How To Get By In Tough Economic Times

We all need to tighten our belts once in a while. Whether it’s because of an economic downturn or your company deciding to close down or move, here are a few tips for “weathering the storm”.

Shop At The Dollar Store

Shopping at the Dollar Store was once something that only “poor people” did. Many of us looked down on these stores as places that sold cheap worthless junk. While that might be true for some items, your can get a lot of good useful items at a Dollar Store. For example, for the kitchen they have cutlery, dishes, glasses, and coffee mugs, among other things. I personally have some cutlery and a few plates that I bought several years ago and I still use them today. Unless you're entertaining a head of state you don't need to be spending hundreds of dollars on the finest hand-crafted dinnerware. You will find a lot of other products for the house for a lot less money. I actually saw a spatula at a fancy kitchen store for more than four dollars. I went to a Dollar Store and saw the same spatula(yes I checked) for one dollar! So wander around a store in your area and you might be surprised. Stop wasting your money.

Don’t Buy Fruits And Vegetables At The Supermarket

Supermarkets have huge markups on everything they sell. You're actually paying for all the floor staff and the fancy decorations and lighting. Find a place that sells only fruits and vegetables instead. If you can't find one that has both then go to a fruit store for your fruits and a farmers' market for your vegetables. Another benefit of going to a farmers' market is you will get fresher products because they didn't have to travel from the other end of the country to get to you.

Buy Generic Instead Of Brand Names

Many, if not all, store brand products are made by the same companies that make the brand name stuff you pay more for. I went to a pharmacy once for some multivitamins and the pharmacist recommended I buy the store brand because it was made by the same company that made the brand name version right next to it. I checked the contents on both bottles and they were identical yet the brand name product cost two dollars more! The same was true for some headache medication I went for another time. The box is even identical with the same style used for the two different names. When you buy brand name you're just paying for the name.

Walk To The Store For Small Or Single Items

Gas is still fairly expensive. If you own a car and need to buy milk or juice or something you can carry in your hands, walk to the store. You may not think you're saving a whole lot by walking to the corner store instead of driving but all those little trips do add up. I'm also assuming that there are stop signs in your neighborhood. You use more gas each time you stop and start than if you were driving at a constant speed on the highway. The gas you save by walking will translate to money in your pocket to buy more milk. The exercise you will get is a nice bonus too.

Cut back On Using The Dryer And Dishwasher

Home appliances use a lot of energy. Even the ones that claim to be energy efficient or “green” use a lot of electricity. Instead of using the dryer whenever you do laundry, hang your clothes on a clothes line whenever it’s possible. If you don’t have a line you can buy a rack that you hang clothes on and put it outside.

Instead of letting your dishes pile up in the dishwasher, wash them right away in the sink. Even if there are a lot of dishes just take the twenty minutes or half hour it takes and wash them by hand. You were born with two dishwashers - use them.

Wash Your Clothes Instead Of Dry Cleaning

A lot of clothes that you pay to dry-clean can be washed and ironed. Dry cleaning your pants or shirt on a regular basis adds up to a lot of money. I know this because I used to do it all the time until I had to start tightening my own belt. Read the labels on your clothes and most of them will tell you how they should be washed. While we’re on the subject of laundry, always do a full load and use cold water. As mentioned above every time you use one of those appliances it's costing money in the form of electricity. Even if it means waiting another day or two to for enough items for a full load, all those little savings add up to money in your pocket.