Trent Hamm wrote a guest post on Frugal Dad titled “When Frugality Isn’t Enough”. He outlines a friend’s situation who, despite living the frugal live, is close to not making those ends meet.
This is something that is often ignored on frugality blogs and what causes some commenters to wonder if frugal bloggers are in fact rich people. Some frugal blogs are talking more about a 401K while a lot of the readers arriving via search can’t get $4.01 spare change in a day.
I’m not sure if it’s us being scared, thinking the American dream basically where anyone who really wants to, can. Fact is, when faced with real life situations where there simply isn’t enough, we often have no answer.
This is our problem in dealing with the New Poor who aren’t living on the street yet and therefore aren’t allowed to complain. Right?
It’s reflected in Trent’s posts as he’s grasping at straws at comes up with these sorta-solutions:
- Repair and strengthen relationships with family and friends
- Build relationships with community leaders
- Get involved in community groups, such as churches, clubs, and volunteer boards
- Start your own initiatives for earning money
- Realize that, if you have strikes against you, you will have to work extra hard to win people over
- When great short-term opportunities come along, take advantage of them - and don’t squander the proceeds
- Don’t let go of your frugality if things start to turn around
Notice how many of these are variations of “ask for money” and “hope for the best”?
That’s not to say that I have solutions, let alone better ones.
The whole topic does revive in me an awareness though.
You’ve hear it before, you’ve read it before; these aren’t your grandparents’ days and these jobs we hold aren’t going to be ours forever.
Just saving money for that “when lightning strikes” day isn’t enough. Those savings will run out.
What we have to be taught and in turn teach is to always work a second job. Always.
Size doesn’t matter here. But right now when you have the luxury, the sheer luxury, of having a job that helps you live, start something else. Anything.
Write a blog about fixing cars. Monetize it with whatever program you like. Pick something up at a garage sale and try to sell it on eBay. Then buy something bigger or better and sell that.
Clicks ads for money or fill out online surveys for money. Find just one person in your neighborhood who needs their groceries done and delivered.
In other words, go back to your childhood days and try to find ways to earn “pocket” money.
One day, soon, that will be your additional income: the part that makes the ends meet when the
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