10 New American Vocabulary Terms For Hard Economic Times

"Stretchy Juice" - This is when you keep adding tap water to your juice to make it last longer.

"Bubbee Bath" - This is when you put bubbles into the bath water to keep your kids from noticing that all of them are using the same water.

"Family Time" - This is what happens when a family is forced to cancel their cable television.

"Fun Size Plates" - Candy bars that are so small you can barely get one bite out of them are called "fun size" so when you have to give your kids smaller plates so that their smaller meals will look bigger you can call them "fun size" too.

"Recycled Clothing" - This is what you call it when your family wears the same clothes again without washing them. You aren't doing it because you are poor - you are doing it to help save the environment by using less laundry soap (wink wink).

"Christmas Sharing" - This is what you call it when you all sit around the living room on Christmas and tell stories about past holidays because you don't have the money to buy any gifts to give each other now.

"Hunting For A Good Deal" - This is what you call diving into the neighborhood dumpster after the neighbors have gone to work in the morning because you don't have the money to go shopping.

"Pretending We Are On The Ice World Hoth Again" - This is what you tell your kids that you are doing when you have to turn the heat off in the middle of winter again.

"Are You Ready For A Festival Of Flavor?" - This is what you ask your kids when you want them to pick out which kind of Ramen noodles you will be eating for dinner that night.

"Perma Retro" - This is when you dress like you are from the 80s every day because that is the only clothes you can afford from the thrift store.