The word recession is getting thrown around in the media a lot lately. We are told that we may be in for some very difficult times and truthfully I am already feeling the pressure. My husband works for a company that pays their winter payroll with loans. They do this because the winter is not their peak season and they simply use loans to keep production going until Spring when their business goes through the roof. Times are so good in the spring and summer in fact that my hubby was getting $200 bonuses for each day of overtime he worked. For winter though his company relies on credit and our current financial meltdown has meant they couldn’t get the loans they needed and they laid off a lot of workers. They are talking about laying off more and my husband would probably be included in that second batch so we are preparing for that.
As if that isn’t enough to deal with my hubby has sprung on me that all this economic strife has made him want to go back to his old job possibly. For newbies to this blog this means that he would go back to traveling all but 4-5 days a month….so yeah…we would never see him. We did that for 5 years and finally he came home in late winter of this year…now he wants to leave again, which has me so upset I can’t even tell you. I was basically a single mom and would be again if he does this. But he hates job insecurity and feeling helpless like this and it is making him want to do drastic things.
But sorry for vomiting all my problems on you…the point of this post was that I think it is important during tough times like these to come together and help each other. Corporations don’t need our money, people do. It is even more important to shop consciously. Here are a few of the ways you can do that.
Garage Sales and Craigslist – Stop buying new and check out garage sales and your local Craigslist. Not only are you buying second hand which is way better for the environment, you are directly helping local families too and they will be greatly appreciative I am sure. When my hubby needed a motorcycle helmet recently we turned to Craigslist and I already have several Christmas gifts bought that I got from garage sales.
Buy new from families too – Small family, indy businesses are are all over the web. They have their own web sites and you can find them on Etsy. When I needed a backpack for my daughter recently I knew I could buy one for $10 at Wal-Mart but I wanted my money to go further so I checked into Etsy and found the perfect backpack hand-sewn by another mom. When you start purchasing for Christmas think about how many items you can buy direct from other families.
Freecycle before you donate to Goodwill – Now I realize that some families can not ignore the tax savings you can get by donating to an organization but for families that just take the standard deduction (like mine) you do more good by Freecycling. Goodwill is a great company but they do charge for the items and if you Freecycle them you end up putting much needed items into the hands of another family for free.
Barter – Do you have a skill or a service you can barter for goods? Perhaps you can trade web design, carpentry work, knitting or tailor work, babysitting, food from your garden…anything you can think of…use your skills to trade with other like minded families. Look for local bartering groups or start one on Yahoo Groups if there aren’t any.
Swap – Local groups and online groups designed to help moms swap clothes and household goods are getting more popular. You can even host a swap party for friends and neighbors. Have everyone bring a couple bags or bins of clothes their kids have outgrown and let everyone start swapping.
Support your bloggers – My friend Carrie wrote a great post a few weeks back about supporting your favorite bloggers and she highlighted a common practice among mom bloggers…buying through each others affiliate links. Many bloggers use affiliate links when they link to products or stores and they get a commission whenever people purchase. When I need to buy an item from Amazon I will always try to buy from the link of a fellow blogger so they get a little something from my purchase.
Don’t discount Amazon – Amazon is a big corporation but many of the products on Amazon are sold by third parties which may be small family businesses. I buy lots of used books from small sellers on Amazon. eBay is another good place to buy to support small sellers.
Get cooperative with your community – Starting or participating in a community garden is a great way to help feed your family and get community support. You can also volunteer to work for local CSAs who will then give you a discount on fresh produce and this can be very helpful if food is taking a big bite out of your budget. Look into herd sharing agreements as well for cheaper meats and raw milk. And whenever you can buy from your local farmers and farmer’s markets. Patronize your local Amish community if you have one.
As I said…during tough times we really need to come together and support each other and one of the ways we can do that is by eliminating the middleman and going directly to other families with our business.
Got any tips to share?
Love this post! So sorry to hear about your troubles – I can’t even imagine having my hubby only around so little over the course of a month. I had an awful time when he was gone during the week and only home on the weekends recently.
In canada we don’t get any tax breaks for donating to charities – so freecycle is the way I roll. I also buy almost everything possible used.
Sorry no tips but I just had to say how much I agree!
Great advice! Thank you! I do a lot of the things on your list already but still find myself fighting with last minute panic shopping at the big box stores when it comes to birthdays and holidays. I definitely have to work on that!
Fantastic post Tiffany. Another thing about donating to goodwill and other thrift stores is that the process to actually take the tax write off is a pain in the butt. You have to list everything out in detail and try to figure out what its value is, which is time consuming and I don’t know about you but I try hard not to upset the IRS. LOL I prefer just giving the money to charities, at least keeping your records is easier.
You are so on target! Unfortunately our freecycle isn’t really a freecycle as it was intended… it’s become another craigslist. But still a good resource.
Like you, all the books I buy are used from Amazon. I wish I had some tips, but other than consignment shoppes being a great place to take your gently used items for some moolah and finding some really great deals in the process… I can’t add to your dynamic list.
What an awesome post! I have to say craigslist is something I have been looking into more and more. Especially for a bigger dining room table. Also looking at the local newspaper is a good idea too, they usually have a bargain basement – or a section for items under $100. I have actually sold items through places like this.
I understand about your hubby, and I am so sorry about all the stress you both are under. Praying for him to find another way to support your family. You both shouldn’t have to sacrifice that amount of family time, that’s just tough! I’m so sorry.
I feel for you! My family is in a very similar situation and it is certainly stressful.
I’d like to add a tip. Many communities have a used bookstore run by the library. I have found tons of books for my family at ours (Portland, OR). The prices are very low and all of the money goes to the library – another fabulous free resource!
Thanks for the post!
I buy books from Friends of the Library, among other used book sources. It doesn’t really help another PERSON, but it does benefit community resources.
We are entertaining friends in our home instead of out-to-eat. For less than the restaurant, we feed ourselves and our friends.
We give our backyard eggs to our neighbors, which has fostered even better relationships and unexpected gift exchanges.
My carpooling efforts are ratcheted up eleventy seven percent. I love sitting around while someone else drives my kids around. I appreciate the corollary of returning the favor when I’m already out and about.
I know most of my habits are nothing new, but I’m very excited by the idea that we can support PEOPLE! I think supporting bloggers through their links is ingenious.
(My husband actually floated the idea of getting back into the military for job security. No, no, and double no. The last 14 month deployment to Iraq gave me my fill of being the only available parent – and that’s ignoring MY emotional needs.)
All of these tips are great. I would really recommend to anyone who has any thing to spare; clothing, food, time, really anything to give it where they can. Food banks and homeless shelters have been being hit hard for YEARS now as the economy has been in decline and now things are really hitting rock bottom for them. Also I have noticed that many banks and stores are starting to run advertising for things like getting a loan to buy Christmas gifts . Don’t do this! I know people want to keep the lifestyle they have however more debt will not solve this problem. I just keep remembering it is more important to save money for the future then to have stuff now.
This is a great post for our times Tiffany! Thank you for reminding me of the many ways we can keep out the middle man and help small and indie businesses. I can’t add anything new here. Sorry to hear about your current challenges. We’re in the same boat. My husband is working with a consultant offered by his firm and I’ve been telling him to chuck the whole thing as it is not worth the stress and look into different work (he worked in the financial sector).
These are all great suggestions. I’d like to add that in tougher economic times, people often sign-up with direct sales companies as a way to make a little extra money. If we were to all purchase our consumable items from other direct sellers, we could really support one another. Another tip is to turn to direct sales reps in your community with the offer to “host” a party – many direct sales companies offer party plan selling. Hosting a party can be a fantastic way to get your holiday shopping done for FREE! Most party plan businesses offer hostesses free products based on the total party sales. You can purchase skincare, cosmetics, babycare items, nutritional products, tupperware, children’s books, toys, photo or memory albums, jewelry…..almost anything through direct sales. Host several different parties over the next few months and get all your holiday shopping done for FREE!
Kathy Lee
http://www.aromatherapist.mionegroup.com
All great ideas. But, I want to remind everyone to be careful when purchasing used personal injury protection products. Sorry, Tiffany, but used motorcycle helmets should not be purchased. And, especially not used child safety seats. Although you want to trust the seller that they would not sell you something that has been in an accident, you can never tell.
All other ideas I am all for!!! Great post.
Absolutely! We need to help each other out more than ever. You know, my in-laws are African. I’ve learned about, dreamed of and mourned the lack of having a “functional” extended family, meaning having a strong network of support to both physically and emotionally support moms in birth, child rearing and work. That supports the family in achieving lower stress, i.e., health by easily presenting options for a spouse to work extra or to band together to sell something or to share resources. I know many people in the US have such an opportunity but many of us don’t. Your ideas, Tiffany, speak to this and I am excited to see dialogue about it. I’ve taken the approach of “thinking outside the box” as challenging as it is for me despite my tendency to do this anyway. For example, I work from home, have no family in the area and my job doesn’t pay enough to cover average daycare costs. And, then there is the issue of not wanting my kids in the average day care for so many reasons, so what do I do? I redefined daycare to fit our needs. Much to my delight and surprise it worked. A variety of people care for my children in our home and theirs from other moms with whom I swap care to a very flexible/reasonable at home daycare to a grandmotherly woman who is disabled and gives my girls some grandma time they don’t get normally. So, essentially, I tried to create an “extended family”. But, it also puts some money in our pockets. We did the same thing when my husband was laid off from two different jobs within a year and a half. We found that our initial impulses didn’t work for us but with some quick but careful brainstorming we rediscovered talents that we had brushed under the rug as inconsequential but bridged financial gaps and led to his current job which has been quite a blessing in a number of ways. I am excited to forge ahead and continue to find so many cool things that get lost in this monotony of life that we can fall into while saving precious resources of so many kinds. Tiffany, you are fueling my fire, thank you. I also think it is incredibly important to reach out and find ways to assist my friends and neighbors in unique ways that make a difference to everyday life as Rebecca mentions with her eggs and carpooling. I don’t do it enough, but will change that. Cheers to a good life despite hard times!
This post is dead on. When times are tough we really need to remember the human side and help support other individuals. There are so many talented moms working at home or with a family run small business (myself included) that can offer something more than a cheap item made in a sweatshop and usually still for a good price & with a personal touch and looking local for good & services helps you get to know people right outside your door that you may have overlooked. The added bonus is it feels good knowing you’re supporting someone else like you just by taking a moment to seek them out instead of running to the local “Buying Everything Here”.
This post is amazing. It is dead on and I appreciate the writer posting this blog. We should all work together to help each other during these hard times. People that do not understand this blog, I don’t know what to say. Buying stuff on Ebay and Craigslist does help people out and it does save you, the buyer, some money. Thank you for posting this blog. I hope people who read it will think about the issues.
Thanks for pointing out Etsy. I’ve read about it on other sites, but I finally visited it. I’m definitely thinking about what I can order for holiday gifts.
Great post. I think you covered the bases. I’m all about shopping small boutiques when I can and also spreading the love on the blogosphere.
I also love sharing coupon codes. I’ve got one now for Lands’ End (free shipping).
love this post…i am a journalist and looking to do a story about bringing parent consumerism “back to basics” during these difficult economic times. great ideas here…would love to e-mail you sometime!
oh…and check out my blog…http://chroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com for some giggles! :-)
Don’t forget the free and low cost summer fun! Parks, libraries, and playgrounds are free. I’m fortunate where I live that there is usually some sort of free street festival going on almost every weekend. If you eat before you go and bring a water bottle you can cut down on costs and enjoy the fun. I shopped a few of the booths at a craft fair and bought several holiday gifts for December early.
You mentioned that this was an older post, so how did it turn out for your hubby’s job? These are great tips – thank you! Never heard of “Etsy” – will check it out.
All went back to normal after a few months and his position is in fine shape now. Thx!
I really love the honesty about your blog. Just stumbled upon it from twitter :) Great tips! Garage sale-ing is the funnest thing to do and you find some amazing things while reusing and supporting people that may need the money.
-Angie
PS if you have time check out my recent Holiday green tips on my blog. Thanks
http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2011/11/ideas-for-a-green-christmas/
Wow! These are great ideas. I have never really considered amazon associates to be small/family businesses. I buy a fair bit on there between textbooks and Christmas shopping….something to think about.