3 Things I Will Absolutely Pay for — Even in a Recession

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This writer has certain expenses she refuses to shed, even if economic conditions worsen. Read on to see what those entail. 

At this point, it’s unclear as to whether we’re heading into a recession in 2023. The Federal Reserve said earlier this year that it expects a mild recession lasting two years. But unemployment is low and jobs are still plentiful, so that doesn’t quite track with all of the recession warnings we’ve been hearing.

Still, at some point, we’re apt to find ourselves grappling with a recession, whether it’s later in 2023 or sometime in the future. And once a recession does hit, many of us will inevitably have to make some spending changes to compensate.

I, for example, will probably cut back on costlier social activities, like going to concerts, if a recession hits and impacts my income. My family might also travel less. But here are a few non-essential expenses I intend to keep paying for during a recession — even if I have to dip into my savings account to cover them.

1. My kids’ activities

My kids are signed up for a host of extracurricular activities, from soccer to martial arts to piano lessons. These are things my kids work hard at. My daughter who takes piano lessons practices every morning before school, while my son is vigilant about doing push-ups and sit-ups so he’s equipped to handle his martial arts training.

I wouldn’t want a recession to stop my kids from doing the activities they enjoy. Pulling them out even temporarily might cause them a world of distress and lead to them falling behind. Plus, some of these activities serve as a social outlet for them, and I wouldn’t want to take that away.

2. Quality food

My family eats a lot of produce and other fresh food. And so if a recession were to hit, I’d do my best to continue putting lots of fruits and vegetables on the table because that’s really important to me.

Now, I can admit that my family also dines out and orders takeout on a regular basis. But I’d be willing to cut back on prepared meals and do even more cooking than I do already in order to continue buying quality groceries for my family.

3. Streaming services and cable

We all need a way to unwind at the end of the day. And sometimes, for my kids, that means watching a little TV. I wouldn’t want to take that away from them during a recession.

What’s more, my son and I in particular are huge sports fans. We watch hockey together throughout the season and enjoy watching baseball as well. I wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing my favorite teams play during a recession, so I’d rather make sacrifices like give up downtime to do my own home maintenance than cut the cord or cancel streaming services (though to be fair, right now I pay for several, so I’d conceivably cancel one or two of those services if need be).

The idea of a recession can be daunting, and some people might have to make changes to their spending habits to get through one. If a recession were to result in a reduced income for me, I’d obviously have to roll with it and make adjustments. But I’d cut my spending in a whole bunch of other categories before messing with the ones above.

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