In biblical times a man named Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He turned this situation to his advantage, rising to become very influential in the Egyptian government. When it was prophesied that a time of lack was on the horizon, Joseph planned ahead, filling the storehouses with grain that he used to feed the people when famine arrived. (Genesis chapters 37-41; paraphrased).
There is a lesson in that story.
The longer I live in this world, the easier it is for me to see that seasons of abundance and lack are normal. Some years money is plentiful and others it is not. I learned a long time ago that it is wise to plan ahead for these lean times, even when you cannot see them on the horizon. I save at least 10% of whatever income I have in preparation for these lean times. It’s a habit that has served me well for decades.
Even though I habitually prepare, I watch those around me for signs. The average American is one missed paycheck from homelessness so when my neighbors begin struggling I start to examine my finances.
The first thing I do is target the low-hanging fruit in my budget. While I live fairly simply as a rule, I’m coming off of a time period where I embraced the Middle Class Lifestyle in order to deepen by understanding with the experience, so unlike previous times I was certain that I had items that I could cut.
One expense stood out immediately. I’d duplicated a service as I’ve become more mobile; not only did I have a hotspot plan on my phone but I also subscribed to a home internet service. At the time it made sense; I spent my evenings streaming shows after work because I enjoyed it. Since then the streaming services had become unwatchable due to the plethora of commercials so I’d canceled them but I’d kept the home internet service out of habit.
I’ve had home internet since before the turn of the century, after all.
The world has changed a lot since then. We now have the Internet on our phones. Not only do I have an unlimited plan specifically for my phone, I even have several gigabytes of hotspot data that I can use on other devices, but I had kept that home internet subscription out of habit, despite the fact that the price of that service has more than doubled since I moved here.
I canceled that service.
I no longer need it. I do almost everything on my phone. What little else I do online can easily be accomplished with my hotspot data. It was the low-hanging fruit in my finances and now it is gone.
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We all have low-hanging fruit in our budgets, items that no longer serve us or we have forgotten about. For me it was that internet service. For you it could be a recurring Amazon shipment, a software subscription for an app you no longer use, or services you have duplicated (streaming services multiply faster than you realize).
Find them. Find them and cut them. If you’re brave enough, cut them back harder than you might consider comfortable.
Folks, the other day I saw empty restaurant parking lots during Lunch Rush on a Saturday. I’ve never seen deserted parking lots during lunch rush on a Saturday, ever. Even McDonald’s was barren. I don’t want to scare anyone, but if the economy is hitting fast food, it’s time to pay attention and cut back.
Of all of the signs I’ve seen, that sign scares the crap out of me and it should scare you as well. This may end up being a short-term lull, or it may be something longer. I don’t know.
All I know is that I’m cutting back and I hope you do the same.
Hold on to your wallet, folks. It’s real when McDonald’s is suffering.
10 responses to “Pare the Low-Hanging Fruit”
I agree with you. I have to read 20/25 news stories and articles a day for my job. Starting with the end of last year and more and more this year the articles have changed their focus to have a more financial element.- Which hospitals are closing or in jeopardy of closing- Which facilities are closing departments down – Labor & Delivery- Warn Notices -who’s laying off ( and how many- Number of Cash on Hand days for facilities- The financial troubles caused by Medicare Advantage- Effects Tariffs could have on costs and supply chain- Medicare’s physician fee cuts- Even the Measle outbreak story’s last paragraph stated how the World Health Organization was wholly funded by the United States and is not being funded now – Possible Cuts to Medicaid, CHIP and Marketplace insurance plans- How AHIMA lost all of its government speakers due to federal cuts in positions- CMS postponed its Quality Conference that was scheduled for next week- CDC canceled its March’s Maintenance Committee Meeting this year- Several big name insurance companies are in the process of streamlining their workforce- Even the OIG is doing mostly work projects to track where the money went- Such as CMS’s use of surety bond interest- And NIH National Institute of Health – Use and Disbursement of Royalties
Everyone seems to be following DOGE’s lead to see where the money went and how it is being used or telling us how because of cuts they cannot be financially viable anymore. Scary times are coming.
I agree.
Thank you for sharing this element of the situation. I am writing while on the move so your contribution provides a more rounded picture.
Annie you forgot to mention that most places have WI FI so you can get internet almost anywhere for free.
I KNEW I was forgetting something! Thank you so much for bringing that up! You are awesome!
2 Peanuts from the gallery up north…..The only thing that comes to mind is this….If we all cut back…and stop spending….we are literally hurting our fellow citizens and neighbors, whose work places depend upon our occasional spending.
That´s why sometimes, it is in the best interests of society , to keep buying and selling as usual.
Do we really want to contribute to the downfall or bankruptcy of our local shops?
Do we want to cheapskate our way into a miserable no frills existence?
Sometimes, the best defense is a great offense. Spend well, spend within your limits,…..put God first and stay out of consumer debt.
That is an excellent point, Carla.
That said, my objective is personal survival. The human race is the only species that has to pay to live, after all.
Given that there are only a few people who read this blog, I suspect anything we spend (or not) will be a drop in the bucket as far as things go.
I would rather you survive to spend another day than to risk it now.
Not to be argumentative but I’m more concerned with my families finical viability then sociality’s. I’m going to try and hang on to every dollar I can. If I HAVE to buy something then that’s one thing but I am planning on cutting the fat back and hang on for the ride. I do agree with you on God first though.
If we don’t survive on an individual level, I suspect society will be toast anyway.
Annie, the focus of your post on internet services is a good one. So many people consider it as essential as food, clothing and shelter. Some people can’t live without cable, which, to me, is crazy. I had cable for one year in my life and only because it was free for that year. I found it to be useless. I have the internet but only because there are three of us in my household, one being a disabled brother who needs it for his phone (the ‘Obama’ phone) and he enjoys listening to music via his phone. In the future, when I live alone, I will be cancelling my internet and doing what you do- using my phone.
I have joined the Shutdown 315 movement, boycotting corporations, opting, instead to buy locally as much as possible Yes, some of the items I buy are produced by corporations but, at least, my buying locally keeps the money local. No Target, no Walmart, etc. I think we need to do what we can to help each other out but I don’t view patronizing those big box stores as supporting my neighbors and friends. I would rather help local businesses to grow and prosper so much that they would hire more.
We also need to encourage and promote alternate systems- trade, barter, gift economy, etc. We don’t need growth, growth, growth. We’re being sold a ‘bill of goods’ when we are encouraged to spend, spend, spend.
I suspect we may end up going that route (dealing with fellow locals) if things continue the way they are.
More and more people are hitting the tipping point where they are saying “no” to the prices corporations charge.
Smart move!