Recession?  Some people say we are most definitely in one.  Some people say we are headed towards one.  Some people say recession is an exaggeration. 

All I know is that it takes more and more and more money to buy groceries for a week.  It takes more money to fill the gas tank.  I’ve been keeping a mental note of some of the things I am doing — and need to keep doing — to save money and help provide for our family.   

FINANCIAL

Stay out of the red!  There was a foolish time in my life when I would have actually used a credit card to get something I wanted.  Now I cringe at the thought of using a credit card to pay for a need, let alone a want.  Always operate in the black.  Plan to spend less than what comes into your hand each week. 

We are told to live each day as if it is our last.  Try to think of each dollar as if it’s the last one you’ll see.  You may think a bit longer before you break it!

Try to pay off high-interest debt.  Avoid taking on any new debt.  Stay away from high-interest debt.

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

They say it’s good to have the equivalent of three months’ income in savings.  If you can’t have that much, try to have at least 1,000 dollars emergency fund in savings at all times. 

Even change adds up.  Keep a can for collecting change.  The change can be rolled up and taken to the bank once every so often.  You’ll be surprised at the amount that’s been collected by just dropping spare change into it each day and leaving it alone.

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Tom Enters the Palace: “T… Buy From Art.com

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It’s not good to use credit for necessities at all.  Utilities or food on a credit card?  If that’s happening, something needs to be changed. 

FOOD

Beans, rice, potates.  Beans, rice, potatoes.  I can remember my grandmother saying when times seemed hard, just cook a big pot of beans. 

Cook from scratch.

We manage to eat healthy most of the time while also being careful with money. 

A bread maker is handy for homemade bread.  The loaf will be a fraction of the cost of store-bought bread. 

Don’t waste food.  Eat left-overs.

Some left-overs can be frozen to go into a large pot of soup later.

Stale or day-old bread can be turned into croutons or bread crumbs. 

Have potatoes that have sprouted?  Cut them up so that there’s an “eye” on each piece, plant them in your garden in summer and you’ll have a few more new potatoes come autumn.

Have garlic that’s sprouted or that you won’t use right away?  Cloves of garlic can also be planted.  Plant in autum for garlic bulbs you can harvest in spring.  Or plant in spring for garlic bulbs you can harvest in the fall. 

I keep several large containers around my front and back doors that I keep lettuce planted in.  It is so nice to be able to pick what you need for a salad without having to spend over 2 dollars for a head of poor-looking lettuce. 

We also keep a small garden plot for growing tomatoes in summer.  We also grow peas and green beans and other things.  It’s doesn’t take much room to grow a little bit of food. 

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When Poverty Comes in at the Door Buy From Art.com

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Menu Plan:  Definitely menu-plan.  It will save you time and money if you do an inventory of your pantry, plan menus around that and then do shopping with a list in hand.  You’ll be less likely to impulse buy and you’ll use things in the pantry instead of letting them sit there and go bad because you forgot they were there.

Have a bit of “mad money” put away just for great grocery buys!  A few weeks ago one of our local grocery stores had beautiful London broils on sale for an awesome price.  I bought about six of them and put them in the freezer. 

Coupons?  Coupons can be great, but they are not great if you are using them just to be using them and buying things you won’t use or don’t need.  I rarely use coupons any more because you rarely see them for fresh and cook-from-scratch items.  I do love to find good coupons on the cereals and canned goods we use.

Buying in bulk?  I’m not sure.  Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s not.  I have become pretty judicious about what I buy in bulk from the large chain stores like Sam’s.  For some items it’s better to look for good sales at the regular grocery stores.  We find our best deals at Sam’s or Costco to be meats, spices, sugar, dried beans, and things like that.  We do better on cereal and canned goods at other places.

Freezing milk?  It can be done.  You’ll have to pour some of the milk off the top and into another container.  The milk will expand as it freezes.  Also, plan on it taking a couple of days to thaw in the refrigerator.  No one wants to wake up, pour their cereal into the bowl and find that the milk is still frozen. 

Reconsider using coupons or hitting a sale if you are going to have to drive 15 or more miles to get to the particular grocery store having the sale or accepting the coupons.  Is it worth it? 

UTILITIES

Electric:  If something’s not in use, turn it off! 

Water:  Conserve!  We have bought switches for the showers so that the shower can be cut off while the children lather up.  It’s cut back on to rinse.

We have window unit air conditioners that drip water outside.  There’s a five gallon bucket to catch that water dripping from each one!  That water goes on our vegetable garden.  You’d be surprised how quickly a bucket fills up in the summer!

We have purchased two rain barrels for collecting rain to water our gardens.  Not only does this conserve in the sense of community resources, it helps us save money on what we would spend if we watered using the hose.

I have a friend who uses a large trash can with a wire mesh over it to collect rain water from the downspout.  She just dips her watering can into the water.

Cable?  We don’t have cable.  We don’t even watch regular T.V.  But consider cutting out cable and using just public television or local channels.  Like I said, I don’t have it, but I know cable is expensive. 

Appliances:  Can something be worn more than once before washing?  My husband was such a good example to me when we married, in the way he cared for his dress clothes.  He did not take off his nice clothes and fling them over the end of the bed or dresser as I did.  (blush)  He always hung everything up neatly.  His dress clothes rarely needed much care other than the care he took of them by being careful while wearing them and then hanging them up immediately.  The less you have to wash, the less wear and tear on your washer, and the less water you’ll use.

Load the clothes washer and dishwasher full before running.

Being rough on anything costs us in the end.  Taking care of things saves money.

CLOTHING

Recycle, recycle.  I love to make tiered skirts for myself or my daughter from anything pretty — old duvet covers or curtains or table cloths will do.

Throwing something out?  Do you have something that is just beyond repair?  Before you throw it out, see if there’s any trim or buttons you can save from it.

Shop at thrift stores.  I’d rather have a used item of good quality than a new item that’s poorly made.  I know from experience which will last me longer!

GAS

Always consolidate shopping trips.  I keep a list of places I need to go and exactly what I need from those places.  When I make a trip to a certain area, I try to do everything I need in that vicinity.  I refer to my list so I don’t forget anything.

Keep the tank full.

Avoid impulse trips.  Be content to be home — in the yard, reading, letter writing, etc.

I don’t think we should fret about tomorrow, but I think it’s only wise to plan for a rainy day.

Lynn

For those of you who love Jan Karon books, there’s a sweet little article about Jan Karon and her first and current writing offices in the May/June issue of Victoria.

I love Jan Karon’s writing and I’ve always been a fan of Victoria magazine (though I was disappointed when the magazine began to change in character in the early 2000s). I’m so happy Victoria is back to her old ways! Oh I’m just glad she’s back.

Jan Karon has a beautiful website, by the way:  Mitford Books.

Wishing you a Beautiful Sunday,

Lynn