How to Survive a Recession with Minimal Impact on Your Finances

Surviving a recession with little to no impact on your financial status will be difficult. Here are a few tips to get you through it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Food. Transportation costs are driving the cost of food up considerably. Buy from local farmers and grow your own to reduce your spending on food. Completely eliminate exotic foods like mangos, pineapples and bananas and substitute them with local or home grown foods. (see my articles on growing your own vegetable garden) When growing your own, remember to go pesticide free. Make your own compost to cut down costs as well! You'll be reducing your grocery bill in no time in addition to reducing your footprint on the planet.

2. Rain barrels. Consider making your own water with rain barrels to reduce the cost of watering your lawn, vegetable and flower garden.

3. Go on a diet. Going on a diet will surely reduce your grocery bill and bar tab. Replace sodas and juices with homemade flavored waters. Lemon and cucumber are excellent additives to plain water.

4. Get some exercise. You don' t have to drive to the local newsstand. Think of other ways to get there. Roller blades, bicycles, skateboards, running, walking, jogging and even skipping are great for your body as well as your gas consumption. The resale value on your car will be higher when you keep the miles down and if you are leasing, then this is surely a great money saving idea for you.

5. Heating and cooling expenses. Avoid using air-conditioning and heat when possible. If its necessary to use them, use them wisely. In the winter months, keep the heat at no higher than 67 and in the summer try using fans instead of air-conditioning.

6. Showers. Take shorter showers, and certainly don't take a hot shower, keep it cool and you'll get out faster!

7. Toilets. Bill Cosby use to say, "If its yellow keep it mellow. If its brown flush it down". Makes sense...oh, I mean "cents"!!!

8. Laundry. Try line drying your wash on days when the pollen and mold count is very low. You will cut your energy expense way down if you eliminate the dryer.

9. Eat more fish. If you can go fishing without using a motor boat, this is an excellent idea. Its a great way to spend the day cheaply and you may come home with dinner! Rivers, lakes and surf fishing are super cheap if you already have the supplies you need.

10. Cable television. Either cut back on your premium channels or get rid of this altogether to keep your monthly expenses down as you pay more for necessities.

11. Buy second hand when possible. Check sites like Ebay and Craiglist for items before you run out to the mall. You may find exactly what you are looking for at a great price.

12. Clean house! Yep, go through your garage, attic and basement and find all the things you haven't used in years and sell it. Have a garage sale or sell them on line. Garage sales are a great way to get rid of a lot of things both big and small in two days. All you need is a few homemade signs and you are ready to go!

13. Go hunting. If its legal in your neck of the woods, go get your own dinner. This will save you a lot of money at the grocery store. You will also be getting very fresh food instead of that mystery meat at your local grocer. This will GREATLY reduce your pollution impact on the world by completely eliminating transportation costs and middlemen. Any idea how many times that chop meat has traded hands before it got to your plate? Its pretty disgusting when you think about it. If hunting your own isn't your thing, many farmers actually sell their own meat to the public. Look into it, it could save you lots of cash.

14. Restaurants are a no, no. That's right, eat at home. Invite friends over for dinner. Restaurants are all raising prices on their menus to reflect their higher expenses.

[LilacGirl]

on 4/26/2008 Some good ideas here. A food pantry is a good idea too.