families need to respond with knowledgeable decisions and actions. there are two things families can do :
they can press for society-wide changes so that the economy in general and energy,housing, food,and health-care industries in particular better meet their needs. and people can work within their families to make the best use of the money and services that are available. neither approach alone is sufficient ; both are necessary.we begin with an examination of how our economy has changed in recent decades.