Monday, January 5, 2009

Surviving an Economic Recession

By Jan Shimano

There is no question about the fact that we are deep into an economic recession. Many of us are asking how we are going to get through this unscathed.

There are really only three outcomes. We could actually prosper during this time, we might not be affected at all, (or perhaps just a little) and finally, we could be financially devastated. Obviously, our wish is to prosper regardless of the economic conditions. So the question to ask ourselves, is how can we do that?

I think we all realize that there is certainly an ebb and flow to the economy. There are times of great economic growth, times of relative stability and then times when the economy draws back and we find ourselves in a recession, or perhaps even a depression.

There are many books on the market that discuss the causes of recessions and how we can cope with them. There is one particular book that I highly recommend. It is by William Bonner and is called "Financial Reckoning Day: Surviving the Soft Depression of the 21st Century". Your local library would be happy to order in a copy if they don't already have one on their shelves. Doing some research can give you the confidence that you can survive and even thrive during times such as these.

One obvious thing we should do is curtail our spending, and even though we might find it hard to do, we should attempt to save money for the times ahead that might even be more difficult that now. We should only be spending our money on necessities. Two that come to mind are food and gasoline for our vehicles. We still have to nourish ourselves and most of us need to drive our cars back and fore to work.

Right now the cost of vehicles has come right down. The automakers are really hurting and are offering some great deals. It would not be wise to be sucked in. Maybe we can afford that shiny, new car this month but what if we lose our job in a few months time -- what is going to happen to our ability to pay our car loan then?

There are numerous way to earn a little extra income. One idea that comes to mind is renting out those few extra rooms in your basement or home. With so many people losing their homes, there would be no trouble at all getting those rooms rented out.

McGraw-Hill Research did a study and found that companies that maintained or even increased their marketing during the 1981-82 recession actually saw a 275% average sales growth over the following five years. In comparison, those companies who cut their marketing, only saw a 19% minimal increase over the same 5 year period. Starting a home based business during a recession is a great idea. The experts say that this is actually the best time in 70 years to build a profitable business.

This is fabulous news!

Fluctuations in the economy are part of life but they do not have to affect us adversely if we are smart and just take a few specific actions. One of the fastest and most successful ways to build a business is through Internet Marketing working from the comfort of your own home. This way of doing business comes highly recommended by Donald Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki who have both written about the fact that more millionaires are going to be created through network marketing during the next number of years, than from any other form of business.

It is my recommendation to you that you take this economic recession that we have found ourselves in and use it to your advantage. I wish you every success. - 15431

About the Author: