Jan Bina is a typical LA hyphenate – actor-writer-tortoise feeder-acting teacher-sloppy homemaker-weed puller-treadmill walker-fretful mother-daydreamer and sometime producer for In The Trenches Productions.com
Jan Bina graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Theatre from Mundelein College in Chicago. She also has a M.A. from Indiana University in Radio and Television. She is an actor, casting associate and writer-producer – a typical Los Angeles hyphenate. While living in Chicago, she preformed for many years at The Second City. As an actor she has appeared in numerous films and TV shows and countless commercials. Currently she is busy writing and producing material for her website, inthetrenchesproductions.com.

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Jan Bina
HOW RECESSION PROOF ARE YOU?
by Jan Bina

While nobody is totally recession proof, a modest way of living might be a blessing in these bleak times.  By having less than the average Wall Street high flyer, you might be emotionally better equipped to ride out these turbulent times.  While it’s not nice to celebrate anyone’s pain, there is a bit of schandenfraude knowing investment bank-robbers are scaling down.  So, here are 10 reasons why, you and I may fair better in this recession than the super rich. 

1. You don’t have a cleaning lady that you now have to give up, or cut back to 3 days a week.  I am my own cleaning lady and I wish I could fire me because I don’t do a very good job – but that’s another story. 

2.  Unlike Richard Fuld, former Lehman chairman, you won’t have to sell part of your art collection to make ends meet.  This could be heartbreaking – parting with beloved works of art --- really too sad--- I have to stop typing my eyes are filling with tears.… Ok, I’m composed now.  I just looked at my Dogs Playing Cards Tapestry and had a nice smile. 

3.  You know how to live on your wits. You are an actor, writer, musician, sales person, free lance worker – not a salaried employee, so your entire life has been a hustle.   

4.  You like the musty smell of thrift stores because you know that smell means you’re sniffing out a bargain.  Survey says Goodwill has the best bargains, followed by Salvation Army where prices are a bit higher and then there’s the Bloomingdale’s of re-sale stores - The Discovery Shops.

5. You’re already a coupon shopper. Unlike the clueless shopper in the following anecdote, you have a worn coupon organizer permanently stored in your purse.  In the January 2009 issue of Vanity Fair in an article called “Profiles in Panic”, a conversation at a high end grocery store in Westchester County was reported.  A Greenwich woman using her Food Emporium discount card was asked by a well dressed wife of a Wall Street investor how she could get one.  The Wall Street wife had never used a discount card or coupons and was eager to try them because, she said, “It’s all the rage now –where do you get them?”    But you, savvy coupon shopper, are already ahead of the trend!

6. The idea of getting your hair cut at Super Cuts only makes you slightly nauseous.  Plus you’ve learned the trick of how to extend times between getting your roots done.  TIP ALERT!  Check out the product Color Mark (although there are other similar products available).  It’s shaped like a mascara wand and used to touch up your roots.  This extends the time between touch ups by 2 to 3 weeks.  If you have fast growing hair and are covering gray, this product is for you.  And it is sooo easy to use.  While it washes out, it truly extends the time between trips to the salon.  It comes in a wide range of shades and is available at any Beauty Supply Store.  Think of the bucks you’ll save over a year – ca-ching – ca-ching!  BTW, this is not a paid endorsement.

7.  You love crock pot cooking and the leftovers they provide. In fact, your favorite night of the week is leftover night.

8. You don’t have to stick pins in your voodoo doll of Bernie Madoff. You were never asked to play in the Madoff sand box, so you’re not shedding tears about your sand castle being washed out to sea.

9.  You feel no shame stealing quarters off the floor of your son’s room.  Finders, keepers, pal.  Plus, it’s a good life lesson for him.

10.  Rest assured, your friends and family love you for whom you are, not for what you have.   


Jan Bina, Blogger for In the Trenches Productions.Com, the first entertainment website for women over 40 on the web.