Lessons in Downward Mobility
I appreciate that our government is attempting to do all kinds of fancy stuff to fix the sinking ship of our economy. I wish them well. I really do. But let's be real for a second. The downward turn is not really the problem. It's the solution. I would argue, in fact, that the recent unpleasantness is actually the free market waking up from its slumber and reasserting itself into the insanity we've constructed over the last twenty or so years.But that's a whole other story.I could get all theoretical on you over this stuff, but what I really want to share are some hard-won lessons from life on the rollercoaster of Upward/Downward Mobility. You see, we here at McWoof Worldwide Enterprises have been on this 'coaster a few times. We basically live at the amusement park. We're both freelance artists. Right now we happen to be on an up-tick, but we've faced the gloomy spectre of downward mobility more than once in the past. Learn from us.Trick #1: Face Reality.It's not as bad as it seems. I know you think you need all the stuff you surround yourself with, but you don't. Get rid of it, reduce your intake, and start appreciating the space you create around yourself when you streamline your lifestyle. Example: You know what's a really delicious lunch that I bet you haven't eaten since grade school? Peanut butter and jelly. You know what's more fun than dinner at a restaurant with your pals? Dinner at home with your pals. The list goes on.Trick #2: Face reality EARLYWoofy and I are not on this 'coaster for kicks. We're on it because we have to be. But we're smart about it. We make sure to start cutting our costs BEFORE things get dire. In this way, we've been able to weather the lean times while bootstrapping ourselves into a decent way of life without ever having to sacrifice our chosen professions. If you wait too long, you leave yourself with no choices. Money doesn't expire. Save it and it will be there when you need it. I know. It's not rocket science. It's what your Depression-era grandparents would tell you. But most of them aren't here any more so we have to re-animate those lessons.Trick #3: Get Medieval On YourselfWhy save a little when you can save a lot? Here's a great trick that always works for us. Stop using credit cards and switch to cash. Now, figure out how much you really have to spend each week on essentials and non-essentials. Once you've deducted the fixed costs, like rent, electricity, etc, come up with a number for things like food, clothing, transport, etc. that will allow you to weather the lean times and save some money. Then convert that number into a weekly cash allotment. Once a week (I always pick Friday), withdraw that amount from an ATM. Do not return to the ATM until the following Friday. Do not use credit cards when you've run out of money. Have peanut butter on hand for when you blow it all on a mid-week drinking binge and have nothing left to spend until Friday. Cut yourself no slack. You'd be surprised how quickly you learn to stop throwing money away when it's a physical, tangible thing that only gets replenished once a week. At the end of the week, if you have money left, stick it in an envelope and, after a while, if you're like Woofy and me, you'll find that you have a few extra bucks to blow on a fancy night out in a few weeks. Boy, will you enjoy that night out. Savings: huge. Quality of life reduction: none. Every time Woofy and I have done the above, we always ask ourselves why ever stop doing it. It's kind of fun.So there you have it. The economy is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. If you're one of the lucky ones who still has a job, why not start preparing now for the lean times to come. They'll come. Believe me. But if you get ahead of it all now you can ride it out rather than getting smushed on the tracks.