Unemployed Boomers: Stay Green and Save Money With These Tips

Ten years ago I was unemployed; I lost my company, a great deal of money and much of my sense of self worth. To get out of the house and do something different, I took up the sport of rowing, perhaps because being on treacherous waters in the dark when you don't know where you are going because you're always looking backwards felt pretty much like my life at that time. I drafted this post in my head while on the water this weekend at our annual season opener, now confident that I had the skill to avoid falling into the 35 degree water when the windstorm rolled in, or hit anything, because I had 20 rowing buddies and expert coaches looking out for me. We learn from these experiences, we develop new skills, we go in new directions and we meet new friends that we can rely on.

If someone told me ten years ago in the depth of my depression that I would be a writer (on "blogs", no less) and a teacher (and a marginally competent sculler), I would have thought them nuts. But we are a remarkably adaptable species, and have been reinventing and rebooting ourselves forever. It is never easy, but things often turn out for the better.

These times will pass as they always do, but things will not be the same, and if you are in the 50-65 year old cohort, it is particularly tough. But there are things you can do to prepare yourself for that recovery and to help you get through these times.

Many people are so underwater on their mortgage and credit cards that these tips may sound silly, and I apologize for not having better suggestions. But many in the 50-65 cohort have been reasonably prudent, and while their home may not be easy to sell in these times, have a bit of time to think about what to do. For those with a few options, here are some suggestions, many based on my own experiences.

Food

In her post directed at unemployed young professionals, Jaymi suggested some good shopping tips that I will not repeat, you can read them here. For our generation, I would suggest:

Do not buy prepared foods of any kind. Period.

It is cheaper to make your own dinner. Learn to cook and make it from scratch. If there is one thing that you do with your time that will save you money, improve your health and bring your family more closely together, this is it. Kelly gives lots of tips on how to learn to cook, set up pantries and get started, listed at the bottom of this post.

Plant a Garden

You have the time to do it, and probably a back yard big enough to grow a decent vegetable garden. It is the right time of year, so why not get out there and work the soil so that you can have fresh, healthy food that you grew yourself.

Buy Seasonal

Right now, in much of the USA, asparagus is new and in demand; in a couple of weeks it will be in oversupply as people have had enough of it, and the price will drop accordingly. Follow the seasonal trends and buy at the peak of the season, where what was trendy and fresh a few weeks ago is now making way for the next seasonal treat.

Learn to Preserve

Take that cheap asparagus and pickle it. You can eat it all year round.

Take advantage of the Aporkalypse

Eat meat? Eat pork. People are afraid of it and it is going to be cheap, and it is not going to give you swine flu. Stock up on tenderloin, it will be cheap as dirt. But eat it in moderation, portions no bigger than a deck of cards.

Strive for independence from the system.

If you grow your own, preserve your own, buy seasonal in your farmers market or join a CSA, and cook your own, you are no longer as reliant on having lots of money to buy stuff that somebody else made. When your garden gets going, trade with your friends and neighbours.

Living Situation

Most Americans in this cohort own their homes, and have spent their lives believing that it was their best investment, with most of their assets tied up in it. As we have learned, it ain't neccessarily so. But if you bought at a reasonable price and stuck with it, didn't keep changing houses with every salary increase or keep refinancing to take out equity, you are probably not under water. But right now you are also probably stuck with what isn't exactly a liquid asset. So what can you do?

Make it worth more

Invest your sweat equity in making it more valuable for when the market turns, by making it more green.

Caulk. Insulate. Seal.

Do the labor intensive but capital light things like more insulation in the attic. Caulking around windows and doors. Basement or crawl space insulation. Window putty repairs. The materials for all of these things are cheap, but the return in energy savings is huge, and lower energy bills mean a better resale price.

Declutter

Get rid of stuff you don't need or want that is taking up space. Imagine the agents are coming tomorrow and you want the house to show really well, and that means getting rid of junk in every closet and basement. You might make some money by using eBay or garage sales to get rid of it, and you might make homeless shelters and people needier than you very happy by donating it. But lighten up, get rid of stuff you don't need, and act as if you are moving next week and can only take what you really need; it may be true.

Fix things.

So many people are good with their hands, yet they still buy new when the old appliance breaks. Take the time to fix what you have, and if you are really handy, do it for other people. More at Get Recession Ready: Learn the 4th R, Repair and Manuals for the 4th R, Repair.

Improve Your Life Right Now—First Steps

Lets be real about this, a person over 50 is going to have a tough time finding a job in almost any industry. But the world is changing, and experience has value. Technology has also changed, and one person can do things that used to take teams of people. You know things, and have thought for years about starting the business or writing the book or traveling or going back to school, and this is the opportunity to do it. As Seth Godin says:

Uncertain times, frozen liquidity, political change and poor astrological forecasts (not to mention chicken entrails) all lead to less competition, more available talent and a do-or-die attitude that causes real change to happen.

If I wasn't already running my own business, today is the day I'd start one.

Cancel the cable

I may write for a TV channel, but TV is not only the opiate of the masses, it keeps you from doing more productive things.

Take a course

There are free or cheap educational opportunities in almost every community; you will meet people and exercise your brain.

Volunteer

There are so many people in need these days, and there are a lot of people contributing time to help them. You may have skills that are needed, to teach, to help. You will meet other volunteers there who will quickly know your worth. Read up at How to go Green: Volunteer.

Write

You have experience. Get on top of all of the new communication technologies and make your voice heard, whether on blogs, twitter, facebook, whatever. Get out there and get known. Whatever field you were in, there will be an online community discussing it, from actuary to zookeeper. Be part of it.

Get fit

You don't have to pay to join a gym; just walk or bike everywhere, you have the time to do it. It will reduce your carbon footprint and save you a lot of money. Take up a sport where you will meet people; cycling is terrific for this. More at How to go Green: Workouts.

Network, Network, Network

Use every tool that you can, from your volunteering to online systems like Linkedin to going for breakfast at Likeminds to having a beer at Greendrinks. The more people you meet, the more opportunities will arise and the more inspired you will get. More tips in The Environment is Already in Your Extended Network.

Mies Van Der Rohe was right: Less really is more

The less you have to put a roof over, the less you buy, the more you make yourself, the more you fix instead of replace, the richer and greener you will be. Conservation and Environmentalism is all about reducing our impact, about making smarter decisions about what we consume. While our economy runs on people buying things, that doesn't mean one has to buy stupid things that don't last and that don't do their jobs efficiently.

Don't bash your head against the wall in frustration.

Yesterday my rowing coach was a 25-year-old lightweight woman rower who won bronze in Beijing last year. Mel saw me hammering down at the catch (the start of a stroke) and said "Lloyd, don't try and push against a wall of water, slide through it. Start gently and build as your boat starts moving. Work with it, don't fight against it." Soon my boat was going a lot faster with a lot less effort.

We are in challenging times. We can use brute force and get exhausted quickly, or we can use our energy more efficiently, learn how things work and create new opportunities instead of just pounding away. Adapt and evolve.