Stop Wallowing and Start Working–Volunteer Working

You’ve drowned in self-pity and drunk yourself into depression. Now as a victim of the recession it might be time to try doing something new and slightly more productive with your free time—like helping someone else as a volunteer.

After all, scouring online job boards and e-mailing potential business contacts can’t take up all of your spare time. And with more than 63 million people volunteering in the past year—almost 2 million more than the number who volunteered during the 2007/2008 period—there’s no telling who you’ll meet while helping out, or what that new contact could lead to. All in all, the experience could add a bullet point to your resume, and perhaps lead you to a job. Oh, and your efforts help those in need (besides yourself).

The trickiest part may be getting started. After the jump we’ve put together a roundup of a few of the many interesting websites and mobile applications devoted to helping people find projects in their local communities and beyond….

Recession Briefing 12.3: Families Going Rural

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

The recession is inspiring more young families and singles to head back to the country. Sometimes dubbed “ruralpolitans,” these city and town dwellers are looking at land as their new safe investment. (Wall Street Journal)

Some companies are banding together to save money by having group holiday parties. (New York Times)

Some 60 million adult Americans live without a bank account or use pawn shops and other non-bank operations to handle their finances, according to an FDIC report that called for an expansion of basic services to the “underbanked”. (Financial Times)

Recession Briefing 11.18: Downturn Brings Out the Werewolves

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Why are werewolves so hot right now? Bob Powers and Ritch Duncan believe that the plight of the werewolf reflects the American economic mood at the current moment. (Huffington Post)

A Canadian real estate company was the winning bidder for Detroit’s Silverdome, snatching it up for just $583,000. The 80,000-seat Silverdome was the biggest stadium in the National Football League when it was built in 1975 for $55.7 million. (CNN/Assignment Detroit)

Will the shared experience (in some cases, shared indirectly — through family and close friends) of the recession move public opinions so dramatically that we see fundamental change in the economy or society as a result? (San Francisco Chronicle)…

Recession Brieifing 11.03: The Underwear Model of Economics

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

The “underwear model” as an economic metric has recently gained in popularity, following Alan Greenspan’s to an NPR correspondent to the effect that the less men’s underwear is sold the worse off the economy. But the metric might not be as revealing as it’s purported to be. (New York Mag)

The pain of the financial crisis has economists striving to understand precisely why it happened and how to prevent a repeat. (Wall Street Journal)

Artist Andres Zapata has been working on a project called Recession Nation, collected photos, short stories, visual art and poems from Baltimore and abroad. He recently published them in the book “The Recession Nation Project.” (Baltimore Sun)…

Recession Briefing 10.26: Pre-Teens Striking Out on Their Own

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Over the past two years, officials and experts have seen an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. (New York Times)

Staying put has become a national phenomenon. The rate of interstate migration is the lowest since the 1940s, the Census Bureau reports. (Chicago Tribune)

Nearly half a million workers 65 and older want to work but cannot find a job — more than five times the level early this decade and this group’s highest unemployment level since the Great Depression. (New York Times)…

Recession Briefing 7.28

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

As he deals with the economic crisis and the woes of other homeowners, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is also having trouble selling his own house. (ABC News)

Many Americans are being forced by economic necessity to open up their homes and share living space. (Boston Globe)

Many middle-class people are asking themselves unfamiliar questions about welfare and food stamps for the first time, after being abruptly laid off, losing their health insurance and struggling to pay their bills. (New York Times/City Room)

Jeffrey’s Recession Dinner Makes Ends Meat

During the Depression, Jeffrey Ruhalter’s grandfather would send 20 pounds of ground beef each day to a tent city in New York, to help feed the hungry. “They would mix it with sawdust to feed more people,” Ruhalter said.

Today’s situation has affected many New Yorkers, though it isn’t quite as dire, as evidenced by the Recession Dinner the fourth-generation butcher sponsored at the Hotel on Rivington last night. On the menu were homemade ravioli, New York strip steak, and cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery.

But that doesn’t make Ruhalter’s gesture any less generous. He fed 150 people, including laid-off retailers, publicists, journalists, painters and lawyers, charging just $10 for the dinner…

Productive Loafing: Puppy Love

Underemployed? Recessionwire offers ideas for making the most of your newfound free time.

A friend of mine has a lot of time on his hands these days—not because he’s been laid off, but because the company he founded is doing so well. He’s been taking cooking classes, doing yoga, and puppy-sitting. Not just any puppies; he’s helping care for dogs who are being trained as guides for the blind.

Read more…

Productive Loafing: Get on Board

Underemployed? Recessionwire offers weekly ideas for being productive with your newfound free time. First up, joining the board of a nonprofit organization.