How To Save Money in 2009

If you thought 2008 was a crappy year for your money, you can bet we're going to get more of the same in 2009, or maybe worse. Wait until the criminals in Washington and the FED get that bailout money (read: gift to their corporate executive friends and banksters) into circulation, the dollar will crash and inflation will soar. The key to protecting your money (real money, not that fiat paper money crap that's going to be useful only for wiping your ass with) is imperative in the coming year. This article is a good start, but I'd be cautious in believing anything that comes out of a plastic mouthpiece that shills for the corporate-sponsored mainstream media. It submits 10 ways to save money in 2009. Below, however, I provide my own list and there's only 5, which makes things easier to remember. Plus I'm lazy and don't have a shill for the financial industry dreaming up ideas for me. Here is my list of Ways to Save Money in 2009:


1. Buy Gold, Silver, Guns, Ammunition, and anything else that holds it's value.

The whole idea behind this is to protect your already accumulated paper wealth and convert it into hard assets that sustain their value in tough times. Putting your money in a savings account is nice and traditional, but you're doing yourself more harm than good because, while inflation is rising and interest rates are falling, you're going to lose out. Unless you've got millions in savings accounts, that 3% annual yield isn't going to buy you much. The interest you get will be a pittance and you could be building wealth by putting it into hard assets. You've got to put your money in things that are historically good stores of value, such as gold, silver, and guns. The paper money system that we currently live under is doomed to fail in 2009. Your cash will be good for only one thing and that's wiping your ass with it. You need to get tough and buckle down. When you buy gold, silver, and guns you are making an investment in yours and your family's future. Gold and silver prices will sour as the FED continues to print bailout money and the system collapses. Guns and ammunition are essential in the event The Shit Hits The Fan. You'll need them to protect your home, property, and family from those who get desperate in desperate times and try to steal from you or hurt you. Plus, they are great to barter with if you need supplies. Gold and silver can be used to barter with and are easily liquidated if you need quick cash. As prices soar you'll be earning a much higher inflation adjusted return on your money than if you were to hoard cash.


2. Get your money out of the stock market now.


If you haven't already noticed, everyone who was invested in the stock market in any way, shape, or form lost a substantial chunk of savings. Stop listening to these "financial gurus" who say to wait out the storm and who peddle that thoroughly discredited mantra of "historically stocks return on average 10% over the long-term". YEAH!!! Maybe 10 to 20 years ago. These are the same hucksters that got us into this financial mess. Be smart, cut your losses, and get the hell out now. Refer back to #1.


3. Stop buying worthless material crap.


Stop going to the mall every weekend and buying stupid crap the corporations and advertising agencies tell you you need to live a comfortable life. Keeping up with the Joneses has never been more costly than now. You could lose your job and livelihood at anytime. Do you really need the 50" flat screen plasma TV? You have to fight back with your wallet. Stop making other people rich off your gullibility and stick it to the man by saying NO. Besides, everything ends up in either the county dump or a thrift store.


4. Don't buy a new car.


Even though the current market environment for new vehicle purchases favors the buyer, this is one item you should never get new. A brand new car can depreciate by more than 20% as soon as you drive it off the lot because now it's considered a "used car". New doesn't always translate into better. I've had my 2001 Jeep Cherokee for 8 years now (however, I did buy it brand new). But, I've gotten wise to the fact that a car will treat you as well as you treat it. You can take an old car and transform it into a reliable piece of hardware by making sure you are up on its regualrly scheduled maintenance. A car turns to shit when you neglect it's most basic needs. I've got over 130,000 miles on my Jeep and it runs like a charm. Of course, some minor problems have occurred but I don't mind paying the money for repairs because I know I'll be saving money in the long run. I look at regular maintenance as an investment in my future. My Jeep has served me well and will continue to do so for a few more years. If you intend to purchase a vehicle in 2009 please consider a pre-owned (i.e. used) vehicle. Why would you want to buy a new one knowing you'll be owing more on it as soon as you drive it off the lot, than you would if you had let someone else suffer the depreciation?

5. Become frugal

Shopping at thrift stores and buying second-hand goods from online auction sites is a good start, but it's not the be-all-end-all to your methodology of saving money in the New Year. To explain the various ways you can live a frugal lifestyle within this blog would not do them justice. There are many useful forums our there that will help to get you started. Here are some sites I've seen in the past couple of years that I feel are the best:

http://www.frugalvillage.com

http://www.frugalsquirrels.com

http://www.totallyfrugal.com