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« The Recession’s Been Tough on Working Moms | Main | 4 Ways to Help the Unemployed »

March 24, 2009

How Do You Cope with Tough Times -- Cheaply?

Awhile back, I blogged about recession-proof jobs. But it seems some industries are recession-proof as well. One that comes to mind is the candy industry. Candy makers are reporting boom times, in large part because sugar is a comfort food. And it’s cheap. Not surprisingly, those who make sweet treats did well during the Great Depression as well. The movie industry also famously thrived then, and so far this year, it’s doing well.

 

I know candy chills me out when work is stressful, and it doesn’t cost a lot (except to my waistline). So does the promise of watching a DVD or hitting the multiplex when I’m finally free. But I wonder: What other budget-friendly means are we using to get ourselves through tough times? Leave a comment below. And if you’ve lost your job and chocolate and cinema just aren’t cutting it for you, check out these tips on bouncing back from a layoff.

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Posted by Christine on March 24, 2009 at 04:58 PM in Current Events | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)

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Comments

One idea: Take a road trip sabbatical. Drive across the country and interview successful people in your industry along the way. You'll see our great country and might just land a new job, too. Sleep in your car or in campgrounds. Dirk Baxter has a pretty good idea, too: http://tiny.cc/yfuDi.

Posted by: Elizabeth Pagano | Mar 25, 2009 8:28:16 AM

I find that even when I am cutting back, I still just need to go shopping! But - instead of shopping in the stores I usually go to, I will go to vintage stores. I live in Toronto, Canada, and there is a whole district of second-hand stores called Kensington Market. I got a really nice pair of jeans for $10 for example - that are nicer than some of the new jeans I have bought before.

I also like to go to get tea at a cafe. Places like Starbucks are suffering - maybe because we are all buying single teas/coffees and nursing them instead of the fancy latte drinks to go!

Posted by: Stefanie | Mar 25, 2009 9:54:10 PM

i buy ice cream and eat at home with my family.

the best things in life are free.

Posted by: web designer mom | Mar 26, 2009 2:12:07 AM

Oh my gosh! I couldn't agree more Elizabeth. This economy have scared us and we have never saved before until now. However I am having a hard time and still find myself shopping. But now I shop for what I need more than what I want and going out has gone down. I'm in Canada and this recession is truly affecting the world. We have been fortunate it has not affected our household.

Posted by: Sherley | Mar 30, 2009 6:07:00 PM

anything to do with kids and childcare is a booming industry no matter what the economic climate is :)

Posted by: Roland | Apr 2, 2009 1:58:06 AM

Great idea/post Elizabeth,

Living in Europe (Geneva) is incredibly expensive even during down times but fortunately there are some good discount and seconds shops that offer great selection and more affordable (better than normal Swiss prices) products. I also noticed the launch last week of a new woman's clothing store: it was a first for Geneva being medium not low-end (not Zara/H&M) but good quality (Paris brands) great variety/styles and reasonably priced - it was jam packed! I think we will see more of these mid-range retailers spring up...?

Posted by: Michelle | Apr 6, 2009 6:45:30 AM

I'm luck to have freinds that I can talk to sometimes it good to vent.
Just take one day at a time.

Posted by: Linda | Apr 7, 2009 11:33:00 AM

I seemed to have stumbled on to an industry that I didn't really like at first. I had been a musician for decades and, I never thought of myself getting into this industry. Karaoke has been around for a long time but, recently I have seen it just about everywhere it could possibly be. On the street where I work karaoke; there are two more bars doing karaoke as well. the investment is mostly about time. Buying the machines is not all that expensive if you go used on ebay. The books take a lot of personal time but, once you have it down, it's not so hard. Most clubs pay under the table. I know, what about taxes?? How about paying the bills. I had to choose and, that is how it goes.

Posted by: ROBBO | Apr 8, 2009 5:11:50 AM

The idea of a road trip sounds nice, but not very practical when one considers the cost of gasoline and related expenses for such a trip. Sleeping in one's car, even at a campground, isn't the safest or wisest thing to do either; especially not for women.

These are boom times for that old community standby: the public library. Not only are there abundant resources and knowledgable librarians to help with everything from resume writing and other job search assistance, to housing and other issues of importance to people during these hard times, but movies, music, and of course books can be checked out at no charge. Even the physical space in most libraries is comfortable and attractive, making for a lovely, peaceful respite from the world. So curl up with a good book or make your own food at home and invite friends and family over to watch that DVD that you got from the library and didn't pay a dime for!

Posted by: Cynthia | Apr 8, 2009 9:44:38 AM

Get some funny entertaining DVDs/Videos and laugh, it is the best medicine.

Posted by: John | Apr 9, 2009 5:11:15 PM

When your out of work in one of the worst times in history, it could really get you down. I found that keeping a daily schedule or a list of things to do really helps me feel like I accomplished something and it has a good effect. I treat every day like I am getting up to go to work. My list would look something like Read the news, get at least 2 resumes out, Network, Call a recruiter and get in their Network,complete my Linked in profile etc... I promise that this will help you and by the end of the week you know that you have been proactive and are giving yourself a better chance at working soon. The other part to this is being able to take a break one day out of the week. You can only send so many resume's and talk to so many people. An idea would be to play golf one day. You can play a twilight round that costs far less than playing on the weekend. If your not a golfer you can jsut take a drive or do whatever makes you happy and that does not cost so much. Hope that this helps someone out there.

Posted by: Eric | Apr 10, 2009 2:47:03 PM

HELPING YOURSELF AND OTHERS.....
A memeber of our church is a therapist. He started a group that meets twice a month at the church in the evenings to share our experiences and troubles. We call it the "Spiritual Resiliency Group". It is a time to vent, share concerns and assist each other by listening, interacting and networking. One doesn't need to be unemployed to participate. Some members attend because of family pressures or outside influences that have affected their lives. The meetings are not meant to be Prayer sessions. The root of the word Spritual is a Latin word meaning "to breathe". We use meditation and the practice of "being mindfull" as a means to center and bring back focus and meaning back into our lives. During these hard times it's hard to remember to love yourselves and all those around you.

Posted by: John | Apr 13, 2009 2:36:36 PM

Here's a cheap, super-effective stress buster. Grab a pen and paper (or open a word processing file) and write about your career and job search frustrations for 20 minutes. Let it all out: what you wish could be different, who's bugging you the most, your greatest disappointments, etc. Multiple research studies have shown that if you do this every day, you'll move toward your goal or solution 3 times faster (!) than if you don't journal. Pretty easy, cheap, and simple strategy, if you ask me. If you want to analyze other areas for improving your job search results, check out this assessment at http://www.careersolutionsgroup.net/job-searching-troubleshoot_challenges.shtml

Posted by: Katy Piotrowski | Apr 26, 2009 9:20:30 AM

Go camping or spend times in the outdoors; that always seems to put things in perspective for me at least.

Posted by: Chicago Web Development | Apr 15, 2010 4:02:59 PM

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