By the author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and The Tower
Inflation is here and has been for quite a while. Sadly, it’s doubtful that it’s going away any time soon. As a prepper and someone who believes in my country, my first instinct is to rail against the disastrous decisions that have caused this crisis, but as a realist, I know this is not something that all the flaming commentary in the world can change. There are things that are out of our personal control, and governmental policy is one of them. If we can’t change it, we have to learn to live with it and thrive despite it, so this article is about living with inflation.
While official sources say that the real numbers are lower than is being reported, you need only to revisit your price book or an old shopping receipt to see the change in the prices of the things you usually buy. This is a prime example of believing what you see, not just believing what you’re told.
Over the past years, I’ve watched a product that I used to buy for 2.99 go up to 3.99, and then 4.99. I know many of you are having the same experience. If everything in your shopping cart is going up to the same degree, your weekly trip to the store is most certainly hitting your wallet much harder.
Most of us don’t have the money for double grocery bills or other increased expenses. It’s time to pull out every tool in your arsenal to make it through this financial crisis.
First things first: this is not the end of the world.
I know how it feels when money is tight and the cause is outside your control. I know what it feels like when it seems like there’s an ever-tightening noose around your money, choking out its ability to sustain you. It’s stressful. It’s scary. It makes you feel powerless.
So the very first thing you have to do is take back your own power.
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First of all, remember that our country has been through an economic depression before. Sure, things were different then, but the patterns are the same. People felt much the same way then as they do now – at times the situation felt insurmountable. But by and large, most folks got through it, and that difficult time imprinted habits upon them that lasted their entire lives. Every loved one I have who lived through that time spent the rest of their life being practical, self-reliant, and frugal.
I remember my granny saving grease from the skillet every time she fried something. (And I grew up in the South, so there was a lot of frying going on.) She also planted a garden well into her 80s, raising food and preserving the harvest. I recall helping pluck chickens there before my grandpa passed away when I was less than 5 years old. My granny made every bite of jelly I ever ate until I was in my early teens, in addition to a host of other tasty home-canned goods. She never wasted a thing.
I recall my dad eating cornbread covered with buttermilk in a glass with a long spoon right to the end. He wouldn’t throw anything away until he’d made every effort to repair it himself. He had all sorts of tools and a workshop full of various hardware odds and ends. A lot of those came from unfixable items – which, of course, he stripped of anything that might be useful in the future before throwing it in the trash.
We had plenty of money – he was a doctor – but the lessons he learned as a young child in a poor family that did not bounce back quickly from the Depression stayed with him. Despite his money, he was practical, frugal, and never ostentatious. He made sure that he was in a position where he would never face poverty again by wise investments and savings.
I share this to remind you that even though it seems like we’re facing an impossible future, this has happened before – and people survived. It did change them. But that’s precisely how they got through it. You have to be ready to make those changes as well.
Adapt mentally to living with inflation.
The very first thing you need to do is adapt mentally to the ever-changing economic landscape. A long time ago, I first wrote an article about three steps to surviving darn near anything:
- Accept.
- Plan.
- Act.
That’s right. Accept.
Like it or not, the key to getting through this is accepting the fact that we have an economic crisis on our hands and we can’t do anything about it except manage our own small circles. You may be irate at the destruction of our once healthy economy, but that’s not going to help you get through it productively. I generally hate the saying, “It is what it is” but in this situation, it’s the truth.
So, instead of fruitlessly raging against the machine, instead of being angry or sad that you can’t acquire things you used to or afford to pay for things you once could, accept it. Life is different now. Anger will keep you stuck in a place that makes it nearly impossible to change and adapt.
For the record, I’m not suggesting that what has happened to our country is okay in any way. I’m just saying that we have to live in our setting, whatever that may be. Selco always talks about those who adapt to the new rules first are more likely to survive. While our situation may not be life and death, the rules have definitely changed. Adaptability is still the key to survival.
Look for substitutions.
When shopping, you may find that the things you’re accustomed to buying are double the price. You have to be prepared to make substitutions when living with inflation.
In the introduction, I mentioned a product that I’ve watched the price rapidly rising. That product is oat milk, which I get for my daughter because dairy doesn’t agree with her. Not only has the price gone up, but the brand she likes has also been harder to acquire. It used to be available at every store we shopped at and now it’s only available at one.
So the first adaptation was moving to whatever brand was the best price. Now that the price seems to have risen across the board, I placed a bulk order for organic oats and learned to make my own darned oat milk for a fraction of the price. Oat milk is certainly not a life-and-death product, but it’s one I like having on hand. So to me, making my own is worth the effort.
Another example is meat. You may have seen bare cases at your local grocery store. Perhaps it’s time to look for different cuts than you normally purchase.
Let’s say that something is on sale but it’s a cut you dislike. You can often ask the butcher to grind a cut that you don’t care for, and then you have ground beef or pork that you can use at a much lower price than the stuff in the case. They’ll also cut roasts into chops, stew meat, or steaks for you, generally at no additional charge. If they charge, you might want to invest in a meat grinder and some high-quality knives for processing the meat yourself into your desired form. And a slow cooker can work all sorts of magic on less popular cuts of meat.
You may to have to learn to make do with something different than your first choice when it comes to food, household goods, cleaning supplies, etc. If you look at it as simply a substitution or different option instead of with a mindset of scarcity, it won’t be nearly as stressful.
Repair things instead of replacing them.
Remember the microchip shortage in 2022? People were waiting months for automotive parts to arrive. All sorts of things that were once a simple matter to replace became scarce and/or outrageously expensive. Such is life when living with inflation. I know someone whose entire car was undriveable for nearly a year, all for the lack of a TCM that couldn’t be obtained for love or money.
And have you priced out new furniture lately? Insane. What about new appliances? Holy guacamole, Batman.
It’s time to repair whenever possible. If you’re in a position to do so, grab spare parts for anything you suspect you might need and save it for when you need it. Be on the lookout for the tools and hardware you may need.
Why are you replacing your furniture? I grabbed a perfectly good cabinet from the trash and the only problem with it was that it was wobbly. I put a piece of folded-up cardboard under the back leg and it’s absolutely fine.
Our blender lost a leg many years ago. Every time we move, someone drinks a bottle of soda pop and saves the cap – it’s exactly the right height – and we ceremoniously stick it under the base. We’ve been using a bottle cap leg for that blender for more than a decade but the blender itself works perfectly well.
Is there something you can do to fix a piece of furniture that’s seen better days? Can you add a piece of plywood under seat cushions for a sagging frame? Can you recover the pillows? Does it just need some cardboard folded up under a leg or even a couple of bricks for a missing leg? Be creative and see what you can do to make the things you already have usable again.
If you have absolutely no choice but to replace something, search first for a good-quality used replacement.
Simplicity
We live in a complex world with lots of moving parts, must-haves, shortcuts, and subscriptions. It might be time to dial it back and seek out simplicity while living with inflation. After all, what is more cost-effective: doing a yoga class from YouTube in the privacy of your living room or driving to the studio and rolling out your mat with a group? You can get the same workout at home if you are determined to do so. And do you actually need a gym membership with weights or can you do more walking and carrying everyday things?
Changing from a Keurig to a coffee maker with a pot and filter can take the price of your java from 19 cents a cup to 10 cents a cup. Living with inflation may soon cause you to have to focus on the cents as well. Plan your meals around simple foods that don’t require a million ingredients, using up leftovers, and finding satisfaction in plainer profiles and smaller servings.
But simplicity goes further than food. Time is money. The time it takes you to hang your laundry to dry instead of using your dryer saves on utilities. The time it takes to make holiday decorations instead of buying them or to create tote bags or pillow covers out of worn clothing saves the money it would cost to purchase the items with less out of your pocket.
The same goes for activities. Your kids can take all sorts of classes at the YMCA or local community center at a fraction of the price of official “lessons.” Who says that date night can’t consist of a picnic at sunset or making dinner together and streaming a movie? Instead of a trip to Disneyworld every year, perhaps just driving to the beach would be a more cost-effective outing. It may take some effort to change the expectations of your family members, but the rewards will be well worth it.
Self-reliant living
Last but certainly not least is self-reliant living. We have talked about that more than ever over the past few years and it’s essential for getting through hard times and living with inflation. Nearly anything that you can produce yourself will cost less than store-bought. This goes for food, clothing, household supplies, furnishing, and decor.
The great thing about self-reliant skills is that they don’t just save money. They are gifts that can be passed on to younger generations and the time spent together working on these skills is quality time your loved ones will never forget.
Get some ideas for self-reliant skills you can do anywhere – city, suburbia, or country. Your sense of satisfaction when producing things yourself will far override your sense of scarcity from seeing barren store shelves.
How are you living with inflation?
Have you noticed rising prices in your neck of the woods? How are you living with inflation? Do you have additional strategies not mentioned here? Let’s discuss it in the comments.
One Response
I think that one of the most important things is to get out of and stay out of debt. If you can, own what you need to maintain a tolerable standard of living. Own your vehicles outright. If you can’t afford your own home find a way to share your living situation with other roommates so that your cost of living is lower.