Posted by Julie Parrish, a Shopping Strategist and co-owner of Hotcouponworld.com

1. Go back to school: If you’re unsure of how secure your job might be, or if you’re not making enough money to keep afloat, now might be a seriously good time to head back to school. Professions to think about are ones that are in high demand and offer high wages. Nursing, pharmacy tech and healthcare fields take center stage as more people continue to age and need health services. Whatever you choose to study, do a little research on emerging fields like alternative energy and water desalination—you may just find a new career.

2. Spec a garden plot in your yard: Food prices are only going to continue to climb. Spend this winter reading up on how to plant and grow food in your climate zone. Then once you grow it, be smart about preserving it.

3. Learn to barter: Got a skill? Swap it out. If you can cook, clean, knit, give massages, fix pipes or you’re handy in some tangible way, you might be a part of a growing group of people who’d rather chop firewood in exchange for dental care. You’ll keep needed cash in your pocket, but you’ll also get the vital services you need.

4. Consolidate households: If you have the space in your house, it might be worthwhile consolidating your household with a sibling, parent, or friend in order to split expenses and bank some money. Or do a room/board swap with someone in exchange for babysitting, or other household services like housekeeping or gardening.

5. Invest: As crazy as it sounds, there is something to the notion that investing over time, slowly and steadily, wins the race. Investing doesn’t have to be the crazy excess that precipitated the financial crisis. Sound investment tools still exist. And even if all you do is utilize a pre-tax account and keep the money—the cash part of the fund—until you’re ready to dip your toe back in the water, you’re still capturing the tax savings. If you were invested and lost a chunk of change in the past weeks, buying additional investments at today’s lower prices will help your dollar-cost average over the long haul.

Being strategic about how you navigate through the coming months will be an integral part of your family’s financial health. And of course, keep on couponing and stockpiling, which gives you a huge leg up over many people right now when the average U.S. grocery bill is about $800 a month!

SEE ALSO:
Stockpiling for big savings
You can go back to school!
Attention, electronic shoppers: The affordable laptop
Free book samples

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