Surviving a Recession
One of my kids asked me that recently. So I blurted out a flip: “Yup. We sure are!” Fortunately, Big Dan was within earshot, and sensed there was more to this question than a casual inquiry. After a brief chuckle, he explained that I was kidding. He continued “We have a home, more than enough food to eat, and we have each other.” Then he concluded with, “No, sweetheart, we’re not poor. We’re rich.” (Sure wish I had said that…) The fact that we even had this conversation proves that anxiety about the economy has gotten to the point where six-year-olds are starting to be concerned.
This led me to wonder how the recession is affecting our working moms. I’d really like to hear from you. In fact, we’ll randomly select one of the comments about this subject to receive a $50 Visa gift card!*
I’m sure a lot of you are scared - so am I. It’s distressing when even the experts are reluctant to venture a guess as to how this will end. However, there is someone who knows what’s coming. Better still, you have rock-solid assurance that you’ll be taken care of:
ASSURANCE
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” –Jesus of Nazareth recorded in the book of Matthew Chapter 6 verses 26-34.
PEACE
So rest assured, God is not going to abandon you.
Take heart.
Don't fear.
By God’s grace, you will get through this.
Worrying, stressing and panicking won’t improve your current situation. Obsessing over what they say on the nightly news will only erode your peace and joy. Jesus said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." –Recorded in the book of John Chapter 16 verse 33.
Why don’t you just take him at his word this time?
If you’re concerned about your future, then this is the time to pray -and pray hard.
Seek God.
Worship well.
Be grateful for what you already have.
Count your blessings.
Get your spending under control.
Do not incur new debt.
Don't borrow.
Write out a plan or budget to pay your bills.
A “How to Get out of Debt Class” was recently offered at our church. I'm wondering if I ought to share the fundamentals of it for the January Newsletter. It may be good timing in light of the temptation to overspend during the holidays. All five of my children have ideas about things they want this Christmas, and all totaled, they could easily put us back several thousand dollars.
THE QUANDARY
While I don’t want to disappoint them by failing to deliver gifts they’re hoping for and dreaming of, I also don’t want to jeopardize our financial stability. (Especially not for toys and trinkets that they’ll be bored with by New Years.) So is it possible (or even realistic) to somehow give good gifts while preparing to survive a recession? Yes, it is. But the key is to stretch every dollar.
According to Pastor Richard Pfeil, in an economic downturn one of the best things you can do is "skinny up." Reduce spending. Focus on the essentials. Work together with your family on this. Don’t buy what you don’t need right now. Don’t borrow. And don't pay someone else by outsourcing things you could do yourself. Consider trading skills and bartering if you can.
While I realize that this is not a macroeconomic solution for the world’s economy…it sure sounds like a family-specific solution to make it through the hard times of a recession or impending depression.
EXAMPLES
So we’ll be giving homemade (organic) Christmas cookies this year. These will be for friends, relatives and business associates. I do make an effort to package them beautifully (and if I must say so myself) they’re delicious. Moreover, it’s something we can afford. However it will cost me time, some effort and planning. But in just one day, I can shop for the ingredients, bake them, package them, and mail them out. I’ll have gifts for everybody but my immediate family for less than fifty dollars.
We will also be planting our first vegetable garden this spring. (Pray for us, I’m no farmer.)
So would you let me know how you are doing? Would you let me know if you’ve already made adjustments (or plan to) so you can survive the recession or impending depression? Remember, we will randomly select one of the comments to receive a $50 Visa gift card.* Your comments and experiences will help WorkingMom.com to monitor the situation accurately, to respond appropriately and to develop new tools to better meet your needs.
Working Moms in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have told me that they’d like printable online grocery coupons too. So for 2009, we are actively looking to establish partnerships with the leading coupon distributors in your countries. Please let us know the names of the companies that put the traditional, paper coupons in your area’s leading newspapers. Then we can take it from there.
And just because I’ve always rather enjoyed going against the grain, WorkingMom is going to do something totally different from most of the other companies sending you emails this time of year. As you may have gathered, I’m basically telling you NOT to spend if you don’t have to. Plus I’m going to make it easier for you to save.
RESOURCES
If you are already feeling the pinch from the recession, you might want to consider Angel Food Ministries if you live in the US. They provide name brand, restaurant quality food at approximately half the price it costs in the grocery store. This is a unique outreach that is already available in 35 states. There are no fees to join, no income restrictions, no applications or anything. We ordered two boxes of food last month. We saved a bundle, and this month we’re ordering again. (For those of you who don’t know, I’m expecting our sixth child in May…this’ll make us a family of 8 - please pray for us!) So as you can imagine I’m pretty motivated to be frugal. If you’re just as eager to save where you can, take a look at the Angel Food Ministries website for more details.
Another hot tip to surviving the recession is to start using online printable grocery coupons every time you go to the grocery store. You can really save a lot when there’s an in-store sale + your shopper’s card discount + double coupons. And get in the habit of shopping with a grocery list, it’ll help you stay focused amidst the temptations and distractions in the store. A list will remind you what you really came for.
Lastly, if you are having serious trouble paying your bills and keeping things afloat, we recommend you contact Crown Financial Ministries and make use of the resources and counseling available on their website. And don’t be too proud to talk with the pastor at your local church. Aside from the spiritual and emotional help, there may also be tangible help available to those who need it.
Blessings,
Sabrina O’Malone
*Void where prohibited.
Sabrina O'Malone
---------------------------------------------------------------
JOIN OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
If you liked this report, then you won't want to miss our coupons, reviews and occasional free product giveaways! Sign up to receive our newsletter. http://workingmom.com/mail.html WorkingMom.com, Saving You Time, Energy and Money.
---------------------------------------------------------------
| Copyright © 2008 Workingmom.com | Terms of Service |
I'm a professional salesperson and I tell all of my clients that I am not participating in the recession. Most of all, I tell myself this and ask God to shower my family with blessings.
The greatest asset our nation has is our collective consciousness and our ability to focus on the fact that we are a people of inspiration, grit and innovation. All crises are an opportunity to make a quantum leap forward. My candidate did not win in the last election and knowing my political leanings many friends and family have asked for my thoughts given recent political events. I reply that I am sending President-elect Obama all of my positive thoughts and good wishes and choosing to believe that he is a man for our times and will make good, sound decisions for our country. I have two young children and I have way too much at stake to not want the new President to succeed at unprecedented levels we have never seen before.
So ladies...............let's pull together and get real about money. It's not a depression because you can't go shopping. If you know someone in need of help, give them a hand up.
I felt we all need a shot in the arm..............there is just too much negativity polluting the air lately.
Reply to this
You have a great attitude! Thanks for the positive outlook.
Reply to this
Wow,so funny I have been stressing all day, then I receive this email. It is exactly what I need to hear. God works anonymously! I am a single mother with a 7 year old son, I am 45 & work full time. I know I must "hand it over" because I alone cannot do it.
Reply to this
I'm a recently divorced mother of 5 children. I too get food from Angel Food Ministries!!! It's a great way to stretch your dollars. Beans are also a good way to get the necessary protein but, at a fraction of the cost for meat. I've had to eliminate allowances for the time being, which was accompanied by a financial discussion. Christmas giving has also been slashed in our household!!! I've been blessed that I didn't get an outrageous list from my children. Everyone gifts will run about $300 total. The after Thanksgiving sales really helped. Craigslist - free items have been a go to website for me this year. I received approx. 1000 lbs gardening soil, a van full of plants when from someone that was rearranging her garden. There are energy websites that assist in free home weatherization. I have taken advantage of all these services. I have been over abundantly blessed with recession proofing ideas, hope these are helpful to someone else. Blessings for 2009!!!!!
Reply to this
I am a 40 year old mother of a beautiful toddler little girl and wife to a great man. My husband has been laid off from his construction job while I thankfully still am employed full time. To beat this recession I have taken many examples from my parents who grew up in the depression. We recently went to a farm and paid the 10 dollars to pick your own veggies. I then cut up and froze many of the veggies that I could while the others I gave away to family and friends who needed it. We keep giving our monthly commitment to God for only He can get us thru this. We have worked with our landlord to split the rent into 2 monthly payments so we can make the rest of the bills each month. I use on line coupons and submit offers for trail size samples. I do a lot of cooking from scratch and we only eat out at our favorite breakfast place twice a month. Can't beat a plate of biscuits and gravy for a buck 25. I have signed up to use the Angel Food Ministries to help us stretch our food and I use all of my mom's old cookbooks especially the one with the title "Depression Cooking" a lot. I am making cookies and a cupcakes as gifts for my co-workers this year and all my little ones gifts minus one we found on Craigslist. I have paid off all but 2 credit cards while my husband was working and I put 5 dollars way in a kitty every pay period. it is not much now but when you need 30 bucks for gas it is handy to have. I started to darn our socks to make them last longer and I also started to take our old t-shirts and sweatshirts and cut them down to make shirts for my little one. I am hoping to self learn how to sew so that I can sew some of her clothes as she get older. I also shop at goodwill for her cloths and some of mine. My husband shops at the army navy surplus store for his jeans, work pants and boots when he was working. This year on craigs list we got a slide so my daughter now has a swing set with a slide, all made by her daddy and it all cost just 30 bucks. 10 bucks for a swing and 20 bucks for all the bolts. If it was not for my Mom and Dad growing up during the depression and teaching me and telling me stories about how they had potato pancakes for breakfast and then potato peeling soup for dinner, I don't think we really could survive this recession right now. We even have a back up plan just in case it gets worse and I too loose my job. A friend of ours does over the road truck driving. If it gets that bad that we both don't have jobs, we will pay for his diesel and he will move us to NC where my sister lives on 40 acres by herself. So no matter what happens - GOD IS GOOD and WILL PROTECT If my parents could survive a depression I know we can survive a recession.
Reply to this
I am a bit stressed about making sure I keep my job and I have a house that needs to sell now! But other than that I can feed my child and I have a job so I am thankful for that. I have sorely cut back (like to nil) the trips to starbucks I make. If someone graces me with a gift card or is willing to purchase a coffee for me (sometimes my boss does) I can go to starbucks for a coffee. Otherwise I make coffee at home and leave it at that!!
Reply to this
I'm the office manager for a family owned construction business. We have been in business for 20 years and this is the slowest we have ever been. Thankfully we do have a few jobs to do but usually we have a much larger back-log of contracts. I try to focus on being thankful that we do have some work and just trust God to provide even if there comes a day that we have to close due to lack of contracts. I pray that we will trust God to provide for our needs and those of our employees. The Proverb comes to mind, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Please pray that we will have that attitude no mater what the future brings. God Bless!
Reply to this
Sabrina,
Thanks for the e-mail. Our household has decided to discontinue our cable tv to help cut back our expenses. There are so many poor shows on that we just thought it would be better to read and book or just sit around and talk more. I never had to pay for tv as a child and I survived, so will my child. Keep up the good work!
Darlene
Merry Christmas and God bless!!
Reply to this
Sabrina,thank you so much for your wonderful article of encouragement. So many professional people are afraid to talk about God in mixed company. Your magazine is to be celebrated for bring your readers back to the source -- God and His son Jesus. God is to be relied on during the good times as well. I am a working mom but my sons are adults at this stage. I got divorced when my baby was 10 and we never skipped a beat. I always had a good job and all that I needed for the three of them and extra to help others as needed. I only did that through my trust and dependence on God to strengthen, lead and guide me all the way. Mothers and fathers also have to instill this in their children to believe in and to establish a personal relationship with God. This is the only way to survive anything that life will throw our way.
Reply to this
I just wanted to say that Angel Food Ministries is a great organization. We used their services more than once. The best thing is that you don't have to qualify for it and everybody treats you with respect.
Reply to this
Hey Sabrina! Congrats on your new blessing on the way-I will make sure I will mention it to my mom. My comment to this recession is that it is very scary. The twins are feeling it, I don't say yes every time they want a drink from 7-11 anymore. I'm holding down 2 jobs, and my husband is holding down two jobs. I'm am looking for a 3rd job so I can get the credit card debt down but honestly the only time I can give up is my sleep time (which is eractic with my different jobs). One of my life goals is to be able to retire and be able to travel. I don't want to live like my 82 year old mom who is still working full time because she has to. With this terrible economic crisis it looks like that may happen. I pray that things will get better and I offer up by blessings hoping someday the favor will flow back down to my family and friends.
Well hope things are doing well with your life away from the Jersey blues.
Hope to hear from you soon--
Sue
Reply to this
My husband and I have 3 children. I am a teacher. We have had a garden for the past 10 years. We grow tomatoes, corn, peppers, herbs, zucchini, onions and sunflowers. We have the benefit of organic food and food that just tastes better. Honestly, I don't know if it is about saving money, but it is a creative outlet for our whole family. It is something we do together. I can the tomatoes and make lots of salsa and zucchini bread. We give a lot away to friends and family.
One way we save money is by cooking at home and not eating out much. I make many meals ahead and freeze them from the "Once a Month Cooking" cookbook. I don't do all the meals at once, but for example when I buy ground beef, I buy a big package from Sam's Club. Then I cook up all of it with taco seasoning and bag it in one meal portions for the freezer. It doesn't take any more time then making tacos once, yet then next time I just need to heat it up.
We also don't have cable. Instead we get movies from the library or for $1.00 at Red Box.
Reply to this
Sabrina:
You are so right about your committment to making your children understand these difficult economic times. And your suggestions on how to make a dollar stretch are right on target. I have two young babies, and the cost of everything for them is double-so we are using bulk deliveries of diapers and wipes from Amazon to save money. With free shipping from many on-line businesses--you can find some good deals out there. And we too have used Angel Food Ministries as well. Keep up the good work and God Bless for all you do. Take care.
Reply to this
As a government contractor I feel somewhat secure in my position as a software developer but I really want to get back to commercial work where I would have the flexibility to work from home on occasion. The downside is that commercial work does not have the job security like government contracting. I barely lasted through the "dot.com" era only to get into government where I find little to no flexibility for my family. The economy is holding me back from changing jobs because I may be trading that flexibility for job security.
on another note... one way that we are saving lots of money because of the economy is by using our local library! I used to buy books and movies for my children and for myself on Amazon. Now we are using our library, saving hundreds of dollars and my children are learning to love trips to the library.
Reply to this