From greenhouses to economic back-turns, it’s all fodder for writers developing characters or plot points. In book four of my fiction series, there’s reference to events during the “last” economic recession, and Dr. Naomi Alexander has her hands full piecing things together. But what is a recession?

A recession happens when there’s a brief but substantial decline in the economic system. Consumers spend less, many people are unemployed, companies make job cuts, and industrial creation slows considerably. Recessions also tie into housing crises, as individuals (unemployed or accepting a pay cut) are faced with foreclosing their homes. With limited funds dedicated to food and shelter, few are caring about the latest movie, laptop, designer shoe, or techno-gadget.

Check out any Finance-101 information. One factor indicating a recession: two consecutive quarters of negative growth, as assessed by the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP measures a country’s overall economic activity: the total value of goods/services provided over a year. If little to nothing has been selling or produced for six straight months, the word “recession” enters the discussion.

It’s a Cyclical Thing

Most things are cyclical in some form. Trade cycles involve fluctuations in economic activities (employment, output and income, prices, profits, etc.) Recessions, too, are part of the trade cycle and tend to “recede” after about eighteen months or so.

Productivity and consumerism climb when the economic system recovers, expands, and thrives. When the marketplace goes through a continuous slowdown, the “good times” flow in the opposite direction until finally developing into a recession. And so, the cycle continues with periods of growth, followed by downturns (and then upturns again).

Because they’re cyclical, recessions eventually “recede,” so there’s usually light at the end of the figurative tunnel. But it may be a while before seeing economic improvement.

Biding the Time

Most of us aren’t on the high end of the income-disparity spectrum. In a recession or not, tips involving things like paying off debt, diversifying income, and building an emergency fund seem pointless —when there aren’t any extra funds for this paying-off and diversifying and building. Still, in this age of technology, utilizing any of the free financial management apps may be an eye-opener and help with facilitating cutting costs.

But there is action useful through a recession (and beyond): living more frugally. Hey, we like what we like, but with limited funds dedicated to basic living necessities (food and shelter), the extras must take a hit—if only temporarily. One non-essential to zero-in on: leisure/entertainment.

Quick-n-Dirty Corner Cutting

There are countless leisure/entertainment indulgences; these are just some cost-cutting examples:

• For those using disposable facial cleansing cloths, cut those suckers in half. They’ll last longer, resulting in less-frequent spending on them. Every little bit helps. (A character utilizes this one in book four.)
• Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. Pick one. Yeah, they each offer varying availability of shows and movies, but you also know which one you watch more than the others. Just remember, it’s not forever.
• In line with #2: rent, don’t buy movies. In this digital age, it’s easy to click the purchase button instead of renting it. It’s likely, half the time you’ll determine you should’ve rented instead, anyway.

However, maybe it’s time to revisit classic entertainment from the “olden” days—like boardgames … and reading books. So, visit your local library, get/renew your library card, and go on an adventure, finding just the right story to entertain you—and briefly distract you from life’s turmoil. It’ll help you stay in a positive mindset.

Speaking of recessions and stories that entertain, I’m receding from blogging to focus more on my fiction, shifting to delivering S.F. Powell: Sans Serif monthly (instead of biweekly).

Until next time, stay cool, stay serif, and read on (fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels: go for it).