“No problem is so formidable that you can't walk away from it.”

- Charles Schulz

Friends, what can I say? I know that you look forward to my upbeat approach to life each week but I've got to tell you it's getting increasingly difficult to be positive in spirit when my bank account always seems to be reading negative.

From my own experience, I find that it's hard to look on the sunny side of life when I'm always buried in a hole.

At least I'm not alone in my frustrations. Every week I get letters from Verizon and NYSEG telling me how they're “worried” about my accounts. Well if they are worried; imagine how I feel?!

If you're anything like me then you're more broke than a Faberge egg in a kindergarten classroom, but that doesn't mean you still can't take care of your responsibilities.

All you have to do is be a little more creative in how you do your business.

So, this week, I plan on showing you a way of not only getting by but, also, saving some money in the process.

Let's talk home repair. Did you know you can fix a broken window by simply covering it with a curtain? It's like the window just disappeared!

And when your house gets too hot this summer, just take down the curtain and let some fresh air in. See, wasn't that easy?

Need another one, try this. Got a stain on the carpet?

Well, before you go buying expensive chemicals and start scrubbing the rug like it's a scratch-off lottery ticket, have you thought about moving the coffee table over it? In my book, if the table covers the spot then it's not a stain anymore, it's a multi-colored shadow.

Auto repair can be a tricky subject in an economic crunch but here's where the city makes it a bit easier. Auburn has alternate side parking, so all you have to do is leave your car on the street for about a week without moving it and soon enough the police will have it towed away.

And since possession is nine tenths of the law, I figure the problem is theirs now.

Another thing, are your cupboards bare? Well, if you've followed any of my advice so far then I'm pretty sure you won't have a house much longer, which is a bit of a downer.

But, on the plus side, you won't have to worry about those darn cupboards anymore.

And let's not forget about health care.

It's long been noted that laughter is the best medicine, though I wouldn't recommend that to anyone who's actually choking.

Seriously, though, times are tough right now, but the scales always tip both ways, and sooner than later we'll be back in the black, and hopefully, we'll learn something from our mistakes. Just keep in mind that the best things in life are free, but the finer things, well, they cost money.

Spend wisely.

Auburn native Bradley Molloy's column appears here,

each Sunday, in The Citizen.

He can be reached at lovonian@hotmail.com