This article, originally was intended to be a lighthearted romp about keeping farm animals as pets. Two months ago-- which oddly, now, seems very long ago-- I couldn't have guessed that the country would be sent reeling from the news about farmed foods, recession, and much more. It seems the more I look around, the more I notice that the end all of many thing is the almighty DOLLAR. To what end this serves, I can't be sure, but I am hoping that this will change soon, for the better. In the meantime, if you feel like modern times are getting you down, I've reworked this article, and compiled a compendium in dealing with the recession, and which also might work in everyday life. I hope you will find it makes you less "helpless" in the face of money, scheduling, and community issues.

SAVING:
In these trying times, where money and jobs might be scarce, here are a few tips to rethinking how you use your money:

1. Do you REALLY NEED that? Ask yourself what is really important, and what you can do without. Often, in this highly commercialized consumer society, we find ourselves buying things that are purely for pleasure. Ask yourself what you really NEED and focus your efforts towards that. You would be surprised what a cut in your spending habits might make.
For example: I managed to work part time at a job I didn't particularly like, and went in only I days I didn't need to, while a friend who worked as a receptionist there was forced to work FULL time, and always complained she never had money. Mind you, the receptionist position paid very well, but I realized that she blew most of this money being a "clotheshorse"--she constantly bougth the $300 boots, or the $100 shirt because the celebrity of the moment was seen on the news wearing it, and my friend HAD to be on the cutting edge of fashion. It was costing her and entire paycheck and an unsecured future to do so....

2. Bargain hunting...Speaking of which, if you find yourself constantly short of money, while you feel you aren't buying a ton of new items...check the BRANDS you might be buying. You can save precious pennies by buying generic brands, oft times, or shopping in thrift stores or discount stores if you REALLY need that brand name outfit.

3. Make a budget. Often, our expenses are created in a "mindless" way...in that we don't keep track of them, and suddenly, you wonder "where all the money went." Create a monthly budget and stick to it. Need more incentive? Create a budget "diary." By this, I mean you should log what you spend, and where you spend it. You can then look back on it and see if there is a particular pattern. Do you find yourself spending extra on clothing you don't need, or which is too high priced? Do you buy random extras for your home, or yourself, on a regular basis? Find out your spending habits, then learn to rework them.

4. Savings Jar. It seems simple, and it really is a great way to save money. There is nothing better than knowing that you have money "saved" somewhere, and you can make a project of a savings jar. Mine is actually decorated with a motif I like, and you can personalize yours. More importantly, you can alot a certain amount of savings, each week, that you should put in the jar. Once inside, you should LEAVE the money UNTOUCHED. A good idea would be to put the money saved into the bank (savings account) each month. You can start small, say $30 each week. That would add up to $120 a month in the bank, and over 1,200 a YEAR in savings.

5. Reward Yourself: In this world of "give me now" consumerism, it might be difficult to place a particular value on items, and deem them "splurge" items. Shopping for high end clothing, food, appliances, going out to eat, clubs, plays, etc, eventually will burn a hole in your pocket for all the money you will lay out to do these things. Instead, why not relegate one a week, or month, to do something "extravagant" and reward yourself for the money you saved. Of course, you shouldn't get so carried away as to spend the entirety of your weekly savings on the project you'd like to do!

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE..
..are FREE! And yes, there are free, or at least low-cost events and products, to be had everywhere. Online sites offer ways to budget your money, and alternatives for free events. You can also create alternatives for yourself that are equally interesting:

1. Instead of going out to a $10 movie (which is TYPICAL in places such as New York City), why not rent a few movies for less, then invite your friends for a themed movie extravaganza. Horror Films, cult classics, and more are to be had when friends and fun take over. Pop some popcorn and enjoy the show!

2. Your local newspaper might list tons of free or low-cost weekend events. Take advantage of them when you can. Remember, the park is always free--bring a picnic basket and enjoy the day with your friends and/or family. Bring a frisbee or football and get some activity in, while you're at it.

3. Museums often have discount days, or "coupons" for some of their attractions. Plan accordingly.

4. Other sites that offer discounts and "free" items/events:

With a bit of research through newspapers or online, you can find many pleasant activities/altenatives to more expensive fare.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL VENDORS and CRAFTSPERSONS!
Folks, if you're wondering where most of your money is going to, it's CORPORATIONS. They make up roughly 85% to 90% of America's business! And, they use 50% or more products/labor OVERSEAS. Corporations are those you might not even know you are contributing to: Walmart, Kmart, Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dunkin Donuts, etc.

You might also want to consider shopping for your food LOCALLY, at farmer's markets, where the food is fresh, seasonal and often organic, which beats supermarket produce that may contain chemicals, anti-biotics, or may be several days old. You'll be supporting honest, hard working folks and preserving American history.

What do I mean when I say this? America's farms are dwindling to less than 1% , country-wide, because of the larger, and often money-oriented factory farms. Factory farms do a great disservice, in my opinion, in that their bottom line is money. To that end, they will keep animals crowded and in unnatural settings to save money, injecting them with hormones and other harmful things to bring about early maturity and unnatural growth, and slaughter them. Similarly, many plants are either bred to be bigger and "better" and given chemicals to ensure this. The massive level of money to be made has created a mass farming industry that has lost the ability to create quality, in favor of quantity. So support your local farmers! Remember, you're food just doesn't "magically appear" in the supermarkets--and you have a say in what you should eat.

Further, there is a dying art in craftsmanship, in favor of mass produced furniture and plastic toys, manufactured items and more. Remember craftsmen who knit, crochet, woodwork, make toys and more. The winsome nature of these items is very appealing. You can find quality work online if you type in phrases like: "country primitives" or "prim artwork." These will take you to old-fashioned works from around the country. You can also go to your local crafts-fair (city folks: this might mean a day trip a few miles outside of your metropolitan area) or you can find chic or shabby (or both) handmade stuff in larger craft communities such as Etsy (www.etsy.com).

Things you can do:
Locate a farmer's market near you and frequent it, when possible. Now, I will let you know that some of the items (handmade cheeses, breads, etc) MAY BE expensive. However, given the economy (increase prices in wheat, etc), the items are quality goods, and well worth saving up for. I often buy homemade artisan breads from our Union Square farmer's market, but I save up for this treat.
You will often find antibiotic free, chemical free, organic food at these places AND you have the luxury of asking the vendor IN PERSON what s/he uses in creating their product, which is a bonus! Plus, you'll be supporting the little guy!

Go Veg:
Even for a few days a week, if you are not a vegetarian. The dirty little secret of meat production in this country is out: MOST of the meat created for mass consumption/supermarket sales is from FACTORY farms. In these cases, the animals "harvested" for consumption live a life of squalor and horror, being crammed into tiny spaces, or overcrowded and living in their own waste, fattened, then killed with little concern for their well being, often housed in warehouse situations where they never see the outside world, or the sun. In effect, most of them live a pathetic life and are treated inhumanely, to say the least.

If you MUST eat meat, I highly suggest, once again, you search for your nearest FARMER, and see if you can't get pasture raised, or free ranged foods. While these terms seem "trendy" today, they ACTUALLY denote the methods of raising animals BEFORE CHEMICALS AND CORPORATE FOOD RAISING existed. In other words, farmers have been doing these things for centuries before corporate era use had brought us to where we are today.
Also, these same corporations (Tyson, Perdue--yes, even Perdue), that are putting the small farmer out of business, and which is leading to the decline of farming. In turn, farmers going out of business then sell their farmland, which is subdivided by realtors, and thus, we lose precious farmland. So YOU have the power to change alot when you purchase food!

LOBBY:
For those who are not faint of heart, why not stand up to government and say you won't take it any more. The more government . can get away with unethical practices, the more it will continue to try to get away with MORE of it. As the Hallmark Westland cow abuse case shows, even the USDA inspector was not thorough in his examination of the animals marked for slaughter. Folks, this isn't an isolated instance and I can probably guess that the USDA is lax in it's inspection of MANY animals. Why? Because we aren't even AWARE of what goes on with our food, and thus we can't even begin to demand what is best for ourselves, and the animals in the hands of "the system." We, and they, deserve better.

How does one do this? Become a truly educated consumer. It's about more than reading what's on the label. It's researching WHAT these ingredients actually are, and HOW the food is produced. It's about reading up on the company's policies. And when there is something wrong, we CAN and SHOULD be lobbying the government.

We take advantage of the fact that we think the government does things in the interest of it's citizens, but we shouldn't be passive. I have a friend, a potter who is 57 years old. She said something pointedly, once, that stuck with me, even now: "you know, when I was young, if there was a problem, we protested about it, we really went out on the streets. Now if there's a problem, everyone goes home and blogs about it. It's very passive, and the last time I checked, noones quaking in their boots over a blog. Hundreds of students out in force...maybe. But definitely not a blog or two." So folks, this is your government. You shouldn't be afraid of it, and it shouldn't be causing YOU fear, either. Take advantage of your democracy and get your voice heard.

The most convenient way to do this is to WRITE your local state representative or congressman/congresswoman about these issues. Do it often. Enough mails from citizens alerts your representatives about what is important in the state. You can find a list of your representatives online by clicking: www.house.gov/writerep/ or http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
You can then select a state and find the info of where you need to write.

Random Acts...

...Of kindness might be the order of the day during these difficult times. Remember that there are people who are less fortunate than you. And that doing a random act of kindness is the best way to make them, and you feel better.
Pay It Forward
The easiest of these is the "pay it forward" in which you pay for something--say a cup of coffee--then pay for the NEXT person's coffee, as well. Of course, you have no idea when this person might come in to buy coffee, or who the person is, but I bet you'll feel a whole lot better. Yes, it costs money, but is a cheap monthly or weekly "do-good" offering that gives back in return.

Volunteering
Another nice idea is to volunteer your time, if you have some spare moments, and help others. Visit senior center, mentor a child, teach others or share a skill you have. The gift you give is the gift of your time and talent. Feeling good, for free, is simple! Check your phone book or newspaper to see if there are volunteer opportunites in your area. We like the following:

Big Brothers and Sisters -www.bbbsa.org- help mentor a child
The Humane Society - www.hsus.org -you can volunteer to walk a dog, clean, feed and generally help homeless animals.
Feel free to type "Random Acts of Kindness" to learn about ideas that YOU can use to spread joy. After all, we could all use a littl hug now and then!

All in all, there is no need to get the "recession blues"....instead, it is a time of resourceful well-being, hopefulness and helping each other!