“Perseverance. One of our best traits.”
Surviving hard economic times builds grit and character, and almost every generation has had to deal with difficult financial challenges. Two generations who are especially equipped to offer their wisdom about weathering through tough times, though, are Boomers and Gen Xers .
In a Reddit forum , member @Fit_Trifle2469 posed the question to followers: “Dear Boomers and Gen X: What got you through tough economic times?”
They followed up with more explanation behind the prompt. “Millennial here (33). I wanted to reach out and hear from those of you who’ve lived through major recessions, such as 2000 and 2008,” they wrote. “I’m really interested in your perspective — not just for myself, but for others who might stumble across this thread someday when times get rough again.”
Boomers and Gen Xers who have been through difficult financial times and hardships opened up to share their wisdom. These are some of their best pieces of advice for tough economic times.
Money Management GIF by Robert E Blackmon Giphy
“When I graduated HS in 1981, unemployment was 10 percent and mortgages were 17 percent. Inflation was 8 percent. I had no job and couldn’t find one. That’s when my step-father threw me out. I was going to be homeless so I joined the Army. It was one day at a time, one foot in front of the other and I marched on. What else can you do? Eventually things got better. Much, much better.” —@Distwalker
“Perseverance. One of our best traits.” —@SharonWit
“Downsize everything ……phone…phone plan…. car…. cook food at home …..pack a lunch for work….debt consolidation and make that one payment……..no credit card usage….. entertainment was checking out free library books and reading them……thrift store shopping……trade/barter services and items on craigslist.” —@Express-Rutabega-105
“Don’t waste any food – plan meals accordingly so as not to waste anything, buy discounted meat, bread, fruit and veg. All meat gets cut up for meals so it can last longer – nobody gets a steak for themselves, one cheap, marinated steak cut into strips and added to rice and veggies for 3-4 meals. Eggs (they’re still cheap where I live) and a 50lb bag of potatoes are your new best friends unless you like pasta then you are much easier to feed. Get condiment packets from restaurants -my partner made an order and forgot to grab ketchup etc. I don’t miss being poor but I can still feed the fam relatively well on a very, very tight budget.” —@drivingthelittles
“Living as cheap as possible out of sheer spite.”—@OldLadyMorgendorffer
“I’ll be adding to this list with edits as my brain dump continues:
the rolling stones GIF Giphy
Pot Luck GIF by Partiful Giphy
Robert Redford Yes GIF by GritTV Giphy
By subscribing, you accept beehiiv's Terms of Use & Privacy Policy . Our site's Privacy Policy applies.