In a bad economy we always need to get creative to be able to save some money. We do certain things that we wouldn't necessarily do as consistently in better times. One of these things here in my home is that I try and buy vegetables directly from local farmers. While I already used to do this every now and then, it wasn't as consistent, as vegetables were also available in the local stores. But of course those stores usually don't grow the vegetables themselves and act as a middleman. In a bad economy these store tend to sometimes exaggerate almost all profit margins, which makes it even more logical for me to seek out the original sources.
For us it's not as much of a problem, since there are at least two home owners at walking distance that sell their vegetables which they and their family grow. They usually just have a little tent and table in front of their house in the morning and afternoon.
But even buying straight from the locals seems to have its dos and don'ts nowadays. The prices are being decided based on supply and demand, which is a normal thing. I noticed this when trying to find eggplant recently, which was somewhat more expensive than other vegetables, if you could even find it. There could be a scarcity due to many things, maybe the weather was not right, or maybe there is some event where people require more of a certain thing.
In that case I've found that it is better to be a bit more flexible with what you want to eat. We basically mostly buy and eat whatever vegetable is not in the highest of demands. This means that you sometimes eat things you aren't used to eating as much, but that's not a bad thing I find, since it allows me to experiment with different recipes.
Finances can be tricky, but they are not impossible. When the situation changes, you need to be flexible with your expenses. This goes for vegetables as well as other things of course. When you are able to adapt, drastic changes will have less influence on your financial situation and therefore less influence on you goals.
What are some measurements you take to adapt to economical changes?
