Welcome to the first post of The Happy Recessionist, a new blog dedicated to making sure we all get through these economic hard times with as few bruises as possible AND with perhaps a renewed look on the life we really WANT to live, not the life that society, culture, our neighbors tell us we should want to live.
A little background on my own experience with recessions. About eight years ago, just as my husband and I were about to settle into our new life together, the telecom market suddenly imploded. My husband, a telecom project manager, as well as many of his colleagues found themselves without work. Only a few months earlier I had left my job as a managing editing in a large publishing house to start my own consulting business from our home office. Although I was thrilled to be working independently, my client base was still small, and we found ourselves with a much-reduced cash flow.
I would be lying to say that we did not spend sleepless nights, worrying about bills that needed to be paid, that we did not feel frustrated, helpless, depressed about dreams that had to be deferred. In survivalist mode, one is forced to take one day at a time. Five-year plans go out the window.
After three years of job hunting, the market eventually returned, and my husband finally got back to work. Which is not to say that our lives changed dramatically, although in many ways they would never be the same. Sure, there were no worries about covering our expenses month to month, but because of our experience and the positive lessons we learned, we entered this new period of prosperity with a different set of priorities and values and dreams to work toward.
And ultimately we learned acceptance that there are certain aspects of the life experience that are out of our control---no matter how much we like to delude ourselves otherwise. Worrying about the recession is not going to make it end any sooner. And while we work hard to get through every day, to make sure there is enough work to pay the bills, we also need to remember to enjoy each and every day, no matter what our bank balance.
Believe me, there are ways to do this on a tight budget. This is the essence of The Happy Recessionist. I will draw on my own experience, as well from those who generations ago weathered wars and depressions and life's hard knocks but still managed to carve out content and satisfying lives for themselves and their families. We WILL make it through these difficult times together, I promise you. And if The Happy Recessionist can help to make your day a little sunnier, all the better. :-)
Critical to The Happy Recessionist is a content belly. I always say half the reason I get up in the morning is to eat, and to eat GOOD food. Above you see one of my favorite summer salads, which is delicious and also easy on the wallet. Plus, it uses up day-old bread, which some people may just discard or feed to the birds. My
panzanella recipe, like most of my recipes, is very fluid, depending on what is currently occupying our vegetable drawers and pantry shelves.
The only essential ingredients are cubed stale bread, chopped tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar (I prefer red wine vinegar). To the salad above, I added cucumber, red onion, olives, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and some home-grown basil. Mix everything and then let sit for 20 minutes or so, allowing the bread to absorb the liquid. Only use enough oil and vinegar to coat the bread and vegetables; you don't want to drown the salad! As a guide, I used a couple tablespoons of both for a good-sized baguette. For readers celebrating Independence Day tomorrow, panzanella is a super alternative (or addition!) to the usual potato/macaroni salad offerings!
Thanks for stopping by, and do check back often. The Happy Recessionist will be blogging daily Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend posts as well. Also, be on the lookout for a giveaway in the near future!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Happy Friday, everyone! It has been a long and busy week, so we are all looking forward to the weekend (Can today REALLY be the last day of July?!?!?).
