Bringing back old fashioned values to survive in a recession

We’ve all heard our parents and grandparents talk about how different things were when they were younger. By their account, our society as a whole has become increasingly dependent on unnecessary luxuries that they could have only dreamed of when they were growing up.

And while I shamefully admit that I used to scoff at my mother when she would talk about how different things are “this day in age”, I find myself recently reverting  to many of those old fashioned values in order to battle through the tough economic times.

5 Ways to Save Money the ‘Good Old Days’ Way

Hand Me Downs- Children grow faster than weeds as any parent knows quite well. Instead of constantly buying new clothes for your little ones- get back to the practice of handing down clothes from an older sibling (or cousin, neighbor, friend’s child, etc.) in order to save some money on clothes.  While some articles may not survive for a second round-others like jackets, shoes, boots, jeans and other durable items usually will. And while some resistance to this idea from older children is more than expected- getting them used to wearing their older siblings hand-me-downs from a young age  should make it a little easier. Try to plan for handing down clothes even when you buy something brand new, for example, a classic style won’t look outdated a few years down the road. 

Home Cooked Meals- With fast food and casual dining chains popping up everywhere it’s hard to ignore the convenience of a quickly prepared meal. However, no matter how you slice it, you’re going to always end up paying more for a restaurant meal as compared to the same meal prepared at home. Not only that, but do you really know the quality of the food you’re being served? Planning and preparing meals at home can save you hundreds of dollars a year and give you the peace of mind that you know what you are eating. Get the family involved with planning meals and dinner time chores such as setting the table and washing dishes to make home cooked meals even easier on your busy schedule.

Car Pooling-I realized while writing this article that for as long as I can remember, both sets of my grandparents only each owned 1 car for their entire family. And while this was easier back then because most woman were housewives, they planned around each other’s trips to work, school, sporting practices and errands in order to keep just one car in the household. With one less vehicle in your home that would mean one less car payment, car insurance premium and automobile taxes. If you just can’t get your household down to one vehicle, at least consider car pooling as much as possible to reduce your gasoline costs.  Encourage walking and bike riding (up-hill both ways?) to school and work.

Bargain Hunting- When you must shop for clothes, food, furniture or anything else, do so with thrift. The Internet offers the convenience of shopping around for the best prices before you purchase and makes second-hand purchases readily available (Craigslist.com). Start clipping coupons and comparing sale prices before every purchase you make and you’ll surely save some cash.

 DIY-In a world where you can hire someone to do practically anything, we have become increasingly dependent on having someone to do everything from mow our lawns, paint our homes, cut our hair and wash our cars. Get on a DIY kick and make a list of all the things you could do yourself, instead of hiring out, in order to save some money for necessities. Break them into household tasks and have a family meeting about how everyone can pitch in to save money around the house. If you get resistance, find a way to use some of the money you save for a fun family outing or day trip. This will make everyone appreciate the work they do and teach the importance of saving money.