LUMBERYARD LOGS: Making do in hard times

The bleak financial picture across the globe is inducing folks all around — even in Laguna Beach — to clip coupons and take steps to shore up their personal economies.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been asking people what they’re doing, if anything, to economize.

I was surprised when Joan Gladstone, who consults for mega-developer Athens Group, told me she is doing quite a few things differently these days. No big-ticket vacation this year for her and husband, Ed Gillow, and Joan is also clipping supermarket coupons to save a few pennies.

Joan is also — and this is heroic because her house is big — doing her own cleaning. Joan decided not to hire a new cleaning lady after her longtime cleaner departed. Instead, she headed over to Coast Hardware and bought a mop, bucket and sponges.

And, it’s good exercise.

As for Athens Group, in the wake of the huge stock market falloff, Joan says she doesn’t see Athens pulling back from its big redevelopment plans for the Aliso Creek property. The private investors involved apparently have all the cash they need to see the plan through. Lucky them.

Randy Kraft, of the Friendship Shelter, says she’s not doing anything differently, really, just staying true to the conservative spending habits taught to her by Depression-era parents.

When I mentioned to Randy that I was putting my worn-out socks in a mending pile instead of throwing them out, she was shocked. But why discard perfectly good socks that only need a little bit of stitching? My partner, Sharon, pulled out her grandmother’s darning egg (yep, that’s what it’s called), and I rummaged around to find the gold thimble my grandmother left me as a keepsake.

True, I don’t really know how to darn, but Sharon used to watch her grandmother do it, so together we might be able to figure it out. In the meantime, I’m making do with the over-and-under basting stitch I learned way back when.

Randy suggested I might even make a few extra bucks by taking in mending, but it hasn’t come to that — yet!

We’ve also discovered that good stuff can be had for practically nothing at the local thrift stores.

I had a fun time meeting up with Lagunan Pamela Halpern and her husband, Michael, at the Playhouse’s Moveable Feast event Monday. We were enjoying our gorgeous dessert course — chocolate souffle hot from the oven — at French 75. When I asked Pamela if she was economizing, she said yes — she’s actually using the coupons she has always clipped.

Our columnist, Sherwood Kiraly, said he’s economizing, too, but not because of the global market meltdown. Sherwood is struggling to make ends meet as an underpaid independent screenwriter.

Every time I see Sherwood he has a library book in his hands, so I guess we know where his money isn’t being spent — on books. Sherwood volunteers at the Friends of the Library bookstore, so he gets first pick of the used books that come through. Now that’s economical.

Our former cartoonist Steve Bolton says he had to get a real job: “I’ve found the best way to save money is to actually make some.” Steve also cut down his New York Times subscription to Sunday only and is putting off buying an expensive new car.

Our Coastline Pilot advertising rep, Shelli Klotz, is skipping the Toll Roads and bringing her lunch a few times a week to save funds.

The brought-instead-of-bought- lunch idea is a popular one among my colleagues here at the newspaper group.

Others have taken far more drastic measures.

Sandrine Gann, one of our legal ad representatives, pulled her child out of private school and refinanced her home to cut costs.

(Many Laguna parents have also followed this path, with the result that the school district has a lot more students.)

Also, “far less Starbucks than before, and no more shopping for shoes every other day” for Sandrine.

Daily Pilot reporter Joseph Serna is apparently going hungry to save money: He’s buying less food (guess he hasn’t learned to bring his lunch yet) and eating more rice and bread to fill up. Poor guy, he’s even given up his morning coffee and is eating an apple instead to perk up his metabolism. Ouch, that really hits where it hurts — but probably is better for his health.

Cartoonist Michael Lukash — for whom cartooning is a way to make extra cash — is going to the movies less and cutting back on his hobbies. (What hobbies? Well, he always goes to the big Comic Con comics convention, if that tells you anything.)

Jennifer Frehn, my weekly newspaper city editor peer over in Huntington Beach, has a laundry list of money savers, including: bringing lunch; making holiday cards (a good one!); and having friends over for dinner instead of going out.

Jennifer’s family has gotten on the thrift bandwagon and decided to have a “white elephant” Christmas this year and not buy any gifts. She’s also thinking about growing her own vegetables, as some of her friends are doing. That’s long-term planning.

Chris Raitz, one of our ad reps in Newport-Mesa, is also taking a number of steps: consolidating trips to save gas; clipping coupons; not buying expensive treats at the movies; making cheaper meals and eating out at less-pricey restaurants.

Our copy editor, Jamie Rowe, took a big step toward financial health by moving within a mile of work — and within walking distance of the grocery store and her bank. She’s saving big on gas, plus she opted not to get cable TV — but still has Netflix so she’s not too entertainment-deprived.

Classified ad salesperson Kim Paredes says she’s riding her bike to get her nails done and on local shopping excursions, saving gas.

Even Scott Pompe, a Tribune Co. vice president who heads up our group, says he’s riding his bike more now.

Once you get going on saving money, it’s hard to stop. That’s good for the pocketbook — and it’s truly “green” living because we are doing more with less and saving resources. So maybe it’s good for our souls, too.

CINDY FRAZIER is city editor of the Coastline Pilot. She can be contacted at (949) 494-2087 or [email protected].