One economic blogger I read occasionally said the other day that Japan's fiscal policies--which are running a couple of years ahead of ours--are "beyond eating the seed corn, and getting into burning the furniture, and maybe the wallpaper". Those of you who read this blog with any regularity know that I don't think the recession/depression is going to get better quickly. So we might as well have a Happy Recession, right?
I mean, you read stories about the Great Depression and you hear about hardship, but you also hear about people who, in their own words, "didn't know we were poor". I'd like to give that attitude to my kids, wouldn't you?
I'm hoping to make this a series--stuff we can do to get us through the Great Recession with the minimum of pain. I'll be writing articles on grocery shopping, frugal housekeeping, and so on. But first I wanted to set out some general principles that I think will help folks get through adversity.
1. Trust in the Lord
This should go without saying, but it's very easy to get anxious when you're contemplating a job loss, or a huge price increase. For instance, the cost of propane in Nevada is astronomical, since a very cold winter coincided with a supply breakdown. The governor has declared a state of emergency. Our heater runs on propane--I'm so thankful the Lord provided us with a wood stove. But even if the Lord hadn't seen fit to enable us to buy a stove, He would have provided us with some way of keeping warm. He takes care of His own. The solution He provides may not be just what you want--you may have to wear long johns and a hat inside, and jog in place to stay warm--but He WILL provide.
For encouragement, I highly encourage you to read through the Psalms on a regular rotation in addition to whatever Scripture reading you do every day already. The Psalms emphasize God's response to human trouble and emotion, and our proper response back to Him. They will get your attitude straight in a hurry.
2. Embrace Creativity
Many people I've met have said, "I'm not creative." Here's the thing: if you're created in the image of God--the Creator--then you are creative. You're just not used to having to be creative.
Force yourself to practice on a daily basis. Every time you want to buy something, stop for a second and think hard about whether you already have something will do the work. (Do you really need a new teakettle, or can you use your coffee maker--without coffee--to brew hot water? Do you really need new boots, or can you repair your old ones?) And then think about whether you can make the Whatsits that you want to buy yourself.
Incidentally this is a great way to limit sweets. At my house we try hard to only eat cake, pie, cookies, pudding, and the like if it's homemade. That way we know there isn't icky junk in the stuff, and because I don't want to fuss with making a cake or pie very often we don't have dessert every night.
But it works for a lot of things--do you need to go buy salsa, or can you make your own with stuff from the pantry? (A can of chilies, some spices, some hot dried chilies, a can of tomatoes, some fresh chopped onion, voila.) Do you really need to go and buy hamburger buns, or can you makes some rolls yourself? Here's an advanced one: do you need to go and buy doughnuts, or can you fry them yourself? (Sort of takes away the desire for doughnuts, doesn't it?)
Don't get intimidated. There's a how-to article for anything you can imagine on the internet. We're very blessed.
3. Let Go of Perfection
Will your homemade yogurt taste just like the stuff from the store? No. Will it be good? Most likely. Will the repaired boots look just like the ones that are in fashion this year? No. Will they keep your feet dry? Yes.
Try to focus on functionality and let go of perfectionism. Your bread doesn't have to be picture-worthy, your mending doesn't have to be invisible, and your coupon use doesn't have to look like those weird TV shows. You need to keep your priorities straight: loving God and loving your family. You will NEVER have a responsibility that makes it impossible to love God and love your family. If a "frugal" activity is making you snap at your kids and resent your husband, you've got to change something--and it's probably your attitude.
Getting everyone happily through this recession isn't going to be effortless, but you are the one in charge of your emotions. You can decide to view the work that you have to do as a terrible, awful drudgery, or you can choose to thank God that you have resources to work with and a beautiful family to provide for. That's all you. Do not get stuck on a picture in your head that you're trying to match.
The "perfect" is the enemy of the good.
But...
4. Don't Fool Yourself
You will have days when going through the grocery store grabbing everything that looks crunchy seems like a genuinely okay idea. It isn't. It's important to honestly evaluate how hard you're trying. For instance, right now we are not cutting to the bone at my house. We don't have to, and we really enjoy our satellite TV service.
But I have a running list in my head of ways we could, in the terminology of an 18th century novelist, "retrench".
Don't think you're being super frugal because you're shopping at JC Penny's every month instead of Nordstrom's. You don't need that many clothes.
Don't think you're being super frugal because you buy books on Amazon instead of Barnes and Noble. You could be going to the library.
Don't think you're being super frugal because you're on the "basic" cable package. You don't really need TV.
Is there anything wrong with TV, clothes, or books, if you have the spare money? Of course not. But you need to know how much you're really spending on these things, and evaluate whether you are truly getting the value from them that justifies the cost.
For instance, if I'm going out somewhere and I need a nice outfit, I have a few options. I could wear a dress I already have, but that's a couple of years old--that would cost $0. Or I could go to K-Mart and buy a new dress, which would be about $30. Or I could go to JC Penny's and buy a new dress for $60.
The dress from Penny's would probably be a nicer dress than the K-Mart dress, but would it be twice as nice? Would it last twice as long? Usually the answer is no. (Sometimes the answer is yes, but you have to think about it and make sure.)
Here's the kicker: would either dress be $30-$60 better than the dress I already have? Again, usually the answer is no.
5. Calculate Everything
Otherwise you'll end up trying vague tips and not being really sure whether they work. Compare totals when you shop with coupons vs. when you shop without. Do the coupons really save you money, or do they induce you to buy more stuff? (There's a reason the manufacturers give them out, you know.) How does turning the heat down or up affect your fuel bill? (Here we can save a cool $300 by using the wood stove and keeping the house cold at night.) How about using the dishwasher vs. hand-washing your dishes--how does that affect your electric and water usage?
You must also keep track of where your money is going. Write it all down for at least a month--everything, even when you buy a candy bar or a coffee. I knew one man who would get an energy drink every day that he worked--each drink was at that time about $4. By itself $4 doesn't seem like much, but we calculated that this habit was costing him $700 per year. That's enough to put a significant amount of food in the pantry!
This stuff isn't that hard to figure out, really. If you have your receipts and a calculator, your shopping habits are pretty simple to analyze. If you have the little paper that your electric company sends, you can easily figure out how much an appliance costs to run (or go to their website). Once again, I'm not judging you for keeping your house warmer at night or for using your dishwasher. Just know what it costs you, so you can see whether you're getting that much value out of it.
7. Are You Giving?
One thing that reading the Psalms so regularly has been reminding me of is that the Lord places a huge importance on giving. Not just your tithe--although that's very important and, I believe, not at all optional--but giving to the poor and to the defenseless.
I'm still not sure what the best way is to give to the poor, but a pretty safe and painless way is to start inviting folks that might be having trouble with their grocery bill to your house for dinner. That little old lady down the street who lives, alone, on her Social Security? Why not have her over for soup and hot bread? That single mom with three kids and three jobs? Why not show up one evening when she pulls in the driveway with an "extra" pan of enchiladas that you happened to make that afternoon, that you "don't have room in the freezer" for?
I'm becoming convinced that this sort of giving--taking care of widows and orphans and the poor--is not optional for Christians, any more than tithing is optional.
Once you've done all of the above...
You will probably notice some low-hanging fruit right away--money leaks that you didn't know existed. Or you may discover that you have a really bad attitude about money, and you're not quite sure why.
I suggest that your next step is to stop and pray about what to do next. Then listen to the direction from the Lord.
It's usually pretty clear; very often you can discern the will of the Lord by looking at what it is you have to do. If you have to make more things from scratch to stretch your grocery budget, then you can do that with a happy heart--the Lord is the one asking you to, after all.
We'll get into more specifics soon. Until then,
Cheers,
Breanna
I mean, you read stories about the Great Depression and you hear about hardship, but you also hear about people who, in their own words, "didn't know we were poor". I'd like to give that attitude to my kids, wouldn't you?
I'm hoping to make this a series--stuff we can do to get us through the Great Recession with the minimum of pain. I'll be writing articles on grocery shopping, frugal housekeeping, and so on. But first I wanted to set out some general principles that I think will help folks get through adversity.
1. Trust in the Lord
This should go without saying, but it's very easy to get anxious when you're contemplating a job loss, or a huge price increase. For instance, the cost of propane in Nevada is astronomical, since a very cold winter coincided with a supply breakdown. The governor has declared a state of emergency. Our heater runs on propane--I'm so thankful the Lord provided us with a wood stove. But even if the Lord hadn't seen fit to enable us to buy a stove, He would have provided us with some way of keeping warm. He takes care of His own. The solution He provides may not be just what you want--you may have to wear long johns and a hat inside, and jog in place to stay warm--but He WILL provide.
For encouragement, I highly encourage you to read through the Psalms on a regular rotation in addition to whatever Scripture reading you do every day already. The Psalms emphasize God's response to human trouble and emotion, and our proper response back to Him. They will get your attitude straight in a hurry.
2. Embrace Creativity
Many people I've met have said, "I'm not creative." Here's the thing: if you're created in the image of God--the Creator--then you are creative. You're just not used to having to be creative.
Force yourself to practice on a daily basis. Every time you want to buy something, stop for a second and think hard about whether you already have something will do the work. (Do you really need a new teakettle, or can you use your coffee maker--without coffee--to brew hot water? Do you really need new boots, or can you repair your old ones?) And then think about whether you can make the Whatsits that you want to buy yourself.
Incidentally this is a great way to limit sweets. At my house we try hard to only eat cake, pie, cookies, pudding, and the like if it's homemade. That way we know there isn't icky junk in the stuff, and because I don't want to fuss with making a cake or pie very often we don't have dessert every night.
But it works for a lot of things--do you need to go buy salsa, or can you make your own with stuff from the pantry? (A can of chilies, some spices, some hot dried chilies, a can of tomatoes, some fresh chopped onion, voila.) Do you really need to go and buy hamburger buns, or can you makes some rolls yourself? Here's an advanced one: do you need to go and buy doughnuts, or can you fry them yourself? (Sort of takes away the desire for doughnuts, doesn't it?)
Don't get intimidated. There's a how-to article for anything you can imagine on the internet. We're very blessed.
3. Let Go of Perfection
Will your homemade yogurt taste just like the stuff from the store? No. Will it be good? Most likely. Will the repaired boots look just like the ones that are in fashion this year? No. Will they keep your feet dry? Yes.
Try to focus on functionality and let go of perfectionism. Your bread doesn't have to be picture-worthy, your mending doesn't have to be invisible, and your coupon use doesn't have to look like those weird TV shows. You need to keep your priorities straight: loving God and loving your family. You will NEVER have a responsibility that makes it impossible to love God and love your family. If a "frugal" activity is making you snap at your kids and resent your husband, you've got to change something--and it's probably your attitude.
Getting everyone happily through this recession isn't going to be effortless, but you are the one in charge of your emotions. You can decide to view the work that you have to do as a terrible, awful drudgery, or you can choose to thank God that you have resources to work with and a beautiful family to provide for. That's all you. Do not get stuck on a picture in your head that you're trying to match.
The "perfect" is the enemy of the good.
But...
4. Don't Fool Yourself
You will have days when going through the grocery store grabbing everything that looks crunchy seems like a genuinely okay idea. It isn't. It's important to honestly evaluate how hard you're trying. For instance, right now we are not cutting to the bone at my house. We don't have to, and we really enjoy our satellite TV service.
But I have a running list in my head of ways we could, in the terminology of an 18th century novelist, "retrench".
Don't think you're being super frugal because you're shopping at JC Penny's every month instead of Nordstrom's. You don't need that many clothes.
Don't think you're being super frugal because you buy books on Amazon instead of Barnes and Noble. You could be going to the library.
Don't think you're being super frugal because you're on the "basic" cable package. You don't really need TV.
Is there anything wrong with TV, clothes, or books, if you have the spare money? Of course not. But you need to know how much you're really spending on these things, and evaluate whether you are truly getting the value from them that justifies the cost.
For instance, if I'm going out somewhere and I need a nice outfit, I have a few options. I could wear a dress I already have, but that's a couple of years old--that would cost $0. Or I could go to K-Mart and buy a new dress, which would be about $30. Or I could go to JC Penny's and buy a new dress for $60.
The dress from Penny's would probably be a nicer dress than the K-Mart dress, but would it be twice as nice? Would it last twice as long? Usually the answer is no. (Sometimes the answer is yes, but you have to think about it and make sure.)
Here's the kicker: would either dress be $30-$60 better than the dress I already have? Again, usually the answer is no.
5. Calculate Everything
Otherwise you'll end up trying vague tips and not being really sure whether they work. Compare totals when you shop with coupons vs. when you shop without. Do the coupons really save you money, or do they induce you to buy more stuff? (There's a reason the manufacturers give them out, you know.) How does turning the heat down or up affect your fuel bill? (Here we can save a cool $300 by using the wood stove and keeping the house cold at night.) How about using the dishwasher vs. hand-washing your dishes--how does that affect your electric and water usage?
You must also keep track of where your money is going. Write it all down for at least a month--everything, even when you buy a candy bar or a coffee. I knew one man who would get an energy drink every day that he worked--each drink was at that time about $4. By itself $4 doesn't seem like much, but we calculated that this habit was costing him $700 per year. That's enough to put a significant amount of food in the pantry!
This stuff isn't that hard to figure out, really. If you have your receipts and a calculator, your shopping habits are pretty simple to analyze. If you have the little paper that your electric company sends, you can easily figure out how much an appliance costs to run (or go to their website). Once again, I'm not judging you for keeping your house warmer at night or for using your dishwasher. Just know what it costs you, so you can see whether you're getting that much value out of it.
7. Are You Giving?
One thing that reading the Psalms so regularly has been reminding me of is that the Lord places a huge importance on giving. Not just your tithe--although that's very important and, I believe, not at all optional--but giving to the poor and to the defenseless.
I'm still not sure what the best way is to give to the poor, but a pretty safe and painless way is to start inviting folks that might be having trouble with their grocery bill to your house for dinner. That little old lady down the street who lives, alone, on her Social Security? Why not have her over for soup and hot bread? That single mom with three kids and three jobs? Why not show up one evening when she pulls in the driveway with an "extra" pan of enchiladas that you happened to make that afternoon, that you "don't have room in the freezer" for?
I'm becoming convinced that this sort of giving--taking care of widows and orphans and the poor--is not optional for Christians, any more than tithing is optional.
Once you've done all of the above...
You will probably notice some low-hanging fruit right away--money leaks that you didn't know existed. Or you may discover that you have a really bad attitude about money, and you're not quite sure why.
I suggest that your next step is to stop and pray about what to do next. Then listen to the direction from the Lord.
It's usually pretty clear; very often you can discern the will of the Lord by looking at what it is you have to do. If you have to make more things from scratch to stretch your grocery budget, then you can do that with a happy heart--the Lord is the one asking you to, after all.
We'll get into more specifics soon. Until then,
Cheers,
Breanna
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