Great 'Recession Survival Tips' Hunt

Charis

DirectDebacle wrote: »

The above is sound advice and I read nothing disrespectful in it.



I suppose your evidence for this is one elderly person featured on a news clip or newspaper article designed to whip up hysteria rather than report facts.

You suppose wrongly. I meet quite a few elderly people, most of whom have worked hard all their lives only to find that they are now faced with the difficult choice of heating their homes or affording a properly balanced diet. Almost all are afraid of getting into debt and would like to have the luxury of a small amount of savings in case of emergencies. Not all are that fortunate.

Oldandwise gives sound advice and is ridiculed for it.

Oldandwise is appalled at people giving each other advice on how to prepare for what may be a very difficult winter. Nobody has ridiculed the advice to spend within your means, although it has come too late for a lot of people. Some people on this thread have been upset by the lack of compassion in Oldandwise's post.

RuthMarianna

There are some great tips here but I begin to wonder if we might be panicking too much and by cutting back more than necessary making a potential recession worse. We are being careful with our cash, getting extra cash where we can and paying off debts not because we fear a recession but because we want to have more disposable income to spend on the things we enjoy. We are taking more holidays and are planning a long trip to Australia for example. I cannot help but feel that when everyone stops going to cafes and takes sandwiches to work, for example, when they do not need to then businesses and jobs are at risk. My plan is not to be ripped off and to get the best deal I can but to keep spending to enjoy my life. I believe we should spend our way out of recession not cut back, reduce demand all round and make recession deeper. I would be interested to see if anyone agrees with me.:rolleyes:

Sue-UU

RuthMarianna wrote: »

There are some great tips here but I begin to wonder if we might be panicking too much and by cutting back more than necessary making a potential recession worse. We are being careful with our cash, getting extra cash where we can and paying off debts not because we fear a recession but because we want to have more disposable income to spend on the things we enjoy. We are taking more holidays and are planning a long trip to Australia for example. I cannot help but feel that when everyone stops going to cafes and takes sandwiches to work, for example, when they do not need to then businesses and jobs are at risk. My plan is not to be ripped off and to get the best deal I can but to keep spending to enjoy my life. I believe we should spend our way out of recession not cut back, reduce demand all round and make recession deeper. I would be interested to see if anyone agrees with me.:rolleyes:

Though I see your point in one way Ruth, it depends just how much money we already have/earn. I've been advising people here, who are in debt, to make their own sandwiches etc for ages now and I can't stop doing so because of the nation in general as it wouldn't make sense for those who are struggling to go on shelving out cash that they don't need to.

The majority of us on MSE are here because we are in debt or are having problems with our cash and you can't expect us ALL to be thinking of others in a way that would harm ourselves, it just doesn't make sense.

However, for all those that CAN afford it, yes - help keep the country going in any and every way possible! As for holidays, we couldn't afford one this year ...and the very thought of jetting off to Australia or anywhere else abroad I couldn't even think of doing when I'm free from debt, let alone with cash problems!

As I say though, for all those who can afford to do so, please chip in to keep our businesses afloat!

Sue

RuthMarianna

My life changed about 3 years ago when I created spreadsheets to manage our finances. Now every planned spend or regular bill is factored in and any unplanned spend can be added and the effect immediately seen. I also see how a small regular economy or saving makes a big difference over time. Before doing this I could not plan long term but now I can see how much I will have spare at any point over the next 18months or so. This way we manage holidays and so on like never before. This has been helped by this site as it has introduced me to comps, cash back sites and paid clicks which has cushioned us from the effect of increased prices enabling us not only to do more of the things we want to but to help out some of our children through the well used bank of Mum and Dad- thinking we should install a cash machine in the wall of our house to save them knocking lol I see my spending as result of the aggregation of small economies each so small as to seem silly sometimes but the cumulative effect took me to Austraila last year and will take us both there in 2010, fingers crossed.:j

Kazby

First post nerves eeek.

Just a small tip really - an extension to the idea of wearing clothers in Winter to keep the heating bills down (obvious you would think but apparently not to my partner's daughter who would rather wear shorts and t-shirts and then moans that we don't have the heating on lol). When I lived in deep south Germany I noticed in Winter that all the locals would don thick, wooly knee-length socks. My local market stocks them in plain and funky patterns and they make a surprising difference to the ankle variety. I have loads of them and they keep me nice and toasty.

geordie_joe

RuthMarianna wrote: »

We are taking more holidays and are planning a long trip to Australia for example.

A long trip to Australia is not going to help the British economy very much. If you really want to help, why not take a long trip in this country. You could tour the entire country, spending your money is those cafes you are so worried about.

oldMcDonald

Kazby wrote: »

First post nerves eeek.

Just a small tip really - an extension to the idea of wearing clothers in Winter to keep the heating bills down (obvious you would think but apparently not to my partner's daughter who would rather wear shorts and t-shirts and then moans that we don't have the heating on lol). When I lived in deep south Germany I noticed in Winter that all the locals would don thick, wooly knee-length socks. My local market stocks them in plain and funky patterns and they make a surprising difference to the ankle variety. I have loads of them and they keep me nice and toasty.

Hello Kazby, welcome to MSE:D

RuthMarianna

Good point geordiejoe. Well I'm not just worried about cafes losing business but others too. And in any case our cousins down under are suffering from threatening recession too Well we have had a few trips round Britain in the last few years and have another trip booked to Devon in April. We have to see as much as we can over the next few years. My husband has arthritis and I see him deterioratig year on year and his ability to do stuff declining badly. Travel is already difficult but he wants to see places and if we leave it too long it will be too late. I want him to store up good memories to see him through the times ahead. We are thinking of exploring the Couchsurfing option to see more places although my husband needs something a bit more comfortable than a couch. I love this site as it has enabled me to free up cash to achieve our dreams.:T

BARGAINHUNTER!

I have noticed that a lot of people on Freecycle seem to have a surplus of allotment produce or produce from their gardens to give away. It might be worth posting an ad on Freecycle offering to take surplus food off of peoples hands!!

ceridwen

BARGAINHUNTER! wrote: »

I have noticed that a lot of people on Freecycle seem to have a surplus of allotment produce or produce from their gardens to give away. It might be worth posting an ad on Freecycle offering to take surplus food off of peoples hands!!

I've seen this comment before on M.S.E. I've also read other M.S.E. posters talking about how in villages people leave boxes of unwanted fruit outside their gates inviting others to help themselves.

I wish! I think I must live in a particularly "mean" area - as I've never noticed either - though I specifically joined my local Freecycle after having read about all this surplus produce going begging - I've not seen a dickie bird.

....goes off grumping that I live in such a mean area......:mad: