How to Survive a Recession

(And Even Profit from One)

Top-10 Ways to Survive a Recession

According to a Class of 10 to 11 Year-Olds

When the fourth- and fifth-graders at Hiawatha Community Elementary School in Minneapolis were asked to define "recession", words such as crisis, banks, jobs, and housing come up.

Then these 10- and 11-year-olds were asked how to survive a recession by saving money and cutting back. Here were their answers: 

Here are the top-5 tips on how to survive a recession from the website http://www.economic0recession.info/.

Quite frankly, I think the fourth- and fifth-graders at Hiawatha Community Elementary School did a much better job in generating useful tips.

NOTE; THERE MAY BE A RECESSION GOING ON BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LET YOUR BRAIN AND FRIENDSHIPS GO INTO RECESSION!

A Great Way to Survive a Recession

from a Reader of The Joy of Not Working

Here is a great way to survive a recession. I just received the following letter from Raúl Mellado in Spain:

Dear Mr. Zelinski,

I am writing from Spain, after reading your book The Joy of Not Working  ( El Placer de no Trabajar, in Spanish), after a recommendation by a friend. I must say it's one of the funniest - yet at the same time useful book I've ever read.

When I told my colleagues I was quitting my job as a computer engineer to move with my girlfriend to a  little island (called La Palma) in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where we had no job, no house; just a couple of best friends living there and nice weather all year long, they all said I was crazy.

Now, looking back, I think it's them who are crazy for staying where they are! I clearly remember one coffee break, talking about what we would do if we won the lottery. And absolutely no one would stay where we were.

So I thought, if you don't like what you do, Why keep doing it?

Here, in order to pay the rent for our flat, my girlfriend takes some
sporadic jobs as a nurse, and I use my computer skills from time to
time on some projects, but most of the time, we are free. We have
reduced our expenses to the minimum, and our capacity to enjoy life
to the maximum.!

We have walks in nature, read the newspaper lying on the  beach, several  books (one per week is our aim,) learn new recipes and cook our slow-food, learn new languages, etc.

I am 26, and she is 24. We are really happy we took this path when
we are relatively young (no young enough to keep awake till 6 am at
a party, anymore), not wasting our lives living for work.

Also, we think this lifestyle, reducing consumption to a minimum
and escaping the vicious consumerism, apart from increasing our happiness, helps our planet, working in favor of its sustainability.

Currently, we are trying to find and develop some kind of business
in which we can enjoy ourselves and have a regular income, not working too hard. Do you have any suggestions?   [ Answer: Yes, read The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations. This is a book that will help you survive a recession]

Now we are looking forward to reading your latest book How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, lying on a beach.

We would like to thank you for all we've learned with your book, and
no need to say, we would really enjoy having your visit over here
one day. Just look for flights to "Santa Cruz de La Palma", in Spain
and let us know what time we should pick you up at the airport.

Best regards from Spain,

Hanna & Raúl

Raúl Mellado
c/ La Portada 11, 2b, Ed. Faco Jose
38700 Santa Cruz de la Palma
(Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
Spain.

P.S. the only complaint so far about The Joy of Not Working is that
we could not find a Swedish version of it, we wanted to buy a copy
for my girlfriends dad, who is considering retiring soon. 

Here are some excerpts and information sources on how to survive a recession: 

From the New York Times: A Recession May Be a Time to Go Back to School by EILEEN ZIMMERMAN

Exerpt:

Q. Might some employers view going to graduate school as a way of “hiding out” during the recession?

A. Because this recession is worse than any in recent memory, there is a common acceptance among employers that people are having a tough time finding jobs, especially in finance and graduate school most likely won’t be seen as an escape hatch.

Q. Will you face stiff competition for admission because others who are unemployed are also heading back to school?

A. Yes, because people often choose to ride out a recession in graduate school. All four previous United States recessions declared since 1980 have corresponded with an upswing in the number of Graduate Management Admissions Tests that are taken. The test is used to gain admission to M.B.A. programs.

Seven Reasons to Welcome a Recession: By Jeffrey Strain who owns and runs SavingAdvice.com. Jeffrey give seven ways that a recession can actually benefit your personal finances:

1. Affordable Homes

2. Low Mortgage Rates

3. Great Consumer Deals

4. Inexpensive Stocks (Also Inexpensive Socks)

5. Great Travel Deals

6. An Opportunity to Streamline Your Finances

7. Lower Credit-Card Rates

From    3 Ways Baby Boomers and Seniors are Coping with the Recession here are three more ways to survive a recession:

From ABC News, see Recession: Retirees Flock Across the Border for Savings:

Copyright 2010 by Ernie Zelinski - All Rights Reserved