Ignore the doom and gloom, it’ll just make you depressed. Instead, make a few adjustments to your lifestyle and rediscover all the fun you can have without visiting the shops.
You’ll not only survive but thrive – despite the recession.
There’s no doubt the next 12 months are going to be tough but while the politicians may be exhorting us to work harder and tighten our belts, is that really going to change the world – or simply get us back to the point where things started to go wrong in the first place?
Every cloud, they say, has a silver lining, so here’s the Make it and Mend it 5 Step plan to making yourself recession proof, feeling good and having fun.
Step 1 Happiness is in your head – not your wallet
If we feel good about ourselves we’re less like to impulse buy or overeat, so making yourself recession-proof starts by making changes to the way we (and our kids) think about and use money. And finding other things that make us happy.
» Money management 2012 style – get your brain into gear
» Catching the Make and Mend it bug while you’re young
» Using gardening as a tonic
Step 2 Liberate yourself from the high street
It can be great to go shopping and give yourself a treat now and then, but there’s so much fun to be had that doesn’t involve retail therapy.
» Forget buying new clothes – invest in a sewing course
» Don’t throw that dress away – learn how to revamp it!
» Appliance breakdown - fix it with the right spares and instructions
Step 3 Grow your own
Cultivating our own food can have the biggest single impact on our finances – and the environment. Focus your attention on easy to grow greens and, as the weather gets better, soft fruit and more expensive vegetables – which will have the biggest impact on your supermarket bill.
» Beat the frost – grow winter veg indoors
» Get an allotment – ask the experts
» The garden is blooming – more of us are into GYO
Step 4 Cut the cost of major bills
The post can be a real downer, particularly at this time of year, when everything seems to be a winter heating bill. Most regular bills are for essentials but you can cut their cost…
» Keeping home insurance costs down
» Keeping motor insurance costs down
» Cutting heating bills
Step 5 Join the revolution
If you’re not a Make it and Mend it member already – join us. Become part of a FREE community that’s bubbling with ideas they’re eager to share. We all want to know your recipe for ‘left over turkey stew’, or how to turn last year’s coat into this year’s stylish jacket – and we’ll share what we can do with you.
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