O4D asked:


Do you have cable? Could you do without it? Do you home cook your own food? Are you still buying processed foods? Are you choosing fast food over healthy food? Still buying bottled water? Do you drive your car or take public transportation? What do you do to conserve various types of energy? What do you suggest we do as a people to help the economy?

Brooklyn

5 Responses to “Considering the state of the economy, What price are you willing to pay for continued convenience?”

1. F.O.B. on December 18th, 2009 2:02 am

   Gabriella

   i would pay dog shat

2. Mikey Mike on December 20th, 2009 9:22 pm

   Maria

   Invest extra money in economy it will come back eventually in 20 years your money would triple in the in 1980 i invested in gold at $350 an OZ its at $900 now and use public transportation.

3. jackofwands on December 22nd, 2009 8:52 am

   Isabelle

   Wont give up cable
   I cook at home - mostly beans and rice, fresh vegetables, whole grains
   I filter my water (Britta)
   I sold my car. Just using bus, train and mostly walking everywhere
   Living in a condo… utilities are low - good insulation

   And what do we do to help the economy? hmmm. Live within our means, i.e. save up money to buy things. Never buy on credit. Work hard at your job. And be nice to each other.

4. Jane on December 24th, 2009 9:53 pm

   Kimberly

   Yes I have cable, and could possibly do without it, begrudgingly
   Yes I home cook my food
   No I don’t buy processed foods per se, I do buy peanut butter, jam, etc and those things where it would be prohibitive to make myself
   I rarely eat fast food, I just don’t care for it
   I buy water in gallons, I have a well which is located next to fields which are heavily fertilized with chemicals (corn and soy beans grow there) so my water isn’t safe to consume
   I drive, there is no public transportation of any kind in my area, not even cabs
   I use compact fluorescent bulbs exclusively, keep the heat down, wear sweaters and don’t waste water
   I would be more than happy to contribute to the expansion of our economy if someone would hire me, I’ve been looking very actively for months. I do not collect from any government programs, I am living on my savings,.

5. Wanderlust on December 25th, 2009 12:07 am

   Jack

   I have always been super-frugal (don’t have cable, cook most of my own food, don’t buy bottled water, bike/walk or take public transport when I can, shop at consignment/discount stores, etc). I don’t know where I could cut back.

   As a people, I think we need to begin investing in our communities. Take public transportation when and where you can. Not only will it save you money, it will also put money into the city to improve those services; without full patronization, such services are expensive.

   Donate old books to your local library instead of throwing them out.

   Clip coupons from your Sunday paper; it’s FREE MONEY!

   Prepare/cook your own food whenever possible; even the cost of frozen ready-to-steam broccoli is expensive compared to just buying the raw heads, washing, chopping and then steaming them.

   Buy from Farmer’s Markets instead of the supermarket (I just saw “Organic Broccoli from China” the other day . . . oxymoron anyone?)

   Use canvas or re-usable bags for shopping instead of plastic bags

   Take your lunch to work a few days a week instead of splurging at the local restaurant or cafeteria

   Stock away what you can in your company’s pre-tax 401k. I know the market is sucky right now, but pre-tax is FREE MONEY, especially if your company offers a match. Once things go back up, you will be one wealthy little kiddo

   Find free, fun community activities to do. Meetup.com is a great place to start and find cheap, entertaining ways to meet new people with common interests

   This is the time we need to come together and help each other. We can do this by being proactive, involved citizens and finding the value in non-material items.