It's Official...We are in a recession.....Some Advice from a Wrinkly!!

[redmerlin777]

This thread is for you younger members who have not been an adult through a recession.
This is the 3rd in my life that I have had to cope with so I thought I would pass on some strategies I have used to cope with the situation.

A recession is when money is so short for everyone, businesses and individuals alike that EVERYONE tighten's their belts.
Not only do you have inflation but also less money to spend let alone cover the rising price of essentials AND you are likely to loose your job as businesses collapse or cut staff numbers.

OK! Here's my advice.
1) Review your finances and if neccessary seek help and advice from your Mortgage lender or Citizen's Advice Bureau..... If you are OK and feel secure, tighten your belt anyway .TALK to your partner or parents, you will find they too are worried and didn't want to worry YOU!!!!

2) Buy the cheaper brands of food, Morrison's value, Tesco Value etc. Shop around for special offers. educate the kids to accept what they are given with good grace and tell them why you cannot spend as much on them as you used to. Encourage them into good financial practices and saving. Best of all START HOME BAKING... kids will love it and it will teach THEM the skills of surviving lean times.

3) Try not to get depressed....It's very easy to slip into personal depression along with the country's financial gloom
... SO
First thing in the morning as the TV tells you how bad things are.... Plan ONE positive thing to do TODAY..... and make a nice cuppa as the Financial reports are being screened....It's important to be aware of world news but it is not being sensible to worry about the whole world when you CAN do something positive for you and yours.

4) Keep eyes and ears open as to what is happening in your work place...if you get a hint that redundancies are looming or the company is in trouble.....be prepared for a change in your life. Redundancy or worse.... just being laid off without warning can make you feel suicidal...seriously... all you have worked towards may just disappear overnight...A big Black hole with no way of getting out.
I got over this by realising it was the end of an era...and life was giving me the chance to do something different and learn new skills... Life had become an adventure again.

5) Find something you can do to give you relief from your worries...This has inevitably got to be a very cheap activity....NOT SHOPPING!!!!
Try a new activity, something really different, martial arts, walking, bird watching.... join a new group if possible,.... if you are angry, join a political party or a local action group....
I joined an archaeological group back in the seventies and it entailed walking, digging, and writing reports ..it was wonderful and gave me whole new lease on life with a day off a week from the kids .....later I took the kids along with me..

Please add to this thread if you have any good ideas for living through a recession and coping with all it throws at a family.....

Good luck to everyone and keep smiling.

[burgyeb]

This thread is for you younger members who have not been an adult through a recession.
This is the 3rd in my life that I have had to cope with so I thought I would pass on some strategies I have used to cope with the situation.

A recession is when money is so short for everyone, businesses and individuals alike that EVERYONE tighten's their belts.
Not only do you have inflation but also less money to spend let alone cover the rising price of essentials AND you are likely to loose your job as businesses collapse or cut staff numbers.

OK! Here's my advice.
1) Review your finances and if neccessary seek help and advice from your Mortgage lender or Citizen's Advice Bureau..... If you are OK and feel secure, tighten your belt anyway .TALK to your partner or parents, you will find they too are worried and didn't want to worry YOU!!!!

2) Buy the cheaper brands of food, Morrison's value, Tesco Value etc. Shop around for special offers. educate the kids to accept what they are given with good grace and tell them why you cannot spend as much on them as you used to. Encourage them into good financial practices and saving. Best of all START HOME BAKING... kids will love it and it will teach THEM the skills of surviving lean times.

3) Try not to get depressed....It's very easy to slip into personal depression along with the country's financial gloom
... SO
First thing in the morning as the TV tells you how bad things are.... Plan ONE positive thing to do TODAY..... and make a nice cuppa as the Financial reports are being screened....It's important to be aware of world news but it is not being sensible to worry about the whole world when you CAN do something positive for you and yours.

4) Keep eyes and ears open as to what is happening in your work place...if you get a hint that redundancies are looming or the company is in trouble.....be prepared for a change in your life. Redundancy or worse.... just being laid off without warning can make you feel suicidal...seriously... all you have worked towards may just disappear overnight...A big Black hole with no way of getting out.
I got over this by realising it was the end of an era...and life was giving me the chance to do something different and learn new skills... Life had become an adventure again.

5) Find something you can do to give you relief from your worries...This has inevitably got to be a very cheap activity....NOT SHOPPING!!!!
Try a new activity, something really different, martial arts, walking, bird watching.... join a new group if possible,.... if you are angry, join a political party or a local action group....
I joined an archaeological group back in the seventies and it entailed walking, digging, and writing reports ..it was wonderful and gave me whole new lease on life with a day off a week from the kids .....later I took the kids along with me..

Please add to this thread if you have any good ideas for living through a recession and coping with all it throws at a family.....

Good luck to everyone and keep smiling.

Your advise is right on Red! I also think people should be diversified (not depend on just one stream of income); and should consider bartering. Exchanging resources & services is a powerful way to get your needs & wants met.

[somersethedge]

start looking at charity shops... they do some good clothes ect.... and unless you tell someone they won't know where you bought them from....

hunt around the house a bit more... if you haven't used/worn it for a year you don't need it.... list it on an auction site.... it might only raise a few bob but it will buy a can of beans or a loaf of bread

[somersethedge]

if you MUST have a holiday stay in the U.K..... although you could just have days out instead (some where free)

[somersethedge]

dont leave things on stand by... turn off lights.... turn the central heating down a tad..... all theses will save you money on your bills

[somersethedge]

not as expensive as some of the overseas holidays

[burgyeb]

I do a lot of walking. Leave the car parked unless I need to pick up supplies,etc. Helps me get my exercise in without thinking about it.

[JudesNiceThings]

Learn how to cook things instead of buying ready-meals.
This winter wear more layers of clothing and only have the heating on when it's really needed.
Invest in thermal curtain linings - and draw them as soom as it gets dark - they keep the heat in very well.
Turn the radiators down/off in rooms you don't use, and keep their doors shut.

Share the 'school run' with a couple of neighbours.
Buy 'own brand' stuff, and buy loose veg and fruit.
Use old veg to make home-made soup - you can feed 4 for pennies and it will freeze
Stew tired fruit and freeze, use for puds.
bake your own cakes, pies, biscuits, etc - loads cheaper and doesn't take long - can also freeze them!

Pass clothes, shoes, etc, around the family.
Swap toys etc with cousins.

Buy second-hand wherever possible - tell yourself you will buy new when things get better.

[shezz]

I know my company is feeling the pinch already, everyone is holding onto payments, just the same as us really, and the work is not out there, well it is but councils are reluctant to set start times

[redmerlin777]

what like robbing a bank, mugging people, scamming people out of money, that sort of new activity

These activities are not new.... they been goin' on for hundreds of years.... reports of this in the bible, ( The good Samaritan story??)
Robin Hood & Co, The South sea Bubble.

Interestingly these crimes especially those committed by juveniles seem to have increased during times of plenty, When living gets harder for the majority you will find less tolerance of these sort of crimes within that society .