With the unemployment numbers off the charts, the stock market doing crazy things, the price and demand of oil going down, the upcoming food shortages, the possibility of more lockdowns as the virus does its thing, and the rising prices of food.
Things are not looking real good for the next upcoming couple of years. We are going to have to do and think differently then most of us have ever had to do. I think just running to the store when we need or want something is going to be a thing of the past, at least for a few years. So much of what we use comes from China and at this point who knows how much will start coming back, and do we even want it to come back? I feel like there is going to be a huge push to get more American made products which 100% needs to happen. But it will take time to get that up and running. That and the fact that we are headed for food shortages which were already going to happen before all the issues with the virus.
We are already seeing soup lines aka the miles of people lined up for the food banks. The scary thing about that is those food banks are going to eventually run out of food.
So we have got to start changing our thought process. We are going to have to learn to do more with less, reuse and repurpose, more from-scratch cooking, growing our own foods, making gifts, learning and/or perfecting homemaking skills, Even saving the used foil and washing out the used baggies (that we always give Grandma a hard time about doing). Thinking outside the box. And learning how to make do with less or without.
You need to start changing your mindset, maybe even treating this as a challenge instead of a burden. When I was dirt poor and a single parent it was amazing how I could find ways to pinch a penny and to improvise when I made it a challenge to see what I could do and how I could live on next to nothing. So don’t think of it as I can’t survive this or how horrible this is. Yes, it is horrible but it is out of our control, but we can control how we react to it.
So change that mindset and look at it as a challenge to see just how frugal you can be. I am always looking for DIYs and frugal ways to show my extended family just to try and get a reaction from them ( although now they are so used to me doing it nothing surprises them anymore 🙁 haha). Be the example for your extended family and friends show them how to do it. And do it with a smile because you are not going to let conditions bring you down you are going to rise above and show the rest how it is done just like your Grandparents did.
A couple of things that need to be started right now is a garden as I have mentioned before even if you don’t have a large garden spot you can plant a lot in pots and grow bags. Also start looking at where you can cut expenses a good place to start is my 201 way to save money go here to read it. Yes, there are some extreme things in there but we are headed for some extreme times. I will also be adding some more money-saving ideas in a future post. Save every penny you can and put it towards getting out of debt as much as you can. The less debt you have the easier this is going to be ( not that it is going to be easy at all). But we do have a few advantages that our Grandparents didn’t have. We have internet (for now) so we can look up how to’s, we have power, electric washers,
and a lot of convinces that our Grandparents didn’t have.
So bottom line we have to start thinking and acting like our Grandparents did during the war and the great depression. We can do this.
What are some ways you can think of to change your mindset
Good, no GREAT afternoon Connie;
First of all, I need to compliment you on the Site Upgrade, it’s FANTASTIC!!! to say the least.
OK, to the Article.
You hit this one right between the eyes for sure. Everyone and I do mean Everyone needs to understand this situation we have gotten ourselves into is going to take a very long time to resolve.
All you hear is we need to get back to work, but from the Governors and TPTB all I hear is “I want more control” over you.
I’m not going into the stats for the C-19, nor am I going to remark on the Politics of all this, I believe most everyone has their own thoughts, so lets leave that one alone.
I am going to comment on how long I believe this (whatever you want to call it), I see years, and I don’t mean next year or the following. If I was a betting man, and I am, I’m thinking 4-6 years to fully recover to a point where the Country and people start to see economic growth again, nooooo not this dumping $ TRILLIONS into a false sense of “OK”, but true growth again.
With that said; I remember asking my Mom many times how they survived and what was it like, she never really answered, but told me that when the time comes (and she truly hoped it did not) that I would know what to do.
Asked her how she knows… “Because you were raised with the knowledge of how to live a Lifestyle that is what you will need”.
I always wondered what that really meant, now I’m figuring it out very quickly.
One last thing and I’ll shut up…… Living the Lifestyle, or Living Frugal, has nothing to do with Living Without. I was raised in a poor to middle class family, but never felt we were missing anything in our lives just because we did not “have a lot of money”, we had something else…….
NRP,
Thank you I am liking the new look been wanting to do something like this for a while.
And you are so right it is going to be a very long time before we are at anything even remotely “normal” so many don’t see that ( no matter what side of the fence they are on about this). I was talking to someone the other day and she was like as soon as everything opens back up it is going to all be good if not better then it was. I mention the food shortages that we are going to have her reply was the meatpacking plants will be back to normal very soon so no worries ugh as I said so many just can’t see the bigger picture.
My Grandpa used to say pretty much the same thing, he knew we would have some hard times but that we would know how to get through them because that was how we were all raised. I think that the time is here or very close to here.
P.S. How did the onion jam turn out? How do you like it?
Have a geat day
Connie
Connie;
The Onion Jam got put on the “need to do List”,
Retirement is a LOT more work than I thought it would be, added to the overwhelming sense of need to everything in “Order”.
My friend, I just got a really bad feeling about what’s coming down the pike.
PLUS the fact I’m doubling the Garden…. LOLOL
NRP,
I have the same feeling really trying to get things “in order” we have been working on a solar pump to pump out of our ditch and laying a pipe to get it up to the house ( it is a pretty good distance from the house) which we have been wanting to do for several years. It isn’t the cleanest water but it is water and I can water the garden and trees with it instead of the city water and push come to shove I can filter and boil and use as potable water. I can not tell you how much of a relief this is to me. Water has been one of my biggest concerns.
We are also doubling gardens we have them in 4 different areas now. I did go back to work after taking a month off. So now my time is a little more limited but one thing about it it made me realize how much I want to retire, so I can do all my own stuff haha. I have set a goal to retire by this time next year so I am going to have to get very serious about getting all the debt paid off and getting more self-sufficient.
I do feel like things are about to get real real very shortly.
Have a great day
Connie
Connie,
Your article is so timely and I hope a lot of people realize that things are not going to get back to normal anytime soon. I feel like all of us “country” people are more prepared and I think some city dwellers are looking to us more and more for ideas now that ever before. The garden centers and seed companies have been overwhelmed as more people look to take control of their food supply. That along with the things mentioned in your article are going to be necessary going forward to get through these times. I’m sure being more mindful of every penny we spend lately.
Stacie,
I to hope people are waking up but I am afraid that it isn’t as many as we would like there are still so many people who have the mentality of we are the U.S. and all that bad stuff happens elsewhere and we are going to be good in a couple of months or sooner when this all goes away. By the time they realize how bad it is going to be they are going to be so far behind the getting ready for it ball.
I know I have also been watching every penny even more so now than before and working extra hard to get some of my debt paid off.
Have a great day
Connie