It sounds really dramatic to say there’s just ONE WAY to handle a crisis, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say just that. We’re looking at very hard times coming up – heck, they’ve hit many of us already. And I think there’s only one way to survive 2023.
Frugality.
We have to make different choices with our money.
Many of us will be forced to do it. We will make different choices because we won’t be able to afford to make the same ones we’re making right now. We will have to cancel some of our regular expenses and downsize parts of our lives.
Others might be able to squeak by spending as they have been for a little bit longer. We saw this over Christmas. A lot of people put the holiday on credit cards. They bought the same food as traditionally served, epic gifts for the entire family, and decked the halls full on. They wanted “normalcy” and “one more good holiday” for their families. It’s not the decision I’d make, but I do understand it. Change is hard. Seeing your children forced to adapt can be painful. Getting a spouse on board can be next to impossible.
One way or the other, 2023 is going to look different for nearly all of us.
What is the projection?
We don’t need a crystal ball to know that the outlook for our economy is rather grim.
First, there’s inflation. Many experts expect inflation to increase in the coming years due to rising demand and the impact of government stimulus measures. The Federal Reserve predicts that inflation will remain below 2% in the near term, but could rise slightly above 2% in the long term. Of course, anyone who has visited a grocery store recently can attest to the fact that the “official” inflation and the real-life effects are entirely different numbers.
We’ve also been dealing with supply chain issues since the Covid outbreak in China in 2020. Exports dwindled, and store shelves emptied. While we recovered to some degree, our supplies have never reached pre-pandemic levels, and prices have remained high.
And it isn’t just shortages causing economic issues and supply chain problems. The U.S. economy is heavily dependent on international trade, and the ongoing trade tensions with China and Russia will continue to have an impact on the economy.
Then there are the bubbles.
There are several subprime lending bubbles that could potentially burst in the US economy, including:
- Auto loan bubble: The subprime auto loan market has been growing rapidly in recent years, with many borrowers taking on high-risk loans with high interest rates and low credit scores. If people begin to default on these loans, it could lead to a wave of auto loan defaults and potentially a recession.
- Student loan bubble: Student loan debt in the US has reached an all-time high, with many borrowers taking on high-risk loans with high interest rates and low credit scores. If people begin to default on these loans, it could lead to a wave of student loan defaults and potentially a recession.
- Mortgage bubble: The housing market has recovered since the last recession, but there are concerns that the subprime mortgage market could still be vulnerable to a bubble. If people begin to default on their mortgage loans, it could lead to a wave of foreclosures and potentially a recession.
If these bubbles burst and people begin to default on their loans, it could have serious consequences for the US economy. It could lead to a wave of bankruptcies and foreclosures, which would negatively impact the housing market and the overall economy. It could also lead to a drop in consumer spending, as people struggle to pay their debts and bills. This could lead to a recession, as businesses struggle to make ends meet and lay off employees.
And not only is this a threat to our overall economy – it’s going to be very difficult for us on personal levels.
It’s not our first rodeo.
The thing you have to remember is that, as a country, this is not our first rodeo. We’ve been through difficult times before. Very difficult times.
- The Great Depression (1929-1939): The Great Depression was a severe economic downturn that lasted for more than a decade. It was triggered by the stock market crash of 1929, which caused a widespread panic and led to a collapse in demand and a sharp contraction in economic activity. The depression was marked by high unemployment, low industrial production, and declining prices, and it had a profound impact on the United States and the rest of the world.
- The stagflation of the 1970s: The 1970s were marked by a combination of high inflation and stagnant economic growth, a phenomenon known as stagflation. This was caused by a variety of factors, including rising energy prices, supply shocks, and monetary policy mistakes. The stagflation of the 1970s had a negative impact on the US economy, leading to slow growth and high unemployment.
- The savings and loan crisis (1980s-1990s): The savings and loan crisis was a financial crisis that affected the US banking industry in the 1980s and 1990s. It was caused by a combination of factors, including regulatory changes, economic downturns, and risky lending practices. The crisis led to the failure of hundreds of savings and loan institutions, and it had a significant impact on the US economy.
- The dot-com bubble (1995-2000): The dot-com bubble was a period of rapid growth in the technology and internet sectors, followed by a sharp decline. It was characterized by the rapid rise of internet-based companies, the overvaluation of their stocks, and a speculative frenzy that eventually led to a burst of the bubble. The dot-com bubble had a negative impact on the US economy, leading to a slowdown in economic growth and a decline in the stock market.
- The Great Recession (2007-2009): The Great Recession was a severe economic downturn that affected the global economy, including the United States. It was caused by the subprime mortgage crisis, which was characterized by the widespread issuance of risky mortgages and the subsequent collapse of the housing market. The Great Recession had a significant impact on the US economy, leading to high unemployment, slow economic growth, and a decline in the stock market.
The common link between all of these?
Despite leadership that may or may not have sufficed, we survived each and every one. We adapted. We made the changes we had to make. We got through it.
And we’ll survive this one too.
How can you adapt?
There are big ways to adapt and small ones. The changes you make will depend on your situation. You’ll adapt to your unique circumstances.
If your circumstances are dire, you will be forced to make huge adjustments because there’s simply no alternative. The credit is gone. The money isn’t there and won’t stretch to cover newly inflated prices. If you are in this kind of scenario, you may need to revisit your living arrangements, consider dropping down to one vehicle, or cancel extracurriculars for the kids.
Others may be able to pick and choose the changes that they make. Lots of smaller cuts can be easier to handle for some people than huge, dramatic cuts. Little things like dropping down to the next level of internet service, skipping the daily drive-through coffee, and swapping out name brands for generic can make a difference if you don’t have to overhaul your budget entirely.
Slashing your budget in one way or another will happen for just about everyone. But we’ll survive. It’s what we do as human beings. We’re wired to get through stuff.
It doesn’t have to be miserable.
The way you approach the upcoming changes will greatly affect how you and your loved ones handle it. It’s essential to adapt philosophically too. You can’t think about everything you’re losing. You have to find the positive things. Maybe your life doesn’t look like it once did, but it can still be good.
Look, I’ve lost everything. EVERYTHING. And it happened after I built myself up from nothing as a single mother making minimum wage. I lost my house. I lost my car. I was forced into radical changes. I had to move to a tiny little apartment with my girls, and it had to be close enough that I could walk to work. Then, I lost my job, too, during that delightful Great Recession mentioned above. I ended up getting an old beater of a truck and moving out to the boondocks of Canada in the Algonquin forest in a drafty cabin that only had wood heat. It was literally the cheapest rental in Ontario. That was my search parameter. And there, I rebuilt my life again. I went in a different direction, re-budgeted, and I started over.
And you know what? It turned out to be awesome. It’s how, eventually, I found freedom.
It was a different kind of awesome and it certainly wasn’t immediately wonderful.
Suddenly I didn’t have a job with benefits and a boss. Everything was on me. I worked a lot. But I also learned a lot. I started a new career and a business of my own. I had outdoor adventures living out there in that frozen wilderness. Instead of going out to lunch, we went for a hike and identified animal tracks in the freshly fallen snow. We learned to look forward to the days when the power went out because we could play games and read books without guilt for not working. We found new ways to enjoy life, ways that didn’t cost us a lot of money.
I had to keep going to get to the good part. To the new happiness. To live well.
And that’s what it’s all about. Living well. Sure, we’ve got to spend less money. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a life with no fun, no joy, and nothing to look forward to.
It’s all in how you approach it. What you see depends on where you put your focus. Are you focused on what you’re gaining or what you’re losing?
Check out our new PDF book, One Year of Life-Changing Frugal Living Ideas and Philosophies. Get more than a thousand pages of savings, large and small. Our philosophy is that you can live well while spending far less money than the Jones next door. We’ll show you how to do it in this epic roundup of more than 200 “Thrifticles” that will make it easy to live well while spending less. We want to make this available for everyone, so this weekend, you can name your price for this PDF book that will seriously change your life. Go here to get your copy.
Don’t plan to just grimly live through it. Plan to find some happiness while still adapting to your circumstances. That way, you’ll not only survive, but you’ll grow as a human being.
Americans are resilient.
There’s no denying that the very fabric of our nation has changed over the past 50 years. Heck, America now is practically unrecognizable from the country of 20 years ago with all its wokeness and PC nonsense.
But the idealist in me believes that deep down, the resilience of our ancestors remains. I sincerely hope we will channel the resourceful spirit that has seen us through every other difficult time in our history.
Your attitude about the changes you’ll face will be everything. The difference between success and failure is all in your mind – and your mindset. You can set an example for your family and help them with their own perspective.
The only way to get through this upcoming economic melee is frugality – perhaps even extreme frugality. Nobody’s version of this will look the same. We can’t individually repair the entire nation’s (and the world’s) economy, but we can change the way we manage our own money. We can roll with what life throws at us. We can thrive.
What do you think?
What do you believe is the key to surviving 2023? Are you concerned about the economy? Are you making changes to handle looming inflation?
Let’s talk about the future. Let me know what you think in the comments.
You nail it. I fully expect a return to penny pinching, but I survived that way for a long time. Party’s over.
I am so glad you wrote your own personal story of joy in spite of circumstances. The right attitude makes such a difference in the strength you feel and project to others, especially children. We have just one life to live here, so be sure to get the best experience possible looking for joy and simple pleasures every day. I’m so grateful for you, Daisy.
You are right that attitude is everything. I am glad now that I never have reached the standard of living I “should” have with my background and education. In my 60th decade, I have still always lived more or less like a student. I do own my house (well, the bank owns over half of it, but the mortgage is FAR lower than rent would be), but it’s very old, drafty, and sort of falling apart, in an increasingly bad neighbourhood. Nonetheless, I own it, there is security there, as long as my psychotic neighbour doesn’t burn it down around me while I’m sleeping! I spent a lot of my savings over the past 6-7 years on prepping (I always joke that my retirement savings are in my preps), and I have decided that this is exactly what I have prepared for. I will spend almost nothing on groceries in the coming year – while I will need some fresh produce, there is enough meat in the freezer to stretch out for a year, many buckets of staples like rice and beans, even a lot of coffee and tea. Plenty of OTC remedies and first aid supplies, and household necessities like toilet paper and laundry soap. Sprouting seeds grow in 4-5 days, and grazing on a handful a few times a day means needing to spend a lot less on veggies. Since I have always lived very frugally, there is not much in the way of adjustment to make. And as you know very well, Daisy, having lived through some really, really tough things gives one confidence in one’s ability to adjust to future difficulties.
Thanks Daisy. I really appreciate your work and willingness to share part of your life with us.
Some of us are older (68) and have seen some lean times, yet we got creative, adapted and pushed through each one. There is no substitute for personal experience to teach us but reading articles like this and learning from others can give us confidence without fear.
Spot on Daisy!
Frugality should be the word of the year for 2023.
And the most prudent course of action.
Also been reading about various predictions for 2023.
I think Charles H. Smith summed it up best: 2023 is not going to go by any previous script.
The summer of 2020 we left our good paying city jobs, extended family & community to begin a new way of living.
We live over an hour from any town with more than 10k residents; thirty minutes to a small grocery store and gas station.
A consummate city girl whose mechanic aptitude referred to screw drivers as either “the plus sign” or “the minus sign”.
I was raised in a home where we hired licensed & bonded professionals to fix stuff.
These people do not come into the country to work, and we could not afford them.
Necessity has taken us to our knees & the internet.
We came here believing we had “learned plenty” through the prior years of watching prepping videos & reading volumes of books.
We had implemented many skills (gardening, canning, marksmanship, etc)
Now we raise healthy livestock on pasture.
My family is not interested in visiting & our neighbors don’t appreciate the nutritional value of buying food which has not been raised in confinement.
This summer-fall we experienced a severe draught.
We attempt to supplement our livestock’s diet with fresh fruits, veggies & oatmeal. Yet, our grain & mineral costs need to increase, despite the financial cost increases.
Still, I find our “retirement years” more exciting, challenging & rewarding than if we were doing what those who “live in the before” do (travel, dine out, seek fine cultural experiences, etc).
We re-use foil, paper towels, dry our clothes outside or in front of our wood burning stove.
Trips to town are limited to once a month to get food & materials for our livestock & ourselves. We replenish our diesel cans & bring our own lunch pale to refuel our bodies.
Unloading our trailer once home is time consuming & tiring. Yet, we now have a routine that works.
Unfortunately, most of the people who work in our community are over 40 years old (some stay in a small apartment or mobile home in the big city from Monday-Friday).
Many in our community are on “disability” and-or drug addicted.
We have communicated that if anyone is hungry, we have work they can help with. In exchange, we will share our harvest with them.
So far, no one is “hungry” enough to work.
We have gates & fences, however . . .
Most importantly,
Our primary mission is to honor God in & through our lives. Moment by moment we seek a closer walk with Him.
This is not the first time God has allowed His people to go through difficult times. He will lead & direct us.
Your comment about screwdrivers made me laugh out loud! We also sold out the city life and now live on a small homestead with chickens, rabbits, goats, donkeys and dogs (lots of dogs). My husband went through a 3 year battle to get his disability with only my small monthly income. It was hard, but we tried to keep a good attitude about it. Fortunately, we had begun prepping and had a pretty good larder, which is primarily lived on. (We didn’t know anything about gardening or keeping livestock.) We became Master Gardeners. But what we mainly learned was the difference between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. I learned how to prepare a budget and stick to it. I learned how to prepare meals with what I had on hand. But most importantly, we learned to listen to God and have made our homestead to honor Him.
I agree, Daisy. And I love being frugal for the most part. The part that makes me concerned is how frugal we already are…belts can only be tightened so much. I worry we may lose our home this year or next, but hearing how you restarted and came back from nothing as a single mom is an absolute inspiration. It won’t be easy, but we can survive. Thank you for sharing, Daisy.
I think as long as the government keeps on borrowing $$$$$ up into the trillions of dollars, we will be forever in trouble and never get out. Inflation will always be high; prices will continue to rise and go out the roof and times will be very bad. Government needs to change. A big 62%-63% of the people DO NOT want Biden to run again!!! At least some of us are still showing some signs of common sense. Whoever is elected next will have a huge job trying to straighten out his awful financial mess not including the rest of it. GOD help us.
An even larger percentage don’t want trump to run again. But he will, split the “r’ party like Teddy R. and put the opposition party in the White House.
Living below your means and only having a manageable amount of smart debt (which is usually a mortgage on your primary residence) makes it much easier to handle the ups and downs of the economy. Though the Fed might have to revisit their 2% inflation “target goal”. IMHO, that, like the 1950s are long over.
Wandakate and Selena – good points, but I don’t think we will ever see an honest election again at the federal level in our lifetimes unless there is a very radical change. Or even if by some miracle there is a *mostly* honest election, can the majority of people feel much trust in the result? I know I cannot.
“Deep State” is not just a conspiracy theory…those unelected string-pullers remain.
I also see now that putting in RINOs may well have been an extremely clever strategy to take down the GOP from the inside. It seems to have worked pretty effectively, from where I observe, at least.
I don’t know what the solution is, but I think very radical change is unfortunately required, and that sounds pretty painful and dangerous.
In addition to frugality it’s also about establishing as much resiliency and support systems to help weather the future. If you can plant a handful of perennial vegetable crops that can sustain you in the future, or take care of something now that is halfway broken before it gets more expensive to fix. Join a garden club to network and learn, join no spend challenges and make this whole thing a fun adventure. Goodluck y’all!
Absolutely spot on Daisy. We will be doing whatever we can to expand our veggie gardens in 2023, and being as frugal as we can.
I really appreciate your work, blessings for 2023.
The one thing that will impact every person on earth, if enacted, was never mentioned in this article. CBDC. Central Bank Digital Currency. 10 banks in NYC started “experimenting” with a digital dollar in mid-November . The Central Banks are going fast & furious on this system with a target implementation of just 2 years. This is what “covid” was about – to test our compliance to lunacy. The globalists are very satisfied with the test results so it’s full steam ahead with the rest of the plan.
CBDC is complete control over your money. See the Chinese social credit system for how it works. You don’t go anywhere, buy anything, do anything unless granted permission. Overdue for your 9th booster? No groceries for you. Want to visit the grandkids? Sorry, you already used your allotted mileage for the month. This is the end of freedom.
And THIS is what keeps me up at night. Not inflation, or supply chain issues, etc. If the majority of people do not reject the CBDC system and can somehow set up a parallel economy, we are doomed to living in slavery. We can’t let that happen.
This is our fight now and this is the hill worth dying on.
SMH, you are correct….CBDC, if implemented, will result in complete control over everyone. Glad to see you posting on this forum, and please keep sharing with as many as you can. Many many Americans are unaware this is already very far in motion, and what the real agenda is. One primary reason I have not left the field I work in and moved to a less populated area is because it is easier to push back on things like CBDC from the inside, in a larger metro area.
@Kelvin and SMH, true that. It’s my believe that their goal is to crash the economy so the people will beg for the governments help. That’s when they’ll implement the digital currency!!
I agree completely. (Hopefully, TOP will add an upvote function.)
Hi there! I looked into the upvote function but it requires that users log in with an email address. A lot of folks want more anonymity, so I decided not to add the function until I can find one without that requirement. 🙂
Yep, You hit the nail on the head!!
In the plandemic we have lost 60% of our income. The wife and I own a small service business and we cant find workers. Our main competition are illegal invaders who are on welfare and can undercut our prices. And I cant blame people for not wanting to work. In our town the cheapest apartments start at $1100 per month and go up to the moon from there. These are in the slums, 40+ years old, and dont even have washer and dryer connections. For one of our workers about 20-25 hours a week goes just to rent…
Good news is we are quickly approaching the below the tax threshold and wont be paying big income tax checks anymore to the government…. Life on less is our new motto….
Thank you Daisy for sharing a very insightful article and sharing your personal story. We Americans are resilient and we will make it through this and we will come out the other side. Blessings to all.
One thing I appreciate about all that is going on, is how like-minded people are finding each other. I learn as much from the comments as the articles here.
In reference to some of the other comments, I don’t know how much more frugal I can get either. One of my solutions is to look for a part-time job. Cuts into my gardening time so I will have to be more efficient with my time. We already reuse almost everything. Either wash and use, repurpose or compost so much that I can cancel the trash service.
Thanks Daisy for the reminder about attitude. I needed that!
May we all have a happy new year, whatever it may bring!
Daisy, thank you for ALL of the information TOP provides. The Organic Prepper was one of the first newsletters I signed up for well before the Ebola scare. We had always had a deep pantry, lived frugally, repaired things until there was nothing left and had family/friends that thought we were way out in left field. I never knew there were preparedness groups or websites until I was researching beekeeping & gardening & somehow ended up here & on the Daily Prepper site. I was hooked!
I truly appreciate how many times in the past your contributors have given us the early warnings for upcoming events. We took the information to heart & increased our supplies in a particular area or researched information on an entirely new to us aspect of preparedness. Through the years we have filled in gaps as best we can & continue to do so. While we started out with a fairly decent accumulation of basics & skills, there is always something to add & learn. I, too, read every comment & garner all sorts of tips from
Somehow a good share of my comment got lost in cyberspace…
Anyhow, I learn as much from the comments as the articles. My thanks for all who share their ideas, failures & successes on these forums.
l also have to thank you Daisy for the articles Jose & Selco have written on their firsthand experiences as their respective countries slid into the abyss. We have heeded the warnings & done what we can to survive what is looming for this country. Our one regret is that age & related issues relegate us to the sidelines for much of the coming challenges. We will be fighting on our knees & lifting prayers with our last breath.
May God guide, guard & provide for all this coming year.
Amen!
Another good article as always.
What you are describing is a mindset so to speak, a way of life.
For those new to this think of how “trash”can have value.
Any food waste can be animal feed or composed and used as fertilizer.
Paper waste can be composted too.
Put it in a hole and plant something on top. My first garden was in the flower beds around my apartment. I got permission to plant some flowers but 3/4 of it was vegetables.
Cut the laundry bill by not washing things unless you need to.
Your clothes will last longer too.
Go barefoot when you can to save your shoes.
Use a small heater and heat one room instead of the central unit. Especially if have a heat pump and it is below 35 out side.
If it’s really cold you can spend 1.00 an hour on the electric backup.
A 3 deg drop in the thermostat is a 10 % savings.
There are countless little things too.
If you have a pot of hot water from cooking leave it to cool and heat the house. Same for a tub of hot water.
Same with thawing things.
If you can freeze things outside.
Do not put hot stuff in the fridge any time because it will just take more electricity to cool it down and in the summer that heat will have to be moved outside by the AC.
100 BTU into the fridge means 125 for the AC to remove at an additional 32 BTU cost.
Minimize generating moisture in the cooling season, excessive boiling or hanging clothes to dry, as each pound requires the AC to use 250 BTU to move it out side. For the non technical look up “coefficient of performance’ of AC units.
Do hang clothes and towels to dry in the winter as the higher humidity will make it feel warmer in the house.
Rout the drier vent, through a filter, into the house in winter for 8000 BTU an hour of free heat.
Save used paper towels for floor duty, even dish towels.
The American Frugal Housewife is a good resource.
Enough for now.
All good suggestions! I appreciated your comments.
It is important to know the “Why” as well as the “what” and “How”.
That comes from a Biblical worldview.
Search “Where We Are & How We Got Here” on sermon audio.com.
It’s a 14 part message and well worth the time. Take notes so you can do additional study as much of the message will be shocking, to say the least, for those without a thorough knowledge of the Bible or history.
Enjoy!
Love everything you’re saying bro. Especially about understanding the why’s and how’s of living frugally/efficiently. You even dropped dome knowledge that was new to me. All of it worth it’s weight in gold. Genuine thanks for sharing!
It’s more than penny “pinching”. It’s penny-DIRECTING that will make the difference. where do you spend it? Where do you refuse to spend it? Are you unwittingly supporting global corporations who support Klaus Schwab? Do you know where to find the alternatives that do not support “Klaus”? That’s the real question.
@daisy, how is Selco doing? It looks like things could boil over there any day now. I hope he is somewhere safe!
I spoke with him briefly over the weekend. He is, of course, watching the situation closely. He’s philosophical about it and is as prepared. Clearly, he’s hoping that things don’t go as bad as they did in the 90s, but he’s ready for anything.
At least this time he is better prepared for it than he was last time. I hope he stays safe and will be able to write his articles.
Can’t disagree with anything here. The free money party is definitely over and it will take some disciplined frugality to ride out what’s ahead. But there is a better, more long term answer that Daisy has overlooked. Become a Producer. Can you make something useful? Can you grow something useful? Can you do something useful? Being short on money is a lot easier when you have something people will indefinitely give you money FOR. That is the top of the food chain. Do you work a job? Depending on every business decision being right in order for you to remain employed through tough times is no position you want to be in. In case you haven’t noticed people and businesses make really bad decisions. Find the thing of greatest value that you can do or make and invest some time And energy into it. Build it into a parallel revenue stream to the extent possible. And should you find yourself successful, prepare yourself to make it your primary occupation should the need or want arise. I struck out on my own about a decade ago. Using knowledge I learned on the job I struck out to make some small medical devices that have become indespensible in certain segments of clinical medicine. It has been liberating in so many ways. During COVID we never had to close our doors. We had the ‘essential business’ designation and I freely traveled and conducted business through all of it. I never wore a mask, took a PCR test nor had to comply with anyone’s vaccine mandates. I was also able to provide this same shelter to some of my employees and partners. While the American economy tanked, we doubled our revenue YOY for 3 consecutive years. Yes I know this is a special case. And yes I know it was stolen fake money that hurt us all equally by it’s mere existence. But it happened. For many reasons beyond our control. But the lesson is nonetheless the same. Orient yourself in as many ways possible to be useful, self sustaining and in the leverage position. So that it doesn’t matter what happens. Because you are less, or not dependent at all, on a system that hates you and abuses you. We sell to all the vaccine makers. And for the gift of all that was COVID, and all the effects it had on our supply chains, we doubled our prices and they paid them. No inflation worries here. That’s how you win y’all. Get yourself there to the extent possible. For the record I’m an unlucky idiot. Somebody gave me this advice long ago and I followed it because it was better than what I was coming up with. But here I am. Every one of you is good at something and capable of more than you might believe. Take back control of your life. You CAN do it.
Over here in England,the economy is the same as USA. Folks are struggling,but that frugality IS the way to go, which folks don’t like ,and makes them believe they really are poor. With a bit of self control, things can move along.
My wife and me have always lived simply. Really. Our only ambition was to pay the house off. We did. No mega – vacations, and flashy cars. Simple.
Right now,we are being affected by the economy like everyone else, but get this. My wife has recently overcome cancer. That meant her income stopped. We managed. Now I have cancer too. My work has stopped. However , our frugality means we are getting by rather well!
The world needs a word with itself,for sure.
Yup satan wants us all to be grim and joyless like he is. Not this cat. I bless my adult poverty for turning me into a human being instead of a snotty cunt. As all the material SHIT that we are all judged by disappears, a person can actually begin to see what is really real in this life and it isn’t the upgraded kitchen and fancy car. I am currently throwing out 40 years of important “stuff” for a family member. I see the futility of working and enslaving ourselves for all this stuff, the majority of which ends up in the dump once we die. We trade everything in our lives – our youth, health, time spent with loved ones, in order to acquire material possessions, most of which are not necessities but foolish desires. Thank you Jesus for making me a financial “loser”.
“Getting a spouse on board can be next to impossible” made me laugh out loud. Every time I bring up stocking up on supplies, or growing food, or buying an old farm you’d think I just asked to cut a leg off. I would guess cooperation is a bigger problem than inflation, supply chains, or CBDCs in most families. It’s like trying to run a football team where no one knows the plays
More like a guaranteed Depression, the way inflation is being calculated the Feds must be using Common Core Calculus. Eggs will be the new currency if you’re not chicken.
Great article.
As my wife has called me plenty of times in the past…..”You’re a Cheap Bastard!” Yes I am, and damn proud of it since the Great Recession.
We don’t have Cable or Satellite, but OTA (Over-The-Air) which is FREE. We do have Sling Orange (during Football Season Only then I cancel). 97% of my groceries are generic/Warehouse club. We use coupons whenever we can. We haven’t had a car payment since 2012 (2008 Honda CRV) my other vehicle is a 2001 Nissan Sentra.
We have 4 hens that provide us eggs. We have a nice garden plus Banana, Peach, Mango and Cherry trees. My neighbor has Oranges trees and we trade mangoes for oranges.
Breakfast is a home-made muffin. My lunches are made from leftover meat from dinner on a Tortilla. Dinners are simple (salad, rice or potato, meat) and not some 5 Star gourmet BS. We rarely go out for dinner.
I don’t waste money buying bottled water to have at the office. I have a 2Qt. jug that I fill up at home, if I run out at the office I fill it up at the water fountain.
There are so many ways to save money and it all adds up. Look at what you spend money on, then ask yourself, “Do I really NEED this? Is there a cheaper alternative?” “Do I really NEED a $7 frapa-crapa-cino or can just have a simple coffee from home? “Why am I spending $10 or more for lunch, five days a week (that’s $50+ every week)?”
what a crock of bull shit. I don’t think you can fight your way out of a paper bag. no one alive today lived through the Great Depression and very few people today can recall the 1970s run of inflation. you’re not the only person who went broke during any of these downturns. many never recovered. you know nothing about true hardship. you’re just another phony with your hand out for cash.