Middle-class jobs are disappearing.

Wages aren't going up like they used to.

Costs for the most important things — gas, heat, food, health care and education — are soaring.

Debts are deepening.

You can't deny the numbers, or the financial fear and anxiety it's causing us.

Many of you believe that these difficult economic times may be a new reality. You worry about your future, the children, your parents.

You already are redefining your vision of the American Dream.

This week, we'll do more than chronicle the hard times.

Instead, we offer a challenge: that the people of this community work together — because we're in this together — to face the new economy.

We offer a challenge on three fronts:

• Each of us is asked to make a pledge, whether it be to reduce our debts or increase savings.

• Leaders are asked to pledge to use the resources of their organizations to help us
change.

• Elected officials are asked to pledge to pursue public policy that recognizes the financial realities facing their constituents — us.

All of this will be public. We'll publish your name on Ohio.com as one who has made a commitment. We'll also ask for some details about your pledge, such as how much debt you plan to reduce or money you intend to save and why, but that will be for the purpose of generating a community total and not for public disclosure.

We'll ask leaders to partner with us, and we will ask elected officials — particularly this fall's batch of political candidates — to reflect that they understand our needs.

We know this won't be easy.

But we want to help you through this time by empowering you with knowledge that will help you take control of your finances and gain some peace of mind.

Consider how poorly we as a nation are doing at the moment.

The national personal savings rate is at a negative number — we're taking money out of the bank faster than we're putting it in — according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Pair that with the latest numbers from the Federal Reserve, which shows that we have $2.56 trillion in consumer debt, not including mortgages, for an increase of $41.3 billion so far this year.

So, we have a lot of work ahead of us.

But here's the beauty of this challenge: This isn't some sweepstakes where the odds are against you, where only one person wins the grand prize. If you take on this challenge, anything you do to save money will ultimately benefit you and your family. It's your hard-earned money saved for you.

Help is on the way

Every day this week, we'll have stories and tips on how you can save in different parts of your life.

Throughout the summer, my Sunday consumer column will tackle different issues and offer tips. And I'm hoping this will be interactive: You can share your tips with me and I'll pass them along to other readers.

We're also looking for several volunteers to be models. If you're willing to allow us to document the process, we'll hook you up with professional money coaches who will guide you through a financial makeover.

Already, some organizations in the community are on board with us. We're talking about free financial seminars, advice on how to cut your heating costs or to pay for college.

There is only one way to get started: Each of us needs to take a hard look at our finances. And I mean a hard look. How much money is coming in, how much is going out, and where.

Then prioritize. That gives us our motivation.

What do we need? An emergency fund? Less debt? Money for college? Balanced checkbook? Or do we simply want to feel like we're in control?

Managing money

This challenge is not about telling you to stop using your credit cards or not to spend your money.

This is about learning to spend your money wisely and creating a savings plan to reach some goals.

It seems counterintuitive: Costs are up, income is down, and someone is suggesting that we should save money?

''We're in a situation where we're forced to live paycheck to paycheck, when it's the bleakest time to look for that little peak of light,'' said Jay Seaton, area president of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeastern Ohio.

But Seaton, who is helping us define the public challenge, argues that now is the perfect time to regain control.

''If you start thinking differently about money and start thinking about building wealth, you can still enjoy things and have fun. It's not about focusing on sacrificing and scrimping and scrounging. It's a way of life to think differently about money, no matter where you are about money,'' said Seaton.

Seaton admits that the term ''building wealth'' has initial connotations of rich people. But that's not what he means.

''Wherever you are, you can take steps forward to rationally increase your money — build wealth, not debt. These are things you can do every day that you don't even think about that help us gain the financial peace of mind over time,'' he said.

And if you already feel you are financially sound, then maybe you can take this challenge one step further and help others. Save money to donate to a charitable cause.

Time to commit

Just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, said Nancy Register, associate director of Washington, D.C.-based Consumer Federation of America and national director of America Saves, a nonprofit group that encourages people to save. The program began in 2001 right here in Northeast Ohio with Seaton and some other folks, who formed Cleveland Saves.

Through the Cleveland Saves program, more than 11,000 people in Northeast Ohio have committed to save or reduce their debt by more than $7 million dollars since March 2001. That's a pretty impressive number.

The key word is commitment.

We need you to either go online to Ohio.com or fill out the coupon in today's paper.

If you use the print coupon, write down your pledge on a piece of paper and put it on the refrigerator.

If you go online, fill it out and print it out.

Keep a running tally of your progress toward the goal, and keep us updated, too. When you pay off more of your credit card debt than you did before, or when you sock away a little more money in the savings account or you made a conscious decision not to buy something and save the money instead, write it down. Put that running tally up somewhere prominent in your house or office so you can see your progress and keep encouraging yourself.

Let's start with at least a six-month goal. We need to give ourselves time to change our habits and see some progress.

You're in this for you. You will hold yourself accountable.

And one by one, we will make change in our community and reclaim the American Dream.