When you can’t swim, FLOAT!  Don’t panic, tell yourself things are ok if you take action.  Get back to basics!  The ABC’s of living happily and healthily are not that far away.  These are “can do’s” that will make you feel better, today. We’re all worried about today, and tomorrow.  [...]]]> Money Going Down The Drain?

When you can’t swim, FLOAT!  Don’t panic, tell yourself things are ok if you take action.  Get back to basics!  The ABC’s of living happily and healthily are not that far away.  These are “can do’s” that will make you feel better, today. We’re all worried about today, and tomorrow.  How will we pay the bills?  How can we buy food, gas, and make payments that keep us going, when cash is at risk?

Tell yourself to be calm, you can make many changes in your life that will help you feel more in charge, save some money by cutting expenses with wiser living, and getting back to basics in entertainment and daily life.

Simple actions will help increase your confidence enormously.

Becoming worried and a bit discouraged, I relied on what always helps me to feel encouraged, I cleaned house.  I mean, really cleaned.  Dig deep!  Go through drawers, papers, photo boxes, storage, and think “eliminate!”

Here’s what I discovered:

• I found that I had items all over the house that could be sold at a garage sale or flea markets.  How many knick knacks do you really need?  Turn things to cash!
• I had more clothes than I needed.  I made four piles: Keep, Repair, Donate, Pitch.
• Cleaning out my pantry, I found that our food storage was well stocked on some canned and packaged items, but did not have enough of others, so I made a list of items that would put us at least 4 months ahead on food.  I moved older sugar, pasta, and crackers to the front.
• Shop sales! It might be worth the gas, if your stores are not that far apart!  Taking advantage of a grocer’s reduced prices on items you’ll eat is highly recommended. Caution: Think about whether it’s more important to have the extra food, or the cash in your pocket.  You don’t want to be food rich, and find yourself without gas to get to work.
• My kitchen cabinets had become cluttered, so what couldn’t be sold, given to the kids, or donated was thrown away.  “Be Brutal” is the motto!  Old plastic cups were tossed, odd plates will be sold, old silverware discarded.
• I stacked magazines for some extra reading time.
• I discovered many books that are in great condition and will be donated to the library.  At a sale, they hardly bring even 25 cents, and for me, are far to heavy to cart back and forth.  I’d rather donate them or give them to friends.  In my office, I made a box that has a sign, “free books make great Christmas gifts!” and decided to keep a few to give to my own friends for Christmas.
• Clean newspapers are now in a box for many uses, including eliminating the need for paper towels.
• We decided to reduce our TV bill to the basic programming.
• We took a look at our cell phone plans to make sure they weren’t over-stuffed with minutes.

I’m sure we will discover many other things we can either do without, or sell for a bit of “gas money.”  If you’re not one to buy ahead, think about changing that habit.  The shelves in the store can quickly become empty during a time of crisis, and we are headed for some of those days.  You have no need for fear, if you’re prepared!

Here are 14 Confidence Gaining Tips for helping you feel more secure in today’s insecure times:

1. Decide to make a plan, first alone or with your spouse, then include the family.  Think about what you want to do and what you can do, before you call in the entire family; that way you will sound confident.
2. Write down your net income.
3. Find out what you are spending on everything.  This may take some time, save every receipt in the meantime.
4. Decide you can trim back in many places and still have a life.  Be brutal, but be fair and sensible.  Scale down your cable bill, maybe taking out game and movie channels, cut back on phones, clothing expenses, and yes, even food.  I was shocked to discover that we were throwing away more than we were eating.  We were also buying food we did not eat or want.  There are many healthy choices for the family table without spending  more than you have to.  By eliminating eating out, creatively using leftovers such as making a soup at the end of the week, you can “find” new money!!
5. Take inventory all throughout the house.  Kitchen, food pantry, spice cabinet, bedrooms, closets, even the bathroom!  What can be sold at a garage sale? What can you incorporate into your daily needs that you may not have known you even had?   Take the time to do this right; don’t panic, but move steadily towards eliminating junk.  Write down all the extras you have of what you need.  (When I looked in my pantry for compiling a written inventory, I discovered I had about 6 months worth of pasta!  Add some sauce and less meat than you think, and you’ve got lots of meals!)
6. Use clean newspaper instead of paper towels.  It’s great to drain greasy food or clean glass, etc.  (Look up the many ways to use newspaper!)
7. Don’t spend.  Just quit shopping for gifts, extras.  Not spending sends a powerful message to your attitude.  Everyday, you will see that you saved money and made progress on your goals.  Make homemade treats to give away, or trade off “favors” to let people know you care.  See how long you can go without using cash or your credit cards or debit card.
8. Barter. Think:  “I can give you my extra sugar and flour, can you give me your extra cans or fresh green beans?”   or “I’ll babysit for you Wednesday, can you take me to the store Thursday?” (I’ve done both of these, and a neighborhood or family bartering system can actually be quite fun.)
9. Vow not to waste any food, or anything else, but start with food. Save bread crumbs in the sack for sprinkling on casseroles or adding to a meat loaf, save cookie crumbles for ice cream or pudding toppers, save cornbread, or bread slices for dressing, freeze tomatoes that are overriped for soups and cooking, think before you toss!
10. Be a saver.  I’ve used plastic bags for trash liner, or drawer liners.  Looking for ways to re-use and re-cycle is very interesting and rewarding.  Much information is available online!
11. Have a meeting with family and friends and brainstorm ways to change your daily living habits; many will have great stories from their past, you will be surprised what you can do, without spending!
12. Don’t eat out, it’s not up to you to support your local restaurant.  (Unless you own it…that’s a different subject.)
13. Don’t hire someone to do what you can do for yourself.
14. Toss your pocket change into a jar every day.  At the end of the month, put it on a bill, or treat yourself to an inexpensive night out.  Just “make it count!”

Bonus: Holiday gift giving does not need to be flashy or costly.  Let your family and friends know that this year is one of concentrating on what we already have.  Talk with them about making your gifts those of “time,” instead of “things.”  Together, you just might come up with some great ideas!

I realize that an economy depends on people spending money.  Don’t worry about that.  You will be doing your part by purchasing the items you actually need.  That’s what getting back to basics means.  It’s time to think about you and your budget, survival and happiness.  You pay attention to and write your financial plan!  You can’t save the world, but you can make a huge impact on YOUR WORLD.

The input of your family is vital, yet this process should not be entirely democratic.  Quit worrying about disappointing your kids, or providing for every want.  This is serious, times are difficult, money is important and scarce, and the kids will become stronger by living “wiser.”

Kids are resilient!  It’s ok for teens to work, younger kids to make their own fun, help out with chores, do the lawn.  Get going, parents!  You can do this!  Be in control, be calm and determined.

Here are some ABC’s of Happy Living:

• A – Act  with Assertiveness!  Don’t wiggle weakly.
• B – Be Brave! Don’t wilt!
• C - Clear out Clutter! Don’t procrastinate living lean!
• D – Delight in the Daisies of Life!  Don’t neglect cost free Pleasure!
• E – Explore Everything! Don’t assume a solution can’t be found!
• F - Feed Friendships!  Don’t be too alone!
• G - Grow Gracefully! Don’t be afraid to accept change!
• H – Harvest Happiness!  Don’t neglect planning for it!
• I - Invest in Ice Cream! Don’t forget to spend occasionally on little things!
• J - Jump for Joy!  Don’t neglect the importance of energy!
• K - Keep Kissing! Don’t limit love!
• L - Laugh Lots!  Don’t forget to see the funny!
• M - Make Miracles! Don’t think miracles are that far away.
• N - Nurture Nature! Don’t forget to see what grows all around you.
• O - Opt for Optimism!  Don’t be a gloom and doomer.
• P - Praise People! Don’t criticize heavily.
• Q - Quit Quibbling! Don’t seek a fight.
• R - Relax Regularly! Don’t neglect the need for calm and rest.
• S - Seek Simplicity! Don’t be a complicator.
• T - Take Time! Don’t be in a hurry, slow down.
• U - Use an Umbrella!  Don’t forget to protect yourself by thinking ahead.
• V - Value Veggies!  Don’t eat things that are not good for your health.
• W - Welcome Wisdom!  Don’t be afraid to learn.
• X - Xceed Xpectations!  Don’t settle for minimum effort.
• Y - Yell Yes!  Don’t be vague.
• Z - ZZzzzzzz’s!  Don’t neglect your need for sleep.

The ABC’s of Happy Living will keep you anchored in secure feelings.  Make a plan!  Change and improve your plan when needed.  Call upon your family to help, state the situation in a positive light, and ask them to help clean up the house, the yard, the finances.

May life be easier, as you make wise decisions.  Be well.

I am Marisue, and I write.