virtual beguine

If you live in the United States then the recent Gallup Poll statistics on how satisfied we are with the country in general will be no surprise.

Inflation is up, which means gas and grocery prices are up, and the economy is not looking like it will get repaired any time soon.

That translates to a lot more food and housing insecurity among the most vulnerable – women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. And to be fair, females make up a fair portion of the latter three categories.

The economic instability hits women harder because we make less and often carry the managing of the household as well.

How to help?

Let’s start by helping each other – one way is to consider joining a local “Buy Nothing” group. You can find their website at https://buynothingproject.org/ .

The concept is this: if you have something that you no longer need or want, but can still be used by someone else, then you offer it (called a GIVE) in your local area either through the app or the Facebook group for your area; if you need something specific (called a WANT) you list it and if someone has the item and is willing to give it to you, they contact you.

This keeps items that are still usable out of the trash, and saves money. An example of a GIVE might be: sets of sheets for a bed you no longer have (or you bought a larger/smaller bed). The sheets are still usable and so you offer them up to someone who might need them. An example of a WANT that I saw recently was for a replacement tube for a oxygen machine for an elderly lady, the tubing was old and had cracked, she could not afford to get new tubing.

Sometimes the GIVE or WANT includes unopened food items, or clothing that someone no longer fits into, or baby related items; sometimes it includes appliances – it is different all the time.

I like this concept of recycling something to someone else where no money changes hands. And it also strengthens a community in subtle ways. Another site that may have representation in your area is https://www.freecycle.org/ . I have given away moving boxes on Freecycle when I lived in an area with an active Freecycle presence.

Another way to help each other is to get together with a circle of friends and buy something that you need or use regularly in bulk (usually much cheaper) and then distribute the cost/item among yourselves.

Or perhaps your circle of friends includes someone who enjoys cooking and has a “specialty” – you could each select a recipe, make it in bulk (like a prepper) and then do an exchange of meals. I’ve done this at Christmas with cookies – everyone does their special or favorite cookie recipe and makes enough to share a dozen to each of the participants – we wind up with a selection of cookies over the holidays (and they are easy enough to freeze for later snacking).

These are ideas that are not new, but may be new to you – or may be something you haven’t thought about in a while. I am hoping it may spark some other ways we can help each other.

What are some other ways you have given or received help in these hard economic times? Please share in the comments.