As we move into 2008′s extended holiday period, more than a few families are wondering if there will be a Christmas this year. Sure, some retailers are going all out to stay open long enough to see if anybody’s buying this year, but with consumer credit at a virtual standstill, international trade languishing on the docks and jobs being lost by the thousands every week, it’s a no-brainer that this Christmas isn’t going to be ‘the usual’ consumer spending orgy of Christmases past.

Presuming that your family still has a home, can heat it, and enough income to put food on the table, there are ways to have a festive, meaningful Christmas without going further into debt and without ending up with cheap Chinese junk that nobody really wants or needs.

The best thing you can do for your family is Make Your Own, and involve the kids! We save old Christmas cards in a box in the closet, pull them out around Thanksgiving and use them, plus various saved papers, made papers, trims, sequins, glitter, buttons, studs, etc. to make brand new Christmas cards for the people in our lives. Scissors and glue, a paper cutter, maybe some cutsey hole punches and lots of odds and ends, these cards inevitably get saved by every Mom, Grandma or other friend/relative who gets them! And kids are especially creative in this area. Sure you’ll have to clean up the mess, but a great time was had by all.

There are schedulers, list-keepers, budding writers and artists in just about every family. So another great gift are notebooks, journals, sketchbooks and schedulers you can make or buy. My friends over at Casual Keystrokes have compiled a worthy list of the best of the best journals, notebooks, sketchbooks and schedulers available online, some of them offer great deals and discounts.

If you really want to put some ‘self’ into it, the ideas and designs of some of those items Keystrokes suggests can be used as models for do it yourself gift projects. My grandson learned how to make leather bound notebooks in school, has really turned it into an art form. He collects old used leather jackets from Goodwill and other thrift shops, and recycles that leather for bindings. The neatest looking ones are patchwork of different kinds of leather, bound together with leather glue (can be purchased at a craft supply store).

Paper can be bought or made, but making can be fun. Did you know that you can make fine paper from collected dryer lint? Frugal Living offers the recipe and details on how to do this. Fine handmade paper bound in a fine handmade leather bound book can be the most delightful gift under the tree for anyone who loves to write, doodle, or keep meticulous notes.

You might be surprised at how useful that dryer lint can be to the dedicated crafter. PlanetPal offers recipes and instructions for how to make lint paper mache and lint clay as well as lint paper. And if there are very young ones on your Christmas list, there are some great patterns and instructions for how to make stuffed animals and dolls, and that dryer lint makes great stuffing too!

There is also the tradition of “Hobbit Presents” that some families find so fun. This is the practice of re-giving a previous year’s gift to someone else. When it’s unwrapped, the family can remember where it came from, who has enjoyed it, and who gave it to whom. These sort of gifts need to be more substantial than cheap plastic stuff from China, but quality items handmade with skill and care make great Hobbit Presents. Pride in craftsmanship is something children miss out on too much these days. Teaching them, encouraging them and helping them learn to value such things from themselves and others won’t hurt them a bit.

So it’s November. Get busy!!!

Links:

‘Tis the Season: Gift Ideas
Casual Keystrokes
Making Paper from Dryer Lint
Lint Craft Recipes
Stuffed Toy Patterns

My eldest grandson graduated from high school in the top 10% of his class a couple of months ago, for which we are inordinately proud – he was taking courses like advanced biology, pre-calc, physics and advanced literature/writing, which most kids around here avoid like the plague. Now we’re facing the costs of getting him through college, since we raised him and of course we will.

We have had to seriously crimp some of our expectations about how this could happen, as things have changed both personally and societally since our children were in college. First, they don’t give out full scholarships to incoming freshmen around here, no matter how well they do in high school. You have to start with your basic Pell Grant and complete at least two semesters before you’re eligible for scholarship or extra grant money. The Pell Grant won’t come in until the second semester because the process doesn’t even start until the student’s already enrolled, so tuition must be paid up front out of pocket, along with all fees and the cost of textbooks.

So for our grandson, we have made concessions. He will work for his father in another state through the fall, save up money to be put toward tuition, books and transportation (or one of those, since they’re all necessities). That means not starting college until January. That will give us time to save for the tuition.

We’ve also decided to begin his academic career at the area community college rather than the university his mother graduated from, because the first year or two is just basic requirements, the CC offers them in a straight transfer program, and the cost is less than a third what the university costs for a full-time student. That way if he does well, he can get into the scholarship system quickly, including those from university when it’s time to make the change.

Tuition at our Community College is less than $700 per semester, which leaves $300 from the basic level Pell Grant to pay for everything else. $300 won’t even buy him lunch, so saving on the cost of books – which can often add up to tuition for the course – is required. Luckily, the CC here knows it’s in an official “economically depressed region” and offers cool alternatives. Most courses have online sources for lesson material, so students needn’t purchase textbooks at all. There’s also a lively book exchange, a used book option, and even a lending library on campus. So we’re hoping to get by at least the first year without having to buy any books at all.

At higher levels, however, he’s going to WANT to purchase books – he’ll want to keep them forever, as source material he can readily access in his future life. So I have found a couple of sources of very good information on how to save a bundle on college textbooks. If you’ve got someone in or getting ready for college, the tips will serve you very well! Check them out:

10 Tips: Save on college textbooks
MSNBC: 10 ways to save on college textbooks

The Beauty and Style site List Maven has posted a linky article entitled…

35 Accessories Made From Recycled Materials

It’s truly imaginative. I particularly like the crocheted plastic grocery bag necklace, though I use my plastic grocery bags as trash basket liners if I forget to take my many forever re-usable canvas bags to the store with me. And I’ll definitely have to make my grandson those computer key cuff links for the prom, since he’s determined to win the Duck brand Scholarship for best Duct Tape tuxedo…

If you enjoy Selena’s video, don’t forget to check out her blog! There’s plenty more knowledge where that came from…

Previous Posts About Thrifting:

Thrifting: It’s An Art Form!
Credit Crunch: How to Survive the Recession
Living on Less: The Alternative Economies
The Payoff: Thrifting and Re-Selling
Free Yourself from Debtor’s Prison
Tips for Avoiding Pressure to Shop
Craig’s List: Great Resource or Scary Place?

A good friend read my post It’s Better than Cheap… It’s Free! and mentioned Craigslist as another very useful resource for the sale and exchange of items, along the lines of the Freecycle Network. I had never made use of Craigslist and wasn’t very familiar with how it works, so in this post let’s look at what it actually has to offer those of us trying to live well on limited budgets.

Craigslist is a lot broader in scope than the Freecycle Network, which maintains local sites devoted exclusively to the exchange of ‘stuff’ for free – you advertise what you have to give away or want someone to give to you, and responses are routed through the administrators (sans personal information) to facilitate the exchange. In contrast, Craigslist advertises community news, businesses and services, housing, personals, for sale items and job openings (or wanteds), just like your local newspaper’s want ads – but much, much moreso!

There are local lists serving most cities and a lot of countries, just like for Freecycle Network. If your needs are fairly general, Craigslist might be more useful for some things than simple freecycling, given that it also has a section that basically IS freecycling. The list also offers a section for bartering, where you can exchange something you have or can do for something you want or need. Bartering is part of the notorious “underground economy” the IRS is constantly frustrated in trying to tax, but let’s face it – the government would be better advised to try and get its money from people who actually have money, rather than from people who have little to none.

Craigslist was founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark in the San Francisco Bay area. He incorporated in 1999, and now operates with a staff of 24 people. It does charge fees to place ads unless the exchange involves no money. In 2004 eBay purchased a 25% stake in the company, but so far that hasn’t changed its nature. The company projects an annual revenue for 2007 in the $150 million range – this is not a non-profit enterprise.

It hasn’t been without its controversies, either. in 2006 Craigs List was sued by the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for allegedly allowing users to post discriminatory housing ads in Chicago that violate the Fair Housing Act. That suit was dismissed as more stringent rules were applied. The list also got in a bit of trouble in 2006 for publishing email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, photos, etc. in its ‘personals’ sections, something the Freecycle Network guards studiously against with its admin firewall on direct communications. In September of 2007 a woman pled guilty to running an underage prostitution ring through the list, and in October a young woman was found murdered after replying to a list ad for a babysitting job. These are the very type of things responsible social site managers should take real precautions against, no matter how much money they’re making.

Craigslist has been criticized for being a lot like Wal-Mart in local communities, where it challenges local small businesses like the retail giant does. Yet for those of us who honestly cannot afford to spend money we don’t have on some overpriced item from Mom&Pop – or who just refuse to do it – who’s complaining?

But as long as you’re careful – and that advice is good no matter what resources you’re using to help stretch your budget – Craigslist does look to be a useful resource for exchange, barter, selling used items (when you don’t want to give them away), finding ‘gigs’, part or full time jobs, and the community forums might put you in touch with people who share your interests. It can be a good way to advertise a home business or art/craft items you make and wish to sell, and it does offer free ads for free items/services and local volunteer efforts of all varieties.

If you’re interested in checking out Craigslist generally or locally, the links below will get you started. Any reports from readers about their experiences with the list will be helpful too, so don’t hesitate to comment!

Links:

Craigslist Sites

Craig’s list Overview

Great tips about using Craigslist

How to stay away from Craigslist Scams and frauds

Wikipedia: Craigslist

Way, way back in 2004 Grist Magazine published an article entitled Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now about a cool new environmentally friendly idea called “Freecycling.” Begun in 2003 by Deron Beal, a recycling program worker in Tucson, Arizona, freecycling is a network of people with ‘stuff’ they don’t want to throw away to take up landfill space, but don’t want to keep either. It’s a way of getting rid of stuff by giving it to someone who wants it, and you’d be surprised at some of the great stuff there is to be had for free!

Beal’s listserve is The Freecycle Network and it’s really taken off in the last few years. The network’s main page is minimal, offering a simple search field into which you type your locality, and which returns the address of the freecycle group closest to you. Currently the network boasts 4,226 groups with 4,338,000 members all over the world. It’s a totally grassroots non-profit movement of people exchanging stuff for free with their neighbors. Groups have been springing up on their own too, and stuff moves quickly.

Sometimes it’s a gallon or two of paint leftover from someone who didn’t use all 5 gallons when painting the living room. Sometimes it’s furniture that’s either redundant or in need of a little repair. It could be a refrigerator, an ugly but serviceable car, gravel or fill dirt, computers, radios, CD players or old VCRs, bags of cement, unused exercise equipment, even yard sheds and occasional horses. Freecycling is a fun way to exchange pretty much anything that’s not quite junk but you don’t want any more. And while you’re on the list to put up your notice, you might well find something someone else is giving away that is just the thing you desire! There are even some teachers who use the network to collect stuff for projects or used books, even extra classroom supplies.

You can get rid of the last 20 years’ worth of National Geographics taking up space in the basement, but not the last 20 years’ worth of girlie magazines. There are some rules, freecycling networks are user friendly and safe for kids.

My local freecycle group – which I just joined – lists the basic rules clearly…

1. All posts to Freecycle must be for FREE TANGIBLE ITEMS ONLY. No info posts allowed. No offers to BUY or SELL items.

2. Keep it Free, Legal and Appropriate for all ages. If it requires a Prescription or a License then it is not allowed on Freecycle. No alcohol, firearms, pornography, etc.

3. All posts need to be headed properly in the subject line along with the item! There are 4 headings that should be used: Offer, Wanted, Taken or Received. Please do not use Pending or Needed.

4. Do not include any personal info such as: PHONE NUMBERS, ADDRESSES, FINANCIAL INFO, LIVING SITUATION, etc. in your posts. This is for safety reasons.

5. If you post a wanted you must wait 30 days before posting the same wanted again.

6. No politics, spam, money, proselytizing, personal attacks or business advertising. This includes signature lines.

7. Members cannot have Freecycle as any part of their ID or address.

8. No yard sale postings, ever. No “come and get it” type postings either.

Seems pretty simple, eh? Now that I’m official, what’s on my local list? Lots of wanteds, nothing much I can help with. So I look at the offers…

There’s an old teacher’s desk with 3 working drawers on the front, splitting veneer. A Wardrobe in “great” condition with dresser drawers. I could sure use one of those, but alas just several posts down… it’s taken. There’s a coffee table I don’t need and a puppy I sure don’t want. Two remote controls, a vacuum cleaner needing some repairs, some king size bedding and a mattress, 2 refrigerators and a stove. A rural mailbox with post, a baby gate, dog crate, 3 small chests of drawers, a kitchen table with 4 chairs, 2-drawer file cabinet, three mattress and box spring sets, some maternity and baby clothes, curtains, book bags, back packs, used books, several lunchboxes and a motorcycle. A working window air conditioner, some computer equipment, 2 ceiling fan/light units, a pair of vintage radios, bedframes and headboards, crutches and velcro braces, 6 doors plus some windows, a working dishwasher and several boxes of miscellaneous toys. Not to mention the sleeper sofa and the Jacuzzi (no pump or heater). And that was just the first 3 pages, from January 1 not quite through January 2!

I do believe I’ve found Thrifter’s Paradise!

Just last week The New York Times published about freecycling in an article entitled Unconsumption. As Steve Portigal, who founded a San Francisco freecycle group, said, “Getting something you need and getting rid of something you don’t need are both satisfying as problems solved.” Not to mention that in our consumerist society most people have way more stuff than they need, and lots of them pay money every month just to keep excess stuff in storage units where nobody’s using it at all!

If Freecycling looks like a great idea to you, check out your area’s group and start playing the give/get game!

Links:

Unconsumption

Freecycling groups spurn the landfill and spawn goodwill

The Freecycle Network

Don’t Dump That!

At our house we’ve been getting the winter flannels, sweaters, long johns, excess blue jeans and coats out of the boxes and closets they’ve been hiding in since last spring, and I am once again amazed at how much of this stuff we’ve got. I gave up long ago trying to figure out where it all comes from, since it just seems to show up in my laundry, in 55-gallon trash bags in the shed, piled into storage nooks and crannies, etc. A lot of it doesn’t really fit anybody in my family, and I’ve suspected more than once that old clothes stashed away like that reproduce in the dark just like wire coat hangers do…

I’m usually amazed as well at how much of this excess fabric is frayed, holey or otherwise compromised enough not to be wearable without major repair (and they’ll still look pretty ragged). These are the kind of old clothes the Goodwill doesn’t want, you can’t really use, and would most likely end up taking space in a landfill somewhere if you don’t do something else with it.

Luckily, there are some really cool things you can do with all these cast-aways that will turn them into coveted gifts for your loved ones and items you may not want to give away when you’re done with them.

All those unraveling old sweaters would make an excellent lap or baby quilt. It takes some care, but could become a regular family heirloom for just the right person. Cut off the sweater body from right underneath the arms, and then cut off the cinch-ribbing at the bottom. Open one side seam and you’ve got a rectangle about 18″ wide and 3′ long. If there are holes in the body, you can cut away that part.

You’ll want to sew the strip or square to an underlining of lightweight muslin (or material from an old sheet) to prevent it from unraveling. I’d go ahead and zig-zag behind the fine straight stitch as well, just to make the quilt last longer through many washings. The pieces can be large or relatively small, regular or irregular in shape. Just piece them together into the size of quilt you want, and sew them together in the usual way. Line with thin quilt batting and line with flannel. I like flannel for the edging too. Tie-quilt it with color-coordinating yarn or buttons 8-10 inches apart.

The sweater bodies can also be turned into throw pillows, and arm sections can be stitched together to make winter scarves and hats, or mitten liners. Old Christmas-themed sweaters or sweatshirts can be used to make Christmas stockings or tree skirts. The cut off cuffs and waistband ribs of sweaters can be turned into nice coozies for drinks, and smaller squares of sweaters make nice potholders and oven mitts.

Again underline with muslin and sew the panels right-sides together on three sides. Turn it inside out, turn the fourth edge under and whipstitch.

You might even consider making stuffed animals out of old sweaters. They’re automatically cuddly, and make great Teddy bears, rabbits or other stuffed critters.

Old blue jeans can also be cut and stitched into some nifty items. There is of course the basic blue jeans quilt, but think about the possibilities of a quilted blue jeans slipcover for your couch, or even upholstery! The pockets make useful TV remote holders or a place to stash pens and note pads, etc. Cut off the legs where they join the crotch and sew the bottom with a double seam, maybe some beaded or yarn fringe, attach a sturdy strap made from material from the legs and you’ve a fine purse. Put a rope through the belt loops to cinch it, or attach a flap cut from leg material.

If you’ve got teenage boys (as we do around here) you’ve probably got some of those baggy, big-legged jeans with destroyed pant bottoms where they’ve been dragged on the ground and walked on. There’s enough material in those pant legs to make some nice shopping totes or book bags. I’ve even seen a used jeans backpack with rivets and pockets all over the place!

Jeans Couch by Karen Robbins

The only thing I’d add to your imaginings of the nifty things you could make out of all those old jeans, is the idea of leaving a topside raw edge when you’re quilting the pieces together, still using the double seam. As the material is handled these raw edges will fray, or you can help them along by pulling the weft. Looks comfy.

Check out some of the great links below to get you going, and follow some of their links to patterns and helpful hints. One of the most coveted of Christmas gifts among my family and friends over the years are new-and-better comforters, quilts and pillow covers, along with the hats, scarves and mitten-liners that go in the stockings. Tell us about some of the cool things you’ve done with old clothes!

Links:

Textile Fusion: Project Workshops

Blue Jean Blankie

Blue-Jean Bed Skirt

Frugal Life: Blue Jeans

Blue Jeans Quilts

Wise Bread: 25 Things To Do With Old Jeans

Simply Thrifty: 13 Things You Can Make Out of Your Old Blue Jeans

Thrifty Fun: Craft Uses for Old Jeans

Deborah over at Simply Thrifty blog offered a great humorous post not long ago entitled 6 Uses for Your Old Bathtub, which speaks creatively for the wonderful world of recycling. Having remodeled and expanded our bathroom not too many years ago and installing a low-flow toilet, it occurs to me that some ideas for recycling your old toilet and sink are in order.

You could make a tub sofa or a nice fish and lily pond for your garden or patio, or just do what we did with our old clawfoot tub – we put it out at the edge of the back yard’s campfire, barbecue, campground and horseshoe area to serve as the 9th hole for the top-nine of our disc golf course. It does double duty for icing down kegs, sodas and juice during our annual extended family gatherings.

Toilets are a little trickier to recycle as yard art without upsetting the neighbors (we don’t have any neighbors, so the old toilet that serves as the 11th and 17th hole of the bottom nine doesn’t cause any uproar), but it can be done tastefully. Depending, of course, on your taste and your neighbors’ appreciation thereof.

Of course, some clever toilet art can spur some great opportunities to plot minor rebellion and civil disobedience with like-minded neighbors, just for the fun of it. The notorious Anderson Township Toilet Planter Protest managed to get just a bit out of hand when people weren’t satisfied just putting plastic flowers in the bowls and political bumper stickers on the tanks, but started planting their toilet brushes too. The teenagers enjoyed it and the protest enjoyed some lively press coverage.

It’s an idea that seems to be catching on in other places too. The BBC recently reported on the infamous Italian Toilet Art Row, and the Eugene [Oregon] Weekly reports about toilets being The Jewels of Junk.

Of course, you could make a nice combination planter-birdbath as a centerpiece to your yard, or just a plain planter as part of a nicely arranged living still life. You could even recycle the old toilet inside the house with a nifty new invention for a Hydroponic Planter Box…

The invention provides a hydroponic planter which doubles as a cover for a common toilet tank. The planter includes reservoir for holding plants supported in a hydroponic growth medium. The reservoir has several openings through which wicks extend to bring water from the toilet tank to the interior of the reservoir. The openings are arranged so that the wicks do not interfere with the flush mechanism of the toilet tank.

Clever, eh? Alternet has a fun list of nifty uses for used toilets in When Good Toilets Do Bad Things. What interesting, clever, artsy or in-your-face things have you done with your old toilets? I’d sure love to hear some ideas, so submit away!

Links:

Hydroponic Planter Box

Protest fence made from toilets (and toilet brushes)

Anderson Township Toilet Planter Protest

When Good Toilets Do Bad Things

Some people get into the economics of living on less because they don’t have much of a choice. Others get into alternatives because they believe our living-beyond-our-means lifestyles are harmful both to ourselves and to the environment. Either way, it’s good to know that there are alternatives, and plenty of room for people to invent their own levels of participation.

The ‘Money Economy’ is the one most people live in here in the modern world. It causes us to trade our lives – our time, our talents, our energy – for a certain valuation calculated in cash, and in that economy different people have different value placed on their lives. Women are still worth less than men, even in the same jobs with the same responsibilities. Women also tend to have to work more hours than men do, despite also being saddled with most of the housekeeping, child-rearing and food preparation jobs.

Minority workers are also valued poorly, as are teen workers and entry-level jobs in all sectors are notorious for paying less than it takes to live, eat, and repay student loans for that semi-worthless college degree.

Many people living on little in cities have figured out that getting a part-time second or third job waiting tables in a restaurant or tending bar offers a system work-around providing daily cash income (useful for daily cash expenditures) as well as a way to avoid tax “bracket creep” that hits so many these days when April comes around and they find the raise they got last year not only didn’t pay for the increase in health care insurance, but also got eaten up entirely by new income taxes. Very frustrating.

Many others who live in smaller towns or in rural environments by choice have learned to master some ways of working whole new ‘systems’ of trade for goods and services, effectively dropping out of the ‘Money Economy’ almost completely.

I’ve talked a little about Thrifting for clothing, household goods, materials for ‘making your own’ gifts and crafts for sale or trade. Also discussed was using the renovation and recycling industry for durable consumer goods and major appliances, which avoids hefty credit charges and the most frustrating aspect of such purchases – the fact that about half of them will break down or wear out before you’ve paid for them.

Words of advice for living on less include:

Localize:
Buy locally whenever you can. Your friends and neighbors offer many of the food items, recycled appliances and furniture, etc. that your family may need. You’ll get to know them, they’ll get to know you, and you’ll find that often your neighbors are more than willing to engage in barter with you for what you have to offer. Even better, as your circle grows you’ll find that much of value comes around free, when they’d just as soon give you the item than have to haul it somewhere to sell for a few bucks.

Reduce & Reuse:
Reduce the sheer amount of junk you accumulate, and think up ways to reuse things when they do become junk – these can be valuable barter items for you. An old treadle sewing machine cabinet can be refinished into an very nice homework desk, houseplant stand, or even cabinet for a brand new (portable) sewing machine. Salvage the good wood from old furniture and cabinets, to recycle into new shelving. And whatever you do, don’t forget that aluminum cans, old copper wiring and tubing, old metal roofing, etc. brings cash (and gets out of your way) if you simply take it to a scrap metal yard to sell.

Make Stuff:
Whatever you can make for yourself is something you don’t have to buy. Of course this is important for meals, putting up garden harvests, clothes (learn how to sew!), etc. It also works for art and craft projects, that can either be sold or bartered. These can be as simple as painting rocks as animals or flowers (great garden accents), producing clocks with sports team motifs, pressing and decoupaging herb and wildflowers for wall hangings, etc. Someone out there will want what you make, and be happy to trade for it.

Stay out of Debt:
This is a hard one, but by keeping your eyes open and spending a little time tracking things down, it’s really not that hard to avoid debt for most things. Housing and utilities are always a chunk out of an income, whether you work outside the home or not, whether you rent or own. Avoid cable television (what good is it?), first-run movies, eating out, and the desire to wander aimlessly around the electronics store at the mall building up desire for huge flat-screen televisions, monster stereo systems and other such expensive consumer ‘stuff’. If you’ve lived this long without it, you probably don’t need it. Keep reminding yourself of that.

Check out your local and regional weekend flea markets, second hand stores, and farmers’ markets. Attend some of your area’s local artisan festivals, get to know folks and what they do. If you drive an older vehicle, find out who the area’s most reliable shade-tree mechanic is, and show him some respect. You’ll need him on a semi-regular basis, it’s always good to be on his friend-list.

When you trade the ‘Money Economy’ for your own freedom, you’ll have a lot more time to do with as YOU please. Just bear in mind that you’ll still have to use a big chunk of that time – and as many of your talents as you can put to work – obtaining the things you need to live. It can be an immensely rewarding and enriching experience even if you only end up spending a few years of your life learning how “the other half” lives.

Links:

Voluntary simplicity versus poverty

Penny Pincher’s Almanac

The news is bad. The “housing bubble” has burst, job growth has become job loss, and the cost of credit is going nowhere but through the roof. It looks like the ‘shoestring’ some of us have been living on for awhile now just got a little more frayed.

While there is lots of moaning and groaning about how bad things are getting out in the real world of trying to make do, there’s not a whole lot of good advice about how the middle class can hope to survive the crunch. I’ve surfed around a bit and found a few pages offering real help and analysis, and have linked those at the bottom of this entry.

First and foremost, it’s going to be important for middle class homeowners to hold on to their property through the duration of the coming recession. Though easy credit in the recent past has saddled many homeowners with second mortgages, the interest rates have been at record lows for those with pretty good credit ratings. Many homeowners used that money to pay down other debts (cars, credit cards, other high interest consumer loans, etc.) rather than to add physical value to their homes (new roofing, siding, windows, etc.), so now is not the time to try and sell.

So the best advice is to hang on – rearrange your family’s spending habits and learn to do without a lot of the consumerist ‘extras’ you may have become used to buying on a regular basis. In other words, people need to change their habits as well as their expectations. And perhaps in the process discover that life really isn’t just a game of ‘stuff’ collecting… that happiness doesn’t come with a hefty price tag.

If you’ve paid down other debt with a second mortgage, you’re in good shape if you didn’t get one of those adjustable rate scams. The 6-8% interest rate on mortgages is not only a tax deduction for those who itemize, it’s one of the cheapest forms of credit overall. Paying off that car is always a good idea, as auto loans are ridiculously expensive, and gas prices aren’t going to be going down any time soon – it costs us more and more just to get to and from work these days. Credit cards are also expensive, and about to get more expensive as companies make use of the contract fine print to raise the rates to whatever they like, and card holders have nothing to say about it.

Best advice on that is to cut up those cards now and make up your mind to either pay cash for purchases or do without. In this effort, the adventure of Thrifting for clothes and other household items can become a fun pastime for couples and families without breaking the budget. Should you find yourself in sudden need of a major appliance, there is a whole world of second-hand recycling out there that might surprise the average American consumer used to always buying things brand new and on credit.

We’ve probably purchased a total of maybe 4 or 5 major appliances new in the entire course of our 38-year marriage. Mostly long ago, when we were relatively ‘rich’ by middle class standards. Usually when the washing machine or dryer or refrigerator or hot water heater gives up its last gasp, we go looking in the local “SuperShopper” style newsprints prevalent in most good-sized cities and towns.

One of the consequences of our modern ‘mobile’ society and burgeoning divorce rates is that there is always someone selling nearly new furniture and appliances at a small fraction of their original price. I’ve bought fine matched washer-dryer duos for less than $200, working refrigerators for less than $100, and a practically new water heater for $25 cash. Given that such appliances can cost well over a thousand dollars new – which requires an extension of credit and at least a doubling of actual price due to interest rates in usury range – what’s wrong with “Brand New Used?”

Capitalism has its charms, as does consumerism. But mostly for the wealthy, and the wealthy get a seat at the law and policy making table that the rest of us don’t get. The “trickle-down” does occur, however different that really works from how past Reaganites described it when gifting themselves and their wealthy friends with big tax cuts the rest of us never saw.

One of the best things about new ‘stuff’ is that it costs way too much, loses much of its actual value the moment it’s purchased, yet is manufactured to last a reasonable length of time. This is true of automobiles and trucks, furniture, and major and minor appliances. I bought that nice nearly-new avacado washer-dryer set for $150 when a rich person decided they wanted gold instead. They got what they wanted – and could easily afford, I got what I needed for a heck of a good price.

Recycling of durable consumer goods is a valuable form of recycling, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. If during this coming credit crunch a family can manage to keep their home and put food on the table, they will come out the other side of the cycle with their real assets intact. And may have learned along the way that thrifting and recycling are every bit as much fun as conspicuous consumerism. Maybe more fun! I have friends who claim bragging rights on their recycling or thrifting “find of the month,” and who are noted for their skill in refinishing bargains or turning someone else’s junk into the best gifts and decorations anyone has ever seen.

The next few years are going to be difficult for a lot of people, and many are going to lose everything they have. Don’t let it be you!

First-rate thinking on second-hand goods

MSNBC: Voodoo debt and the coming recession

Coming: recession, stagflation, trade wars and oil shock

Advice for recession-scarred job seekers