16. BAND-AIDS Versus SOLUTIONS

Losing that university job set me back further than I was before I took the job. It did not last long enough for me to qualify for unemployment insurance, and the few dollars I had set aside for auto maintenance and a couple of upcoming quarterly and annual payments got eaten away in the first couple of weeks what with groceries and gas, dog food and the monthly bills that I actually pay to stay alive.
I am willing to sell a bunch of stuff, but so far the only thing that has sold is my chopper and that, for mere pennies on the dollar. And then, last week, I sold my wedding rings. But apparently, no one is buying diamonds at this time. Let me tell you this: selling gold can be a huge disappointment. Maybe you already know that the price shown in the media only applies to 24k or bullion. 18k and 14k command much, much smaller prices.
Converting possessions to cash in this marketplace is a sad thing to do for the seller. In the current economy, something valued at a hundred dollars would do well to sell for ten. Sure would be great for those with the cash and the desire to shop for bargains.
And so, I have had to revert to borrowing a small amount of money to hopefully 'get me by' until this new job gives me a pay check. Kind of like our government borrowing from China until April 15 when taxes flow in from the serfs, er, I mean citizens. And then, as exorbitant as the taxes are, they do little if anything to counteract the borrowing. Because borrowing money is a downhill spiral.
Borrowing and selling and working at part time jobs are all merely band-aids. So beyond and above plastering band-aids on the problems, I seek solutions. Solutions to the financial crisis for the country are beyond my current comprehension, even if certain ideas occur to me once in a while.
Solutions for myself, once I find them, I would hope could be models for others in similar circumstances.

Curtailing spending: I wish I had had sense enough to cut back on spending years ago. I spent based upon the legal promise of a substantial influx. That has not come to fruition, and is a serious problem that I must overlook for the time being. Even if that had happened in a timely manner, I would not have had sense enough to be conservative with it. When it does eventually manifest, I will hopefully have learned enough to hang on to it. And I wish that a solution to this issue would simply fall into my lap. Well, you know what that means: if wishes were horses, I'd have a horse.
Banking on the future and borrowing money is stupid. And I have really learned that the hard way. Investing is the same as gambling. If you 'do it right' you might 'get lucky.'  The Simple Dollar
I'm beginning to think that boiling life down to the basic necessities and becoming self-sufficient is the most secure way to live. The various 'frugal living' books and web sites offer a great deal of information on ways to go about this. Still, even with spending at a bare minimum, there are costs that require cash outlay: transportation, food (even if you garden) shelter and some form of utilities. And everyone needs to have clothing. Even if you are a nudist, you have to wear something if you go somewhere where clothing is mandatory, which is nearly everywhere.
So, the solutions I seek are still behind the veil, just out of reach, but I will explore them in upcoming postings.