Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View

Surviving High Prices

October 03, 2022 Julie @ The Farm Wife Season 1 Episode 27
Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View
Surviving High Prices
Show Notes Transcript

 “In the case of rising prices, you can’t control the price of food, gasoline, or other necessary expenses. Instead, you have to go into survival mode and work even harder to make ends meet.”

Rising prices and food shortages are giving us cause for concern. Our income only stretches so far, and any extra time we have is limited. It may take a bit of work, but with a little thought, a bit of thinking outside the box, and a dose of creativity, you can survive high prices. In this episode you will find tips to help you stretch your income to help you weather the storm of rising costs and still maintain the Simple Life you want to live.

Guide to Surviving High Prices

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Rising prices and food shortages are giving us cause for concern. Our income only stretches so far, and any extra time we have is limited. So how do we survive, and still maintain a happy life?

Why don’t you grab some refreshments and settle into your rocker so we can talk about it. 

Now, first things first. Before you tackle how you can work towards surviving high prices, you need to take a hard look at your finances. In one of our earlier visits, we compared our finances to a fun day sailing on the water. If your boat is sturdy, you can keep sailing as long as you want. 

However, if your boat springs a leak, even a small hole can cause it to take on water, and eventually sink. In normal circumstances, you can look at your budget and income and expense sheets, make a few adjustments, and plug those holes. 

In the case of rising prices, you can’t control the price of food, gasoline, or other necessary expenses. Instead, you have to go into survival mode and work even harder to make ends meet. 

But you can’t go into survival mode if you don’t know where you stand. If you haven’t set up a budget and income and expense sheet, it’s even more important now than ever before to do so. These two financial tools will help you keep your head above water as much as possible. 

If you do have your finances in order, it’s time to dig a bit deeper into some of the basic financial principles of Living a Simple Life. The first one on the list is determining your needs versus your wants. 

Your needs are anything you have to have to survive, such as a roof over your head, clean water, food and clothing. Your wants are things that aren’t required for survival but would be fun to have – such as eating out, expensive trips, and…as much as I hate to say it, additional craft supplies when your craft room is already overflowing. 

Once you have determined what is absolutely necessary, it’s then time to look over your budget and income and expense spreadsheet. 

You still need to pay your mortgage, utilities, and insurance. But what about the extras – such as clothes, entertainment, and dare I say it? Crafting. Yikes! That one hurts me deeply! But another skein of yarn isn’t really a necessity when looking at the big picture. Where clothes are concerned, other than a kid outgrowing theirs, I know I can make do with what is in my closet. And entertainment? I don’t have to go to a movie or eat out. Instead, I can find plenty of less expensive ways to have fun right here at home. Besides, we can console ourselves that these items can always be added back if things get better. 

If things are really financially tight around your house, you may be considering the economic value in going back to the ‘old way’s - putting in a new garden, raising chickens, or getting started with canning. Although I am a serious advocate for all these things, they still cost money up front. On the flip side of the coin, these are also things that may save you money in the future. 

I’m sure you have heard the saying ‘It takes money to make money’. In this case, sometimes it takes money to save money. Knowing what will work in the long run may take doing the math, but overall, I would consider gardening, canning, and raising chickens a great place to put your money. 

However, with that said, let me add this tidbit. If you have never raised chickens before, you really do need to do the math. Not only do you need the birds, but you also need to have safe housing, food, water and food containers, nest boxes, and other supplies. If you live in a city, you may have to adhere to zoning laws. 

If you have never canned your own produce, jams, or jellies, the equipment you need can be a costly upfront purchase. Before you decide to tackle this, consider asking someone you know who cans to teach you. By doing this, you will have a good idea of the time it takes, the supplies you need, and whether or not you even would enjoy doing it.

However, there is one thing I have learned. This may be a case of spending that money to save money. But first make sure you can afford to do it. The key is in doing the math and determining the long-term value of what you are buying. Chickens are an ongoing expense, and at the very least you might break even. 

Canning, on the other hand, especially if you have a garden, is what I call a valid investment. It may take a few years, but eventually you can reduce your grocery budget considerably, just by growing your own food and preserving the surplus. 

There are other ways you can survive high prices. 

One of the first ways is to get in the kitchen. Surviving high prices isn’t just about cooking at home. It is a matter of how you cook. You want to begin by figuring out how to stretch what you have and reduce what you purchase. 

I’m going to base my examples on a family of four. Take a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. In most cases, this is a luxury. Instead of paying $10 to $15 for a package of five, consider buying a whole chicken for roughly $9 and learning how to cut it up. A whole chicken can net you at the very least 8 pieces. If you cut the breasts in half, then you can get 10. 

That one chicken, if handled right, can give you at least two meals. 

If you just have to have the chicken breasts, one package will feed a family of four one time if you use them as is. That means you would spend a minimum of $2.00 per person – and that doesn’t include the vegetables or other side dishes. However, if you use two chicken breasts, cube them and use them in a casserole or stew, you now have two to three additional chicken breasts to use in a different way. 

Knowing how to stretch what you have on hand will move you much closer to surviving high prices. Let’s use Chili Chicken Stew as an example.  This meal includes a can of red kidney beans, chicken breasts, onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, and spices. One recipe will serve 6 people. To make this, it costs approximately $10. If I am feeding a family of four, it costs me $2.50 per person, with enough left over for seconds, if someone is really hungry. I would also have three chicken breasts left over to use in another meal. 

A meal based on a whole chicken breast and two vegetables would cost me approximately $3.00 per person, and no chicken left to use later. 

Think about what you are cooking, and how you can stretch your ingredients or leftovers into more than just one meal. 

Another way to survive high prices is by putting in a garden. Now, some of us don’t have the room to grow everything we eat. But most of us have at least enough room for a couple of containers. Let’s look back at that Chili Chicken Stew. I based the cost of that meal on what it would take for me to purchase all of the ingredients from the store. However, it didn’t really cost me that much, as I grow my own bell peppers and tomatoes, which reduced the overall cost by almost $2.00. 

Even a small garden can help you save money. If all you have is a windowsill, you can still grow herbs and save money by creating your own seasonings and seasoning mixes. Seasonings are also one of the most expensive items in the grocery store.

Another way to survive high prices is by learning how to barter. This is the art of trading goods and services of equal value with someone else. If you did a lot of canning this year or raise chickens, you can barter eggs and jams, jellies, sauces, and more for something you need. If you have time to babysit or have bookkeeping skills, you can also offer your services. 

There are also many other ways to surviving high prices. And it doesn’t have to be a scary prospect. It may mean giving up on a few extras for a while, or even thinking outside the box, but it can be done.  And to be honest, I have only skimmed the surface in this podcast. I discuss some of the other ways in several posts on my blog.

To help you even further, I also have an eBook called the Survival Guide to High Prices. It may sound counter-productive to talk about buying a book when money is so tight, but there are times when you do have to make a few investments to reach your goals.

Still, I do know how it feels when money gets tight. With that in mind, I am going to help you out. Normally, this book would sell for $9.99. But considering we are all trying to make ends meet, I am going to channel the Godfather here and make you an offer you shouldn’t refuse. If you use the coupon code in the show notes, you can get the Survival Guide to High Prices for only $4.00. However, (this time I am channeling one of those television infomercials) this offer won’t last long. The deadline for getting it at this price is October 15th. After that, it will still be available, but only at full price.

No matter how you choose to do it, know that you really can survive the rising cost of living. It just takes a little bit of financial foot work, maybe planting a seed or two, and being realistic in the needs vs wants category. And as a bonus, you may even discover that scaling back may give you even more confidence in yourself and bring you a deeper sense of contentment.  

 

If you want to learn more about the topic at hand, get a transcript for this episode, or read more about learning how to survive high prices, just visit my website at www.thefarmwife.com/podcast. That is the Resource page for this podcast and I have it set up by episodes to make things easier to find. To help you out, this is Episode 27. 

And while you’re there, leave your comments at the end of the page. And be sure to rate, review, and leave a comment on the Podcast – whether you listen to it on Buzzsprout, Apple, Spotify, or any other podcast app. This helps me to know how well you are enjoying your visit!

If you have questions or need some help with your own struggles to survive high prices, stop by for an email visit at thevirtualporch@gmail.com. I would love to visit with you more! 

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Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting on the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.