There are a lot of people today who insist that you can’t really save any money when there’s a recession going on, but that’s simply not the case. It can be done, but it’s certainly true that it can be more difficult when times are harder. Being creative with your saving during financially tight times also means that you have to be creative with your spending, and that’s something that you can do with a few good ideas. One thing you shouldn’t do is buy into all of the hype going around that says you can’t save any money in a recession and that you’ll go broke because you won’t even be able to make as much as you’re spending.
Recession times are generally easier overall on people who were already savers and not spenders, because those people usually have some money already put back for stressful times. When there is a nest egg in the bank the recession won’t have that much of an effect on you unless it continues for a very long time, and with that being the case you know that you can just lower your spending a little bit and you’ll generally be just fine. For people who have always been spenders, though, things are a little bit more difficult, since they didn’t save much in the past, don’t have a nest egg, and won’t be that likely to try to save money in the future, especially when there’s a recession going on and they are already seeing their dollar’s worth shrink.
No matter whether you’ve been a saver or a spender in the past, though, you can learn how to hang on to your money even when there’s a recession and there’s not as much money available to you. In fact, that’s one of the best times to start saving because you might need that money at a later date, depending on how long the recession continues. If you can learn to save during a recession and live below your means, you’ll be much more able to continue saving once the recession has ended and there is a lot more money out there for you to acquire and hang onto.
The basic formula for saving during a recession (or any other time that you want to put some money back) is that you have to spend less than you make. Take, for example, people who buy their lunch out every day and stop on the way to work to get a morning coffee. These people are spending a whole lot of money and they probably don’t even realize how much it’s costing them, but they could save a great deal of money – sometimes hundreds of dollars each month – if they would simply make their coffee at home and pack a lunch to take to work with them instead of spending money out all of the time.
Another way that people can save during a recession is by not spending so much on the foods that they cook for dinner and not eating so heavily, because a lot of people simply buy whatever sounds good at the grocery store and they don’t pay any attention to sales and other ways of getting food that’s a little bit cheaper but just as good for them. If you’ll take the time to look for sales you can get things that are buy-one, get-one, half price, or on sale with a coupon – but don’t let coupons fool you, since many times the name brand with a coupon discount still costs more than the store brand and really tastes about the same. It could seem like shopping that way is giving up a lot, but if you turn it into a ‘find the best deal’ game with your children, your spouse, or other family members you can make it much more enjoyable to save money.
Don’t buy things that you don’t need just because they’re good deals, either, because it’s not a good deal if you don’t need it, no matter how inexpensive it is. You’ll end up spending money that you really could have (and should have) been saving, and you’ll regret it later on. Make sure to read the sale fliers carefully and make a list of what you’ll need, then go to the store with that list and don’t buy anything extra – you’ll save a lot of money this way because you’ll be paying attention to where your money is actually going when you spend it, making you less likely to spend it frivolously.
You can also keep a journal or other list of how much you’re spending and on what, like a budget. When you budget for things and when you literally track every penny that you’re spending, it’s much easier to see where the money that you’re making is going. By doing that you can better identify areas where you could spend less without a hardship and that will help you save money, even when there’s a recession going on.