Recession Watch: What to do when you're low on cash

When you want tips on what to do when you're low on cash, talk to a freelance writer. We're all very well-adjusted to the feast-or-famine lifestyle, thank you very much. Some months we're out of debt and investing our extra. Other months, we're digging through coat pockets for milk money.

Tragically, there's a lot more famine than feast most years. So we know how to live close to the bone. Below I outline a few trade secrets developed over the many years I've spent living on the edge of financial disaster. These might sound pathetic, but hey. They work. And I've never once been late with the rent.

Stash your Cash -- In feast times, plan for famine. In other words, stash your cash. When times are fat, always tuck away cash reserves, maybe a couple of hundred, in twenties, for that rainy day. When you have NO MORE money at all, this stash will buy your kids' milk and you a gallon of gasoline so you can drive to that temp job.