it.

Women, in general, have fewer savings than men, but live longer. They are twice as likely to die in poverty, most especially if they are divorced or a member of a minority group. Marriage problems have caused major setbacks for many, leaving them totally unprepared for their golden years. The number of female workers 65 and older is increasing twice as fast as that of older men. Statistics are predicting a 147 percent increase in the number of women 80 years old or over who will be employed in 2016. Here are some of the reasons for this large increase in elderly female employees:

Over their lifetimes, women in our country have worked for pay twelve years less than their male counterparts.

The median average wage of working women is approximately $10,000 per year less than for men.

A recent survey result states that more than half of working women say they cannot afford to save anything for retirement.

The average life span for a 65-year old woman is approximately 85, while a man should expect to live until 82.

Fewer women have pension plans available to supplement their social security income.

Women are terribly concerned about their finances, especially as it relates to their senior years. Many have already experienced poverty and, although they are working hard, they are unable to get ahead. Some know very well how horrible it feels to have to put off health care and go hungry and are frightened by the future they see for themselves.

Everyone today is concerned about the economy and inflation. We are all trying to find ways to cut our expenses and still maintain a similar standard of living. There are several approaches we can take that might help us trim our expenses.

The first suggestion is to write down every single item we purchase. This is similar to keeping track of your calories in a diet and it actually can work. Do not generalize your list but record each and every item. You will most likely buy less because you realize you will have to go home and list everything purchased. This should be done for several weeks. Each week, review every purchase made and you will soon be aware of a number of them that you could do without. Skipping a few items each week can result in substantial savings. This will take discipline, but could be well worth the effort. Remember, you must list every item from a carton of eggs to a major purchase.

The next step to consider is paying for every item you purchase, even the large ones, in cash. I am referring to dollar bills, not debit or credit cards. This can be an amazing step towards spending less. Statistics have shown that a person using cash in place of plastic will cut their spending an average of 26 percent. When your cash has been spent, you must go to the bank and get more because you are not using any form of debit or credit card.

Of course, in order to cut expenses, you need to establish a budget. This will enable you to purchase the items you and your family really need while avoiding the unnecessary expenditures.

It is very important to know the difference between credit and debt. Credit is something over which you have some control. A purchase on a credit card, or a loan, which can be paid off at anytime is a credit. Debt is something you are unable to repay which eventually controls you, such as a mortgage higher than your home value. Think about this every time you are tempted to purchase something that you can well do without.