Shopping and holiday gift giving this year took a turn for extra merry, as we have more permission and justification than ever to buy from our favorite businesses (local, small business, independently owned big business, even big box stores if you want to be able to walk around in them), in order to keep these businesses alive as scientists figure out the virus, and health care workers work on patients with severe symptoms. Your own marketing to your customers and future customers via your newsletter and social media is dialed way up right now, and you yourself are receiving the temptations and good ideas from everywhere.
But - the real life scenario for many people may be that their gift budget is super low right now. Business owners themselves may be down, like restaurant owners who have to drastically change how they serve customers, or dog walkers who have less clients now that owners are home. Some people are thriving in an unexpectedly strong industry. Some industries are tanking like hospitality, airports, move theaters, theme parks, etc, where flocks of people have been laid off.
The media industry is used to this - when flocks of people are laid off, like at Walt Disney Television Group as they restructure - the count is up to 32,000 employees by March 2021 of mainly resort and theme park employees - and the ending of Radio Disney after 25 years of production, which will end 36 people’s jobs.
No matter what your budget, it’s time to focus on debt, and rein it in to $0. Banks won’t like this - they love making money off of us from interest and late fee charges (fight those charges! you can request to refund them, especially mentioning COVID). If you actually have no budget, I want you to take a cheerful approach to paying down your credit cards to $0. This is your Big Goal. If you’re not out there buying a ton of gifts, and giving in to all of us marketers who are hoping that you will spend (and we really, really do want you to spend…it does save businesses!), you and I and all of us need to shift life from the Land of Debt to the Land of Cash Saved and Invested.
To be honest, I have no advice for you as to how to live with cash saved. Once you get $0 balances on all of your debts, you will need a mindset shift. You may be so used to operating paycheck to paycheck, you might continue spending all of it. Advice for this is in another article. If this is your area of expertise, pitch Tin Shingle with an article idea.
Pitching The Media With Money Ideas
Is this your area of expertise, as a money and finance expert? Did you accomplish this goal as a business owner and want to get publicity for it? These are all good ideas to do, and you’ll find a few ideas on who to pitch, and which outlets to get familiar with before you pitch, in Tin Shingle’s Media Contact Idea Center. Available to Members of Tin Shingle.
Some names you’ll find in Tin Shingle right now. Deep dive into them, and get a spark of an idea for how to pitch them! A pitch to a person like this will be different for each person. They have different beats and different passions. You’ll want to pitch a media publicity idea according to what sparks their interest for their readers, viewers or listeners. Need ideas on how to do this? Join Tin Shingle today, and start communicating in our Community Forum for direct conversations.
Tin Shingle was designed for business owners and creators who are getting the word out about their business, and need a sounding board, media contacts, courage and strength to keep putting themselves out there.
Kathryn Finney
Named by Inc Magazine as one of the most influential women in tech, Kathryn Finney has made her mark as an entrepreneur, social media visionary, “women in” advocate, investor, writer, and television correspondent.
Areas of Interest: Finance, Money, Black Women, Black Women and Money, Black Media, Investors, Budgeting
Carolynn L. Johnson
CEO of Diversity, Inc.
Areas of Interest: Black, african american, black american, African American Interest, Education, diversity, minority, school, Business, wealth building, jobs, Money, entrepreneur
Farnoosh Torabi
Financial Expert, Bestselling Author and Host of the Webby-Nominated Podcast SO MONEY.
Farnoosh Torabi is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities — hooked on helping you live your richest, happiest life. From reporting for Money Magazine to hosting a primetime series for CNBC and contributing to O, The Oprah Magazine, Farnoosh has become a favorite, go-to money expert and friend.
Hannah Rimm
Associate Editor, Money Diaries at Refinery29, Inc.
Kathryn Tuggle
Writer, HerMoney
Listen to her latest podcast with the author and investor, Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money And Your Life”