Times like these, I am thankful DH is in the military. He can't lose his job and we'll always have a paycheck, housing and medical insurance. Who knows what the next few months hold for us though. We are moving to a place neither of us has ever been before.
That's what we thought in the Air Force, though. DH did lose his job.
BUT... I'm thinking the Army... nahhhh.... they wouldn't force people out unless they were REALLY bad slackers and screw ups, right?
I used to have that complete secure feeling with dh being military, but ever since he was cut by the Air Force, I just don't have the confidence I used to have.
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Heather Mitchell
Recycle small electronics safely & help get supplies to an Ethiopian orphanage! Contact me for information about how YOU can help.
cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, handheld game systems, ink jet cartridges, etc.
My biggest thing is to get rid of our debt. We're in limbo right now with that because we need to purchase a new to us minivan since our lease is up in June. I'm saving all I can from now until then so I can have a smaller payment. After that I'm taking all the money I can and paying down debt.
Other than that I'm trying to keep my pantry stocked up when sales come up. I would like to use more local foods and will be using my local farmer's market often.
I think dh's job is pretty secure. His company is stable. He sells most of his products to medical companies and I don't see them going anywhere.
Right now our plan is to stay put and keep swimmin'
Put on your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,527
Being in a field that doesn't change much (police work) is helping. We will not be as effected as those with other types of jobs... or at least, not effected first. We are pretty set up in that area.
I always think back to what a friend said when dealing with issues of having to be frugal. "Financial freedom does not come from having money, it comes from not needing it."
The sad reality is that this country couldn't last in it's frantic race to keep up with the joneses... everything has been saying this has been coming for a long time. Decreasing job availibility, increased housing costs, and increased food costs caused by damaged crops because of wanting to produce so much that we have lost sight of what the land can really take. It hasn't been a short process to get here, and I doubt it will be a short process to get out of it. I think it will get worse before it gets better.
In my world, I am trying as hard as I can to live a local, and selfsustainable lifestyle. My chickens, garden, farmers market bartering, sewing skills... etc. All are helpful and make me feel as though we can make just about anything work if we have to (or some day, even just because we can).
Val
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Val; Living the dream we have been working towards for over 5 years.
Mama to Alex, Cyan, and Logan. Wife to my very best friend.
Location: When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
Posts: 9,527
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamabear
Do I try to grow/raise a ton of different things, or specialize in one thing and trade with people? How do I strengthen local networks? What *is* local that we can get, and what's needed?
For me, I know the answer. I would never (not even with land) be able to have all my own animals and do everything I would require to handle, care, slaughter, and butcher them. So I would buy from others, and trade for what I can with work, time, energy, and some goods I can create like clothing, quilts, etc. My husband has a good city job (mentioned before) so it would take a ton for him to loose it, and for that I am grateful. Also, I am grateful in other ways for that job. It took a lot of time and hardship for us to get here. And here isn't all that great, but comparitivily, we are living high on the hog. So knowing that with this recession we may stay here for quite a while... well, we are ok with that.
I saved money back from our income taxes. So we can pay our house off in Aug08 (instead of Feb09). I know I could just leave it in savings and it is only a few months. But it makes me feel better knowing the house will be paid for soon.
Dh only got a 50cent raise this year, instead of the $1 he had been getting. They already said no raise next year at all and are talking about dropping his health insurance. (they pay his) Boss says the income right now isn't good. So we are worried about his job.... right now it is only dh and another guy that isn't the boss or his son..... so if it comes down to it the boss and his son could do the work. ykwim
Dh does heating and air... so if things slow down for them,it will probably just has bad at the other places he could work too.
But while his raise went down, everything we are having to buy keeps going up.
We have decided to stay put for a while longer. We have a small garden that we want to expand. I've been putting the "chickens" bug in dh's ear & now *he's* decided that once we have a proper fence, we need to get some.
I would like to put a new roof on the house, for some reason that makes me feel more secure.
Moving the girls schools so that they are closer to home (less gas).
Dh recently got a education degree (although he's not using it right now), but I think that in the case of a depression it will be a good option to have. Currently he works in banking with folks who are suddenly realizing that they can't keep financing things to keep up with the jones. While it's not his ideal job, I think it has been good to open his eyes that the reason it seems everyone else has more than him is because they bought it on credit.
We were desperately poor when we had dd1 & while I don't want to go back that way we survived. While we are doing well compared to back then, we still go without a lot of things that folks today feel are neccessities.
What I DO think we are very much headed into is a CHANGE and honestly, it needs to happen. The whole over consumption, disregard to the environment, financed lifestyle thing... it does need to change. It is not substainable.
There needs to be a shift back to, working, saving, paying your way as you go, not having so MUCH of everything.
Huray for sanity making a comeback!
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~*~Mommy to Jack and my twinkie boys Jonas and Lucas ~*~
We've rearranged savings and retirement accounts. Sawyer's job is mostly safe, but I don't think mine could survive long.
We can do without my income though, so we're not terribly worried.
I do think things are going to get much worse before they get better.
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When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
Thomas Jefferson
Well, I blame you, Lauren. I had just placed an order from a small toystore in a not-too-distant city who would be able to ship in time for Easter without some ridiculous price. $98 worth. I canceled it. I have candy coming, I have some aerocopters (you know, sticks with copter blades), I asked DH to pick up jelly beans and whoppers (awful, but I love whoppers, and DH had a mini-meltdown last year when he discovered I had not included jelly beans in our Easter baskets).
I have a Kleen Kanteen for baby Reagan. I also asked DH to get a rocket kit that we could all work on together.
Our Easters were always very simple when I was a kid--we got candy, and we got to hunt for it. That's enough.
Sooo, honestly, I have been living in a complete bubble, and, despite the fact that DH is an online news junkie, we have had no conversations about this. DH is an industrial salesman, BTW. We can pray that as things become impossible to get from foreign countries, people will start creating industry to produce things we need here (things we really need, I mean). And, hopefully, DH's job will stay. I have faith,though,that if things got really bad, my parents have about 80 acres of farmland. My dad is an attorney with a horticulture degree and farmed for most of my childhood. So, honestly, we could find ways for all of us to get by, even if we were placed off-grid.
Thinking reasonably, assuming things really stay much the same, aside from having to do with much less, I can do that. We recently bought a cow share, and I've already made ice cream and butter and sour cream. I have a grain mill, so I already buy grains in bulk. The only problem is the farm is about 20 miles from here. It is only 7 miles from DH's work, so if gas prices get really high, I can, perhaps convince him to pick up, and I have the number of another woman in my town with whom I might be able to trade pick ups.
Make sure to hit neighborhood garage sales this spring and summer for optimum gas-savings and shopping (the neigborhood sales here are incredible!). Look,especially, for high quality clothing for the eldest boy and girl since they will be passed down.
We just paid off our van, so we want to do our best to keep it in good condition.
We must continue to pay down our debt. Find ways to make this house work for us as long as possible instead of focusing on buying land and building.
Fix the pump (we have to use city water for our home, but we can use the pump for the lawn). Plant the garden I am feeling so wishy-washy about. Teach my children about gardening, cooking from scratch, preserving foods. Get fruit and veggies from the farmer's market and local farms and u-picks. We can be thankful that though we live near a fairly big city, this is a farming area with lots to offer.
Consider cutting our blow money. Or use it to buy the sewing machine I keep saying I'm going to get. I already know how to sew, quite well, actually. I have a cheap, poorly maintained serger too. It works. I should have it cleaned and tuned.
Refocus on keeping things simple. I have moments (like earlier today, when I spent $98 on, yes, lovely, open-ended,well-constructed toys, but $98 of lovely, open-ended, well-constructed toys my kids don't need). Make gifts for everyone we have to give gifts. I just bought yarn and am learning to loom knit--I will make dishcloths for Mother's Day.
Work on creating emergency stash (maybe use some of that $98).
__________________ Jody
Mama to two boys (5-10-98 and 6-01-01), and two girls (11-18-03 and 1-11-07)
See I don't see overconsumption ending anytime soon. I run errands near a Best Buy and I swear, people are lined up at the door when it opens, they come out of there with a cart full of technology! I also see more Hummers on the road now than I ever have. The houses that are being built locally are all "luxury" homes that start in the $700's I mean I don't know where people are getting their money from!!!
See I don't see overconsumption ending anytime soon. I run errands near a Best Buy and I swear, people are lined up at the door when it opens, they come out of there with a cart full of technology! I also see more Hummers on the road now than I ever have. The houses that are being built locally are all "luxury" homes that start in the $700's I mean I don't know where people are getting their money from!!!
Well, a lot of people finance that lifestyle and the fact is, the days of easy financing are about to be over imo.
I mean, I think it is telling when you see people replying (not in this thread specifically but generally to this)... Recession coming (which I think is false, it is here)... "we are going to spend less, save more, and pay off our debt..."
Military wife of a deployed soldier. 
Jody
excuse my sick sense of humor.
Tawnya, your memory lives on in your children.
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