How are YOU surviving during recession?

I am always frugal, an inheritance and lesson from my Depression-era born parents and my Depression era grandparents.

But with the current rocketing inflation and recession, these are the steps I am taking to keep costs down as much as possible:

1. I don't go to the supermarket as much and when I do, I stick to a list and buy what I need.

2. I don't drive as much and our family stays home more.

3. We've trimmed down how often we eat out.

4. On milder days I open the windows instead of using the A/C

5. Unless it is raining, I hang the laundry out on the clothes line to dry.

6. I plan meals around what I have and I use everything. Example: Monday night we had hot dogs (rare treat since they're high in fat). Tuesday night, we had spaghetti and I used the leftover buns to make garlic bread. Doing this, though, isn't really new - it's a lifelong habit.

7. We've cut back the length of our away from home vacation. A few years ago, we sometimes were gone two weeks at a time. Now we go for just a few days and much closer. The four times a year trips to Louisiana have ended and so have the two thousand mile vacation trips around the country.

8. When something we use a lot of is on sale, I stock up and I have a very well stocked pantry (again, nothing new - I always have had a stocked pantry).

Agreed. I've always been frugal, to a fault even. I'm not having to adjsut quite as much (although I am to a degree.) I have replaced nearly all of our lgiht bulbs with CFL bulbs. And yes, it has made a substantial dent in my bill, more so than I expected even. My power bill was $63 last month for a two year old three bedroom 1600 square foot condo. Also consider I have two AC units that run a lot. But keep in mind, I've ALWAYS been one to never leave lights on when I'm not in a room.

Are we having a recession?



p.s. in the past -- nothing much. I always saved, so I continued to save. I invested more (stock prices were lower).I spent money like I always had. I probably did less frivolous spending as I had during "boom times." The thing is, I still had my job so there was no reason to change my habits. The recessions didn't affect me personally.

We're not even close to a recession yet. We still haven't had ONE quarter of negative growth yet.

But that's not the point is it?

Anyways, I now consider myself lucky that I lost everything in a divorce last year. While everybody else was flying high, I had to learn how to readjust my lifestyle and condense, etc.

Now, I say, recession or no recession, I don't think i could change my lifestyle much more, so bring it on. *shrug*

spam and rice... spam and eggs. spam and cheese.

mighty whitie one bites, misery muffins, porcelin palace purgatory pies, sliderville junction.... lots and lots of white castles........

James81 said:

We're not even close to a recession yet. We still haven't had ONE quarter of negative growth yet.

But that's not the point is it?

Anyways, I now consider myself lucky that I lost everything in a divorce last year. While everybody else was flying high, I had to learn how to readjust my lifestyle and condense, etc.

Now, I say, recession or no recession, I don't think i could change my lifestyle much more, so bring it on. *shrug*

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If push comes to shove and you reach a point where you HAVE to pare down expenses, you might be surprised at what you could find to cut out.

We're a long, long way from it ever happening but if I had to, I would cut out my phone extras (like Caller ID), downsize to a much smaller channel package on DishNet or have none at all, and cut out dining out totally.

Those CFL bulbs do make a difference - I've changed out to them too.

And as for whether or not the nation is in an official recession, many people are feeling the effects of the economy and inflation, enough that it affects their spending, their lifestyle, and their outlook.

James81 said:

We're not even close to a recession yet. We still haven't had ONE quarter of negative growth yet.

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So sayeth the government figures, and we know the government does't lie, right?

A dirty little secret the MSM never mentions. Factor inflation into the growth figures, so you're looking at true growth, and you'll find we've been in recession for a while now. A growth in the money supply does not equate to a growth in the economy.

tightening my belt.

johnnysannie said:

If push comes to shove and you reach a point where you HAVE to pare down expenses, you might be surprised at what you could find to cut out.

.

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Heh, well, currently I don't have cable or internet at home, I spend maybe $160 a month on groceries, my rent is bare minimum cheap (as are the utilities) and I only allocate a certain amount for entertainment. I suppose if push came to shove I could cut out ALL entertainment money (which wouldn't be much), but I'd honestly have to say that I would STRUGGLE to find a way to slash my costs any lower than they are right now. I'm already at "god this hurts" level of finances as it is.

Like I said, I had my recession last year with my divorce.

It's the same ol' same ol' for me. I've been in a recession for many years now.

James81 said:

Heh, well, currently I don't have cable or internet at home, I spend maybe $160 a month on groceries, my rent is bare minimum cheap (as are the utilities) and I only allocate a certain amount for entertainment. I suppose if push came to shove I could cut out ALL entertainment money (which wouldn't be much), but I'd honestly have to say that I would STRUGGLE to find a way to slash my costs any lower than they are right now. I'm already at "god this hurts" level of finances as it is.

Like I said, I had my recession last year with my divorce.

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Then God help you when prices continue to rise at the current rate and fuel prices keep tracking upward.

johnnysannie said:

Then God help you when prices continue to rise at the current rate and fuel prices keep tracking upward.

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Heh, well my car DOES pay off next month, which will free up a nice chunk of money.

Other than that, though, I'm hoping the next upswing cycle comes soon.

I'm going to have a garage sale to get that bit extra money. Also the three kids have agreed to reduce the value of birthday and christmas presents (I've been telling them for years I don't believe in these things but they keep buying stuff). I'm painting the house ready to sell it. Four bedrooms on an acre and a half is too much now the kids are off our hands. We're buying a fifth wheeler and a towing vehicle and selling the two cars we've got.

But I think we'd have done all of this at this stage of our lives no matter what was happening with the economy.

We're starting to hurt pretty bad. We're on a fairly low salary, we live in a two bedroom apartment with five people, we don't have any phone features or cable tv. We rarely by movies anymore, we eat out like every 3 months if that. I cook absolutely everything because of my kid's soy allergies, we cut off 70 dollars a month from our grocery bill last month when we switched, with the rising prices we're already paying more than that.

We're paying off medical bills next month and putting some into savings, then saving as much as we can from there so that if things get worse, we'll have something to help us out.

I do script work which helps but it's inconsistent. If I could get a consistent writing job that could go toward bills and savings we would be set.

i've been cutting back on the hookers and have been forced to try to pick up chicks the old fashioned way.

by winking.

so far, no luck.

James81 said:

Other than that, though, I'm hoping the next upswing cycle comes soon.

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Don't we all? And I truly hope it does come soon but I'm not counting on it.

We're doing all right, thanks in part to my frugality and savings over many years.

But this week until further notice, the manufacturing plant where my husband works went to four day weeks. The drop in income stings when prices are all increasing.

James81 said:

Heh, well my car DOES pay off next month, which will free up a nice chunk of money.

Other than that, though, I'm hoping the next upswing cycle comes soon.

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Aren't upswings generally started by basic industries, like construction? With the housing glut due to foreclosures, house construction will be a long time recovering. With the continuing drop in retail sales, commercial construction is slowing down as well.

What's going to fuel the recovery cycle this time?

johnnysannie said:

Don't we all? And I truly hope it does come soon but I'm not counting on it.

We're doing all right, thanks in part to my frugality and savings over many years.

But this week until further notice, the manufacturing plant where my husband works went to four day weeks. The drop in income stings when prices are all increasing.

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that's what sucks the worst. All the prices are rising so employers HAVE to cut back on their expenses somehow and the common worker gets screwed in the process.

Don said:

Aren't upswings generally started by basic industries, like construction? With the housing glut due to foreclosures, house construction will be a long time recovering. With the continuing drop in retail sales, commercial construction is slowing down as well.

What's going to fuel the recovery cycle this time?

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Don't worry, if it gets bad enough, our government will get us into a good, full scale hardcore war somehow.

C.bronco said:

It's the same ol' same ol' for me. I've been in a recession for many years now.

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Word.

No, we have things we'll cut back on if the need arises - our cable package, our gym membership, groceries, the little bit of entertainment we provide (seriously, almost nothing), driving (again, we've already cut back there)...that would help some. But that's about all we can do.

James81 said:

Don't worry, if it gets bad enough, our government will get us into a good, full scale hardcore war somehow.

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Unfortunately, history proves you right. The posturing about Iran has a lot more to do with the economy than it does with concerns about nuclear proliferation.

FDR hung the fleet out to dry in Hawaii so that his 'New Deal' would be seen as the source of the recovery from the 1929 depression. However, a little fact-checking shows that the real recovery didn't begin until we started producing lend-lease war materials, and the 'recovery' wasn't complete until we were deep in the war.

And a lot of good the Iraq War has done for us.

maestrowork said:

And a lot of good the Iraq War has done for us.

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Iraq isn't much of a war. lol

World War II was the defining factor that brought America out of the Depression and back into a time of prosperity.

Iraq isn't big enough to do that.

But if you elect McCain, he may find a war big enough to do the trick.

johnnysannie said:

But if you elect McCain, he may find a war big enough to do the trick.

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Oh goody, I haven't read a good debate about the candidates in about 3 minutes now. I was beginning to wonder what was wrong.