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Recently, as my daughter had the day off from work, we made plans to take in a matinee at the new Carousel Cinema in Alamance Crossing, which opened a few weeks ago.

We looked online at the movie listings for the afternoon and quickly noticed that "Kit Kittredge" was playing at a time that would work for us.

Even though my daughter is 17, this particular movie interested her, as she wanted to see how the movie portrayed this much-loved storybook girl. She grew up loving the American Girl stories, Kit Kittredge being her favorite character of all.

Walking up to Carousel Cinema for the first time was impressive. There was plenty of parking available to the right side of the theater. The one-way road along in front of the theater gave the walking area a small-town feel. I imagine it serves as a great drop-off/pick-up point, as well.

The fountain at the end of the walkway contributed to the relaxed afternoon at the movies we hoped to have. After purchasing our tickets, the bright lights, the surround sound and the popcorn smell drew us into the movie theater experience as we settled into our seats.

As the movie began, I could not help but notice how odd Abigail Breslin looked in the blond wig as she portrayed the main character. The more I considered the character being played, Abigail in the blond wig was a perfect fit, as it gave her a storybook character look, perfect in every way.

The story takes place during the Great Depression. Kit's family is portrayed as an upper middle class family living in Cincinnati. As the story begins, her father, played by Chris O'Donnell, owns a local car dealership, and her mother, played by Julie Ormond, is shown hosting garden parties in the afternoon.

Kit does not have a care in the world, except her desire to have one of her stories published in the local newspaper.

As the story develops, Kit and her family find themselves having to find creative ways to survive the time. After her father's car dealership is foreclosed by the bank, he leaves his family behind to try to find a job in Chicago. The mother rearranges their home to accommodate boarders.

They work together, doing what they have to do to make it through their trying circumstances.

Throughout the story you hear of neighbors losing their homes and people truly making do with whatever they have. The movie also focused on the hobos who lived near the train tracks and how their lives intersected with Kit's. They needed one another to survive.

I was drawn into the well-written story and the parallels between the Great Depression and the era we live in now.

Although we are not living the extreme hardships that our ancestors did in the 1930s, perhaps we can see enough similarities to find creative solutions to making ends meet in today's economy.

The movie may open up conversations between generations as we learn from one another in our attempts to live frugally through the times .

So, what sort of things are you doing differently to make ends meet nowadays?

E-mail your ideas to me, and I'll share them in a future column.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.