Big ups to Sole One for putting this together in his newsletter/on his blog. For the uninitiated, Sole has been grinding and putting out dope hip hop for years.
http://soleone.org
http://twitter.com/mcsole
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10 tricks for surviving the recession (physically, mentally, & financially)
1.) Plant a garden: depending on where you live this is a great way to save money and get some extra joy out of your life. Depending on where you live this may or may not be cost effective, but nothing feels better than digging holes in the ground, putting your favorite vegetables in and praying for rain. I spent about 12 bucks on seeds, and was blessed with a friend who had some extra compost in his old garden; on top of it my soil was ideal (black, claylike). I spent 6 hours on my garden and have 10 rows of vegetables.
This year I've played beets, spinach, kale, mache, butter lettuce, basil, tomato, cucumber, Congolese habaneros, and Caribbean peppers. If you don't have space for a garden, throw some basil & mint in your kitchen. We are constantly bombarded with inhumanity, simple things like getting in the sun, keeping plants a live, and feeding yourself keep us connected with what is at our core. Now is the time to prepare your summer/spring crop. Don't be intimidated, do a little research on best practices in your area and enjoy yourself.
2.) Bath salts ok, I'm not sure if I decided this was my steez after I saw Gwyneth Paltrow reading in the bathtub on royal Tennenbaums, but this has become one of my favorite things to do. After a long, stressful day of staring at a computer, banging on beats, or writing songs, I need a way to reset my day, so I usually take a hot bath and read for a while. I realized I was going broke on Burt’s bee's bath salts, so I decided to make my own. It was really simple, you just mix up "iodized dead sea salt" (super cheap) with some lemon/eucalyptus oil (you only need a little bit) and that’s it. A cost effective way to reduce stress.
3.) Stop using your credit card: don’t be the asshole at the bar buying your friends drinks on your credit card. If you can’t afford it don’t buy it, and don’t buy people drinks that don’t buy you drinks! The "I'm gonna be rich next year" shit is played out, if things keep on, you'll be lucky to have a job next year (if you have a job).
4.) Fuck cable: there is no reason to watch cable anymore. All the good shit is on hulu. Buy the cable to hook your VGA output to your TV. Buy a shitty dell netbook for 300 bucks and hook it up to your TV. Watch Netflix and downloaded movies you torrented on your xbox360 in a jump drive. Watch what you want when you want, don’t watch commercials and don’t be trapped by the whims of the media.
5.) Cut out middlemen: this is mainly for people in the music industry, but this advice goes everywhere. If somebody is doing a shitty job and taking a cut out of your money, or in most cases, sees more money than you do working your product, cut them out. Cut everyone out. Do the extra work. In this economy there is no time for slackers, but on top of it, the world just don't need middlemen like it used to. With the Internet you can manage an empire from Fiji, so work them extra hours, get that money, quit crying.
6.) Do what you love: in this world of uncertainty, I don’t believe that we are in a simple "recession." we are in the midst of a global shift, or a "readjustment." blue collar jobs will likely never come back. White-collar jobs will likely never come back. My advice, think hard about what you love, because if you're gonna be broke or jobless anyway, use this opportunity to make some changes in your life. It is easier to shift careers than one would think. First of all, if you are doing what you love/care about then the quality of your work will be much better and you will excel. How do you get that job? Well if you're on unemployment, take an internship at a museum, a TV station, a government office, whatever you thought you couldn't do. Or take an internship on top of the shitty job you have that’s going nowhere, double down on your life. The world is falling out from under us, what left do we have to lose?
7.) Learn to cook: this is the best. Cooking, not only connects us with what is at our core like gardening does but it sustains us. After a long tour, I just can’t wait to come home and eat some tofu, the way I make it with greens the way I like em. If you have good taste in food, then you can be a good cook. Look up some recipes online, fuck around. It’s a great thing to do as couples, its romantic, healthy, and you can be gourmet as fuck without having to tip some waiter (who has a PHD and cant find a better job). What beats a barbecue with friends? A stew on a cold day?
8.) Cut out bad (expensive) habits: there is so much bullshit people do, that is a waste of money. Like smoking cigarettes.... I'm amazed at how many smart people smoke cigarettes... weed too, sure everyone loves a joint now and then, but pot is expensive (grow your own!)... If you can't afford something, give it up, and even if you can afford it, is it worth it? Plus I find in stressful times its better to have a clear mind.
9.) Move to Denver: A wise man once said, "you can be broke anywhere." I made this my life mantra. In my opinion Denver is the most European city in America, the entire city is bike-able, you can rent a house cheap, and be in nature in minutes if the need be. Its high culture without being pretentious, still feels working class, and has lots of late night vegan options.
10.) Get a bike: this is great on so many levels. Traveling by exercise. I’ve been riding my bike bout 10 miles a day since the weather got nice. It feels great to not be in a car, to feel the wind on your face and know you're not "shitting in al gores mouth." in a lot of cities it’s easier to get around on a bike. Nothing beats driving through a crowd of yuppies in the uppity district on your bike, while you're on the way to the bar knowing you don’t have to drive home drunk.