The Upside of a Bad Economy

my husband has been laid off work for over 8 months now. luckily i work in the medical field which always keeps going. we have had to cut down on alot of things. it is a hard time right now especially with 3 kids and 2 about to start school again. all the back to school stuff is rediculous. just for school supplies alone was over $150 and that is for a 2nd grader and a kindergardner. then you have clothes, shoes, backpacks, etc. i found though by buying a few things once a week with the unemployment checks is the best way to go. today i went and got some things. i found really cute polo shirts new for $3.50 so there are some steals just gotta hit them clearance racks. I always say though as long as our roof stays over our heads and the important bills are paid i am a happy mom and wife. my kids have what they need a home and loving parents.

I think its so great that so many people are taking these hard times and turning them into family times.

I have always been involved with the simplicity movement. Though growing up it was just being smart with money, growing a garden, and canning. My mother still makes the perfect mustard pickles, 'tjilly' (She's danish and doesn't really get the concept behind chili, but it make the BEST tomato soup!), and salsa.(She has really got the hang of that one.) Garage sales are super treasure hunts for my mother and me. We were raised with the 'do you really need it "question on everything.

With the kids home this summer a great lunch meal is english muffin pizza. The best part, its easy to make with the kids. My children are 6 & up and enjoyed putting the toppings on their pizza. The toaster oven is a life saver, easy for the kids to use.

Let's get things in perspective, we still live in the most affluent country in the world I bet most of us could still find spare change lying around the house. Think of the countries around us were people are fighting for survival. Be thankful for all the good things we have;even in a bad economy. It's not all bad we have been living it up in this country...and now it is time to prioritize. Do we really need the bigger house... the better car... the latest fads in clothes...the best toys for our kids? Just take a look around at yard sales and see the waste that we've accumulated and are trying to palm off on others. Hardship always brings out the best in our characters just think of our parents and the generations that have gone before us. They seemed to cope better than we do. I am not advocating that we should all be poorer. What I am saying is if we live in this world there will be seasons of lack and seasons of plenty. We need both to be balanced.

One of my fave money savers is the Kraft magazine for recipies and great home ideas... sign up at Kraft.com It's free to get and I love the new recipies that are easy to do and family friendly every month. Plus if you go to the kraft site you can most likely get coupons for the kraft ingredients you need for the recipies. Great money saver and TIME saver too... and who couldnt save a little time? I often plan my meals around new recipies in the mag and shop with the coupons from online. Saved at least $3-$4.00 on 2 meals this week alone.

It seems to have bought Americans back to a simpler life, and to better understanding that we are truly blessed in this country.

We are lucky that there are just the two of us (no kids). Even before my husband lost his job (again) we were starting to cut back and watch our pennies. We make a game of who found the best deal. We look for the buy-one-get-one deals only if it is something we use and try to make use of coupons on the items as well. Our freezer is stocked with healthy frozen foods from these deals. We buy in season veggies from the farmers market. This has cut back on our meals out. On weekends we enjoy time together and treat ourselves our to lunch. We also stopped the movie channels we never watch and make use of the Blockbuster online deals. We shall survive this...

Everyone has made great points..looking at the good in bad or tough times can not only bring the family together but really makes/forces you to count your blessings

My daughter and I have always loved yard sales. It's just a way of finding unexpected treasures and spending time together without breaking the bank. While we have been doing this for years, we find that more and more people have found the same pleasure we have enjoyed. You just never know what you may find!!!!!!! It just comes back to seeing the simple things in life! Good luck to all of you who are struggling.....just keep looking up!

My husband and I have started to spend more time at home cooking, which means we eat healthier. We have also gone through our boxes and bookshelves and attic. We found unfinished products, books we hadn't read, etc. which means more stuff to do without spending any more money. I am out of work on disability due to a back injury, so living on one income has been an eye opener. It's amazing how you don't think about spending eight dollars on a fast food meal when you realize you could have made the same thing at home for at least two people with leftovers for the same price. I have also signed up for several coupon sites on the web. I checked first to see if our local stores accepted, and then went wild. The saving alone are worth much more than the cost of printer ink. Many companies also offer coupons for freebies on their sites that can only be redeemed by printing off - not by mail.

I lost my job last summer--and I really hate the fact that we struggle in paying our bills--just to keep a head of the game-But, we have learned some real valuable lessons along the way--We have learned to cut down on all the frills and find newer less expensive ways to make the time pass--We too love to spend time at the dinner table talking and playing games--And today--we are going for the free meal at a local restaurant--we simple have to dress up as cows!! You got it cows--go figure that my children would be so excited to dress up as a cow for a free meal!! We have simplified our life as much as we possible can--With all the wonderful memories we are making--I guess I can't really complain.

I am a single mom who works two jobs. My part time job is working in an up-scale grocery store, with a full-service meat counter. I also do a lot of my shopping there because I am able to get small quantities of food, so I don't buy something that I may not use, and I also get 20% off of my entire purchase. Even though a lot of things are more expensive there, you know that the quality, especially meat and produce are there so I'm able to feed better food to my child.

We do stay at home much more but i enjoy that more anyway.I'm more of a homebody so i spend most of the money on theings we enjoy doing at home & cut almost all spending on the going out entertainment budget.I cook nearly every evening which is fine with me because i enjoy cooking.I've always been frugal so i haven't felt the recession as bad as some other people have because i've always been used to not overspending.I've always had a motto - if i don't need then i don't buy but if i do need then i buy on sale & with coupons if possible.LOL ;)

My husband and I have learned to appreciate simple time spent together at home, cooking together, and we eat out a lot less often. We eat more healthily and frugally, and use the saved money for more lasting experiences and necessities.