There are many ways to avoid stress while suffering through the dreaded “R” word. Regardless of what governments say, for the average person who toils 40 hours a week to earn just enough to pay their bills you need to start looking after number one.

Here are a few survival tips:

• Do Not Get Into Debt - Put that credit card back in your pocket! Use it only in cases of dire emergency.
• Do Not Stay in Debt - Do anything you can to remove yourself from the massive list of individuals who have fallen behind on their personal debt. Consolidate all of your debt at the lowest interest rate you can find, and pay it as soon as possible.
• Get Rid Of Your Car - There is no excuse for owning a vehicle if you can’t afford it and live where good public transport is available. Think you’re too good to ride the bus? Get over yourself, cowboy-up, and purchase that pass.
• Do Not Invest Unless Doing So Wisely - Would you take a shower with a cheetah? Probably not. If you are playing today’s volatile stock market, you may as well shower with that cheetah. Historically, as a nation’s paper currency loses value, the value of precious metals rises. Gold, platinum, and possibly silver are safe investments.
• Do Not Buy Anything Without Thinking Twice - Before each and every purchase ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
• Do Not Go To Restaurants For Anything Other Than Special Occasions - Yes, stop eating out so much. There are these crazy things you may have heard of known as supermarkets. Bringing a lunch to work and cooking your own dinners will not only save money, but it is also healthier. Additionally, when restaurants are used strictly for special events the celebration is much more memorable.
• Don’t Forget About Libraries - Stop buying books. Stop renting DVDs. These, along with numerous other sources of entertainment, are easily obtainable for free in public libraries.
• Do Not Rule Out Second Jobs - Much like selling your vehicle this may mean that you need to swallow some pride. If you are in debt a part-time job a few nights a week will make it possible to pay that debt in a more timely fashion.
• Do Not EVER Quit Your Job Without Having Another One Lined Up - No matter how much you hate your boss, no matter if you have zero debt and money in the bank, no matter how employable you believe you are, quitting a job during a recession without another confirmed one waiting in the wings is a recipe for disaster.

Tough times are here. Tougher times are coming. But never lose faith in the human race. It has been proven time and time again two of man’s best qualities are our resiliency and the ability to adapt.

Related posts:

1. How To Avoid Reposession And Hang On To Your Home Most people are surviving the credit crunch. They are continuing...