don't get scared

kale pesto is cheap and surprisingly good

I have been listening to the news in order to learn about the recession.  I am blessed because it has had some impact on me, (I will not get my pension until I am a lot older than I would have) but overall life is okay.

Our financial house is in reasonable order, we have no debt and the mortgage is paid so we could survive for a while if we had to.  Yet despite all this I have been feeling anxious about the recession.
So I asked myself this: if I did not listen to the news, how would I feel? the answer is fine.  I am still doing the same things, still in good health, have a roof over my head and enough to eat.  We never did have a lavish lifestyle anyway as you will have guessed if you read this blog regularly - that is the whole point.

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that listening to the news or reading the papers (or watching it on TV) does not give you a balanced view of world events, or even of those in your local area.  It only reports the bad things and it is easy to think that things are worse than they are.  Some people who live in gated communities get an impression that the world outside the gate is a dangerous place, and this is bit the same.

So despite the fact that I don't personally know anyone whose life is in ruins I feel like all of our lives are.  That is not to minimise the impact on some of us, and it is important to work together as a community and family to help those who are not doing so well.
I have therefore made the following decisions:
1.  to stop listening to the news
2.  to give more money to charities that help those in difficult circumstances
3.  to continue blogging about saving money, living on less and all those great things that anyone can do whether they really need to because they are broke or because they just want to live a better life and to live on less.
4.  to harvest all the veg in my garden that is still out there.  we grew such a lot this year and the freezer is nearly full.
5.  to don my frugal black belt and do all I can to save, economise and otherwise be a good example to my kids.
Frugal recipe  kale Pesto
ingredients
A good handful of young soft kale leaves.  this is important.  it is tasty with young leaves and strong and tough with old ones.
the young leaves are sweet and delicious. Cook the leaves until just tender in pan, the base of which is covered with a little water.  drain.
tablespoon of pine nuts or cashews
1 table spoon of olive oil.
blend until smooth and serve with pasta.  It is very good.  a raw version can be made if the kale is not cooked first.