The experts are finally agreeing on something. Times are tough. The degrees of toughness are up for debate, but general woefulness blankets all the predictions. Will we have a recession? Are we in a recession? The details are under tremendous scrutiny. Just like anything else, spin doctors for all sides are incredibly busy creating labels and new catch phrases to skew our thought process toward their views. Certain factions will encourage you to save your pennies. Certain factions will prompt you to continue to spend. And, the raptors of the investment world, who pray for times like these, are licking their lips and waiting for the chance to pounce on whatever becomes a low commodity. I’m not a pessimist. I’m just a realist. This I know to be true. The economy will rise. It will fall. It will hang in the balance. This will happen cyclically, over and over and over and over again. But, all is not lost. In fact, rejoice in the opportunity to weather these storms. It means that you’re still here in this world, ready to keep on trying. I remember riding in the backward facing suicide seat of my mother’s wood paneled station wagon on even days (that was our day), in a miles long snaking line of other folks who just needed a little gas, back in the 70s. I tied yellow ribbons onto trees so no one would forget the American hostages in Iran. I watched The Day After for extra credit in high school chemistry, so sure we would be nuked before we had the chance to grow up. Yet, here I am, still watching the sun rise and set in what has turned out to be a gorgeous world. I have willed it to be so. But, back to the economy. My late father, born during prohibition and a child of The Great Depression, has a few things he needs to share with you via his obstinate daughter’s hand.
Step number one to surviving lean times is the one you don’t want to hear. If you can embrace this ideology, however, it will change your life in the best ways. Live below your means. I know. It sucks. But, listen, honey, it’s the most important thing you can do, both for your wallet and your peace of mind. According to social justice/ environmental freelance writer Cynthia Griffin, 59% of Americans are at risk of homelessness. Many are but one paycheck away from the ability to have a predictable address. There are many factors involved in this dilemma. The baffling thing about this statistic in this day and age lies the dropping unemployment rate. But, rent is rising as wages are not. Lots of people have returned to the workplace, but many are underemployed based on their income to bill ratio. And, if you’re post-retirement age and your health tanks, it can be even scarier. If this isn’t you, I’m hysterically happy. If I just tickled the monster of your biggest fear, however, let’s discuss what you can do.
Turns out, there are many things. It’s great to live in a large, beautifully furnished home with grand cars, but happiness doesn’t recognize an address. Tiny living is all the rage these days. People are flocking toward the RV life. Downsizing can be a really good thing. Besides, what good is that McMansion if you can’t sleep at night worrying about how you’re going to make next month’s house payment that went up because of your soaring property value? The next topic up for scrutiny is food. As a young mom, love meant snacks. It was the 80s. Once my money stopped jigglejiggling and began to fold a little, I thought the answer was a fridge full of Lunchables and enough Kool-Aid Koolers to arm a small country. Look where we are now – a country held in a vice grip between heart disease and diabetes, mostly due to diet choices. Eat easy. Shop farmer’s markets. Shop the sales. Drink water. Check out food co-ops. Eat at home, without fail, every time. Will the kiddos revolt? You better believe they will. I hated being the only kid who didn’t bring the popular snacks to school. No one else in 1977 had okra in their lunchbox, for crying out loud. Looking back, it does make me smile. Other tips from the Ted vault include: ditch the expensive TV streaming service for a digital antenna, shop from thrift stores (I still do this almost exclusively), drop the gym membership, and – his favorite – learn to be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. In fact, we didn’t have an air-conditioner at all and heated our house with the occasional kerosene heater. Sorry, Dad, but I wasn’t your biggest fan during the summer of 1980. My final tip is my favorite. Wait a week. If there’s something you want, something you spot on Amazon that would just make your world a better place, table it for seven days. For every day that you don’t slide that buy now bar, look in the mirror and repeat after me. “You are so stinking smart, so judicious. Look at you, setting a good fiscal example for the kids. You are doing a great job.” Now, take that money from that probable trash gadget you didn’t waste it on and put it in a jar. Save it for the kids’ lunch. No one should take okra in their lunchbox.
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