If you were to ask anyone in any of the 50 states that make up the United States of America, how they are fairing in the midst of our less publicized yet still ongoing recession, they would mostly speak of the woes our economic collapse has caused them, or the added pressure their spouses and families are encountering trying to make ends meet. But there is an old saying that speaks to the notion of a silver lining under each and every apparently dismal or challenging event. In fact, there are several that address the issues of turning our stumbling blocks into stepping stones, and our obstacles into opportunities. At the end of the day, it really is only a matter of perspective anyway.
With the holiday season unfolding and pressure from the commercial industry pushing us to work harder so we can make more useless money to buy more meaningless things to put on our overstuffed Thanksgiving tables and under our mass produced yet under consumed Christmas trees, more and more people are opting out of the life draining rat race and finding peace and financial preservation by nurturing more creative and rudimentary ways to maneuver through Americas recession and the holiday season. Frugal, conservative, utilitarian, resourceful, practical
With this notion in mind, J&O Fabrics would like to take a moment to not only thank ex president Bush for creating the opportunity for us to nurture our imagination just a little bit more, but for the inspiring and liberating seed that sparked our list of Top 10 Recession Inspired Money Saving Tips.
Frugal, practical, conservative, resourceful, even utilitarian… yeah, these are some of the words being used to describe the new mindset of many, and the revisited mindset of a few from the old school who have seen depressions and recessions before as we move forward through the holiday and the seasons ahead. In many ways, we’re all in this together and all the better for it, so feel free to add on, pass on, and be the peace in the midst of adversity you are looking for!
J&O List of Top 10 Recession Inspired Money Saving Tips
1. Instead of buying gifts for family and friends from the store, be the manufacturer and save! By making your own gifts, you cut out the middle men and the extra money you spend on packaging, distribution, and retail markups. We have customers from every walk of life calling in for fabric to make no-sew fleece throws and pillows, curtains for their kitchen, even for reupholstering basic chairs in their homes. With free instructional books, instore workshops, and how-to classes right on line, you can be a jack of all trades in no time!
2. Organize your own clothing, jewelry, or general merchandise swap. One mans trash is another mans treasure and there is nothing like the feeling we get when we find just what we are looking for and its FREE! Plus, with the amount of excess accumulated thru the clothing manufacturing industry at the expense of our natural resources, you are feeding two birds with one worm by saving the planet of unnecessary energy usage, and treating yourself to a shopping spree all at the same time.
3. Let your imagination run wild in the kitchen! Limit eating out, save a little money, and challenge yourself by seeing how creative you can be with some of your inexpensive staples like rice or pasta. Or entertain your family with the many ways you can re-create leftovers for your hungry handful. It is amazing what a little seasoning or sauce can do to change the whole taste of an otherwise plain dish.
4. Nurture those hobbies of yours, no matter how silly it seems! Everyone has a bit of creativity in them. When we were children, we had crazy little hobbies we just loved to do and would do them all day if we could. From making toys out of pipe cleaners or selling lemonade, to designing clothes for our paper dolls or cutting fancy styles on our Christies. Now that we are adults, why not take that same passion and apply it in a way that not only feeds your spirit, but your pockets too?
5. Set up play dates for your children, have potluck dinners with other couples…just come together! While we have been indoctrinated to believe that in order for us to get ahead and survive in this world we have to have a self centered mindset, just the opposite is true! Two heads, two hands, two shared resources are always better than one so lets come together and help one another along. Not only does it take the financial, physical, and psychological load off of one person, but it spreads the resources and keeps us connected just a little bit more.
6. Carpool, ride a bike or walk to work. Not only is this great exercise for your precious vessel, but helpful to the sustaining of our environment and our future generation as well. Less carbon monoxide, more oxygen. It really is a win win situation if we give it a try.
7. Go Back to Basics! Life is one big cycle and despite all the fancy inventions and solutions, usually what worked for our parents and grandparents, works for us too. From cleaning products and kitchen utensils to hair and beauty tricks, finding multi-uses out of basic formulas is the way to go. Lemons are great for cleaning your dishes and your hair, just as vinegar is great for seasoning salads and cleaning glass. And there are plenty more to be found just by talking with our elders and poking around online.
8. Barter, Barter, Barter! The whole consumer marketing industry was built on the barter system. One person had a good or service another one wanted and they exchanged one for the other. No money involved. It is a system that has never died and in fact, is quite big in some corporate circles. We did it when we were children and called it “trading”. Lets do it as adults and call it “creative transactions”.
9. Change your Mindset! From one of lack to one of abundance. Despite all the media hype and evidence of the effects of fear and greed by the powers that be, our minds are very powerful tools and our perspective really does dictate our reality. Think about it. Then think ABUNDANCE!
10. UNITE! The power has always been in the people and there is great power in numbers. So empower yourselves. We have been given this opportunity to show what we can do when we are forced to do for ourselves as a community. No man is an island. No man was meant to walk alone. By simply uniting under a common cause, (economic survival) great things transpire and even greater amounts of money are generated.
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