Calm it, Kermit

Okay, so we're in a recession. People are losing their jobs (a friend of mine is awaiting news on redundancy right this minute) and the shit is hitting the fan as far as the economy is concerned. But this morning's Trendwatcher report said exactly what we should all be thinking, once you get over the initial anger and resentment, this might not be as bad as it seems. If you've been sitting at a desk in a windowless office for the last ten years, now might be a good time to turn it up a notch, take a risk and start thinking about ways to start that business you've been thinking about since you left college.
"This is a great moment to innovate: shrinking budgets and diminishing revenues from existing offerings normally bring out the best and most creative in business professionals. But the most important side effect of more austere times is probably that consumers start questioning what truly makes them happy, which more often than not steers them towards the realization that happiness ain’t (just) about traditional consumption. Expect pockets of consumers to switch to lower-consumption models with surprising ease, and to look for different and less costly sources of happiness and thus, ultimately, status."

In fairness, most of us were drinking Aldi wine long before the 'r' word hit the headlines so it's not going to represent a giant drop in standards of living- maybe we could learn to get by on three bottles a week instead of 12. Need some extra cash to get you by? Sell your car, walk to work, make your own coffee (it's nicer anyway), turn down the heating and put on a jumper, make soup and freeze it for lunches, cancel Sky and read books instead for a few months (you'll still have Corrie and Desperate Housewives!).

TW's umbrella brand for 2009? "Happy ending"
And who doesn't want one of those?