Has anyone else noticed that the price of just about everything is up lately? Food, clothing, toiletries, soaps – all of the every day items have gone up in price, and some in a very large way.
This is all thanks to our little friend called inflation. These goods don’t cost a ton more to produce, but the dollar that we buy them with isn’t worth as much as it was just a few years ago. So, basically, every time we buy something we might expect it to cost us more, even though we don’t make more, the next time we purchase it.
There really isn’t too much we can do to slow this down, from what I understand. But perhaps we can mitigate some of this slow train wreck with a few mindful decisions. And I think many of these are starting to be practiced by many families.
1. Narrow Down Your Needs and Stock Up
I actually kind of abhor hoarding in my own home. I can’t stand clutter, even though you may not know that by walking in the front door. So never would I advocate piling goods to the ceiling in order to buy them ahead of time.
What I do think is a good idea, however, is to truly narrow down your basic needs and then see if there is a way to buy a few more of those now rather than later. Toilet paper, writing utensils, and basic food stuffs like rice might be on a lot of people’s lists, for instance. So next time you buy these things buy double or triple, depending on your storage ability, and avoid paying more down the road.
2. Buy and Sell in Things Beside the Dollar
It is far too easy to think that because we have always done something one way, that is the right way. But going outside of that box may be more helpful.
Consider the needs you have, the goods or services that you produce, and those around you who might be willing to barter with you. You may not live next door to a toilet paper maker, but you might be able to find someone producing food, clothing, music lessons, or dozens of other things.
3. Find Ways to Eliminate Your Needs
No matter how dependent we are on others to produce our needs, we can all benefit from an evaluation of what we’re buying, what we truly need, and what we can start doing to eliminate those needs.
So if your list includes food items think about putting in some garden beds, gathering a flock of chickens in your yard, or bartering with a neighbor who owns a milk cow. If your list includes clothing think of ways you can use more second hand clothing, or better yet learn to make your own.
If your list includes toilet paper then consider ways to use less, go without (gasp!), or stock up like you mean it.
All of these suggestions are good an will help
My question is what have our politicians done to
tighten their belts
Oh I forgot they are above it all
We’re doing well with #1 and #3, but haven’t found people to barter with around here. I like the idea, though…maybe some day we’ll get to live someplace where it is doable.
Great tips. I have found that the third one to be most beneficial for reducing expenses. It’s amazing what you can really live without!
Perhaps this is TMI, but we really have found a way to reduce our toilet paper usage by using cloth wipes for cleaning up after #1. We are still in the diaper stage, so it’s no big deal to wash extra wipes with the cloth diapers. We made this step after getting rid of kleenex (by using homemade kandkerchiefs), paper towels (by using wash rags) and paper napkins. We just keep a medium-sized trash can in the laundry room (ours is in a pretty central location) to collect the kerchiefs and rags until the next washing. I have a small wipes receptacle in the bathroom that occasionally gets emptied into the dirty diaper bin. These changes might be too extreme for some, but it’s worked nicely for us. It cuts cost while also simplifying my grocery list. That said, we do keep a box of kleenex stored away to bring out for guests. And we do use toilet paper, we just don’t go through it so fast anymore.
check your local craigslist for the barter section.
Recently here in MPLS they shut down the swappers club that had been going strong. It was a place where people could make their own home goods and come together and exchange their goods for other things people had. No money was exchanged. However, the gov. decided to step in and I believe said they were violating health codes and had to have special permits in order to “sell” their product. In the mind of the gov. exchanging items of equal value was the same as paying for something so then those items being “sold” had to comply to normal food and other state regulations. It’s beyond disappointing to hear about and ridiculous to think that the gov. can try and stop us from exchanging our foods or other products with one another. It’s going to keep getting harder and harder to think outside of the box and be creative with ways to not spend money in the typical fashion.
I am working on number three. It’s harder to do sometimes than people realize, until you are forced to. Recognizing a need versus a want is a very important part of life and something that has been lost to many of us for a very long time.
Regarding toilet paper, Dr. Mercola sells a simple “bidet” that installs onto a regular toilet. I was intrigued, having never thought of it before. I imagine using this might even use less water than washing cloth wipes (which I’m not sure I could get on board with despite using cloth diapers, etc.)