The Recession is Over...So Why are All the Cheap Living Articles Still Out?

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the "Great Recession" has been over since June 2009. Hmmph. Wish they'd let everyone know. The NEBR warns that although the recession is over, the economy's sluggish metabolism is not going to speed up overnight. Well, ya think? Elementary, my dear NBER, elementary.

Actually, I think it's good that the economy recovers slowly. It'll give us more time to think about what happened and how we got there. It cheers me to see articles titled "Save with scratch-and-dent food", "Jackson-area residents revert to traditional ways to save money", and "Are you misplacing hundreds of dollars?". The more our population strives to stretch pennies in one area, the more individuals can free some up for important items like savings accounts, emergency accounts, and IRAs (all of which are usually considered "frivolous" in times of economic hardship).

When we realize our personal buying on credit has turned our debt-based economy into a bi-partisan mess, we can clean up our spending, start saving, and get educated on the politicians who want to represent us. So many of us vote for the here and now solutions without bothering to consider what impact they'll have on tomorrow. Let's force our politicians to offer us viable solutions that have a realistic look at tomorrow by only voting for those who are socially and environmentally responsible for today and tomorrow.

Additionally, let's get educated on where exactly all of our stuff comes from and what impact that has on us as Americans and as Earth-dwellers. For example, do you have any idea how your jumbo-sized chicken breast got to your table or why tons of inner-aisle grocery products have corn-based ingredients? How does our constant need for meat and sugar affect our economy, environment, and health? Watch Food, Inc. to get a few of these answers. Check out ShopResponsibly.org to see what you can do to be a more responsible shopper.

Finally, let's all live cheaply. What's wrong with frugality becoming a lifestyle instead of emergency habit? Proverbs 13: 7 says "One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." I'd rather be the person pretending to be poor instead of actually being poor. Forgive me if that sounds callous, but it's true. There are very few people in this world who would chose to struggle financially.

Here are some cheap living ideas:

• Planting an herb, vegetable, and/or fruit garden in your backyard is one of the greenest things you can do that will pay for itself.
• Reuse or upcycle your stuff.
• Buy used stuff (especially cars-just do your research first).
• Be your own personal dishwasher.
• Line dry your clothing.
• Walk, run, or cycle in your neighborhood and buy some (used) weights to make your own at-home gym.
• Start a co-op for things you need: baby-sitting, meals, cleaning, etc. You'd be amazed what people will do to avoid paying for something they'd be doing for themselves anyway.
  

There are a ton of great options for being cheap and green.

Take the challenge: Find one thing you're willing to change in order to be more frugal and/or greener. Once that becomes a habit, find something else. Slow and steady makes for lasting change. Think about how your actions today impact tomorrow. That's change we can all believe in! ;)

-Domestic Goddess out.

Yet Another Diet? Not Quite!

Some of the ladies in the baby-sitting co-op on our (military) installation’s gym have started a weight loss challenge. We’re still not sure what the grand prize will be or even what the time frame is, but we’re dedicated to working out and improving our eating habits so we can look better on the outside. All this just before the holiday seasons-great timing!

Our first meeting and weigh in was this morning. As I stepped onto the scale, I went to that happy place that detaches my brain from the number flashing back at me...and that’s when I realized: there are other areas of my life that need some serious tweaking.

Although our family is debt-free (THANK GOD!!!), we still do our very best to be responsible consumers and to shop responsibly. If I’m a responsible shopper, why am I using my debit card almost every day of the week? Even though I’m pretty strict about not shopping on Sunday (to promote a day of rest and to give companies less profit, which is the only reason they’re open on Sundays), every other day of the week produces a gross amount of receipts.

I (finally) took over as the primary Quicken data input person early last month. As a result, I became all too well aware of how often I pull out my debit card. I produce at least thirteen receipts on my own in just one week! Ack! And that’s despite knowing exactly what my budgetary constraints are!!!

So, I’m going on a new type of diet. I’m going to dedicate two days a week as “no spending days.” Sunday is already taken care of, so I have to plan carefully on what the other day should be. I’m thinking Thursday is the other. I’m also aiming to “only “have twelve receipts: two gas receipts, three grocery receipts (we spread it out over three stores to maximize the cheapness), one medical receipt, and six miscellaneous.So far this week (read: today, Monday), I’ve already produced five receipts: one gasoline, one medical, one out to eat, and one class-related (I’m taking a cake decorating class and had to get some supplies), and one auto (annual inspection) We’ll see how this goes!

I figure this: if I’m controlling the amount of times I go out to buy something, I’m doing lots of good. First, it helps me stay in our family’s budget. Second, it reduces the amount of driving I do, which leads to all sorts of good things: less wear and tear on the car, less gasoline used, less nasties emitted into the atmosphere, less road rage (almost always a by-product of driving in the Northern Virginia area), and more time to actually hang out with the kids or do homemaker stuff. Third, it forces me to really think about whether I need something. Stopping to think about a purchase is an excellent way of staying within my financial diet.

Therefore, this little experiment (I’ll try it for a month) should do my family, the environment, and me lots of good. I’ll do my best to remember to update! Please support me or challenge yourself to do something similar!

-Domestic Goddess out.

Advertising

Ah, marketing professionals are so clever. Here's my "favorite" latest ad:

"At XXX, I can pull together outfits that tug at my heartstrings, not my purse strings."

Advertised is an outfit comprised of blouse, jeans, and purse for a total of $97.97. For nearly a $100, you don't even get the earrings, necklace, or shoes included. Now that's a real steal right there. No sarcasm. Really. I believe that.

Shop responsibly! This means being thoughtful about what you buy, how much you buy (or how much is wasted), who you buy it from, and how much time and money you spend buying it.