AuntSissy posted on the Frugal Village boards about her 911 file in case of a job loss. Here’s the post:

What has kept me afloat was saving a year’s worth of car, home, etc. payments…What I failed to do was take into consideration that it would be extremely difficult to get even a minimum wage-paying job (I assumed that I would be able to walk into anyplace and get hired immediately).

What I did? Scoped out the resources in my area (faith-based and secular) and keep a file of them handy.

I made a “911″ file for a friend the year before I got laid off, and actually found that I used it that year (and more so this past). It contains a list of places that doubles coupons, sells ‘dented’/reduced for quick sale canned goods and other grocery staples, clothing exchanges (I can’t afford the Thrift Store right now, but can darned tootin’ pass on/swap what I already own!)…

Think of the things that you regulary need, then try to find an alternative (less expensive/no-cost) resource. …

While a number of items on our list were for emergency use only, we’ve both found that we use(d) them to save $ on a day-to-day basis.

Now, if you live in southeast Michigan, a lot of that research has already been done for you. You’ll find lots of community resources listed at Monroe on a Budget and Julie’s List. You will still have to make some phone calls or look up some web sites, but you’ve got a place to start.

And for those of you who live elsewhere, how did Julie and I compile our lists?

Julie writes on her home page that she was doing research for her social worker degree, she realized that there was a need in the metro Detroit area for an easy-to-access list of free and low-cost services. She has since learned many of the non-profit agencies didn’t have a big marketing budget, and they appreciated help in getting the word out to people who needed the services.

While the 211 hotline has started to build up a human services information database in the meantime … Julie is still maintains her site on a volunteer basis.

For my part, I knew about a lot of the resources and services that are available in Monroe County for families on a budget because I work as a reporter for The Monroe Evening News.

It’s not that the information is “secret” or “for background only,” because a lot of what I have posted on this blog originally ran in the newspaper somewhere. But there’s the all-too-common scenario of “if it doesn’t matter to me right now, I’m not interested,” and then, well, a month later you wonder “Why can’t I find that information I need?”

• Where did I find the information about which grocery stores double coupons? I checked the policies as listed in their grocery ads.
• Where did I find the information about free dinners for needy families? The schedule is listed every week in The Monroe Evening News’ Community Page section.
• How did I come up with the list of local thrift shops? I knew where many of them were because I have shopped at those stores. I asked my co-workers about other second-hand stores, and looked up the phone numbers and addresses in the phone book.

You can become an budget-minded expert on your community too by:

• Attending the local resource fairs and information expos. There are expos on a variety of special interest topics in the Monroe area every year at the mall, the community college and the fairgrounds.
• Checking out the announcements that your library has posted on its bulletin board and web site.
• Reading your church bulletins to find out about moms groups and other local ministries.
• Reading the packets of information that come home in your child’s backpack from the classroom and Sunday School. (For those of you with high schoolers, I suggest finding out whether the daily announcements are posted on line or available on e-mail so that you as a parent can keep track of important deadlines.)
• Reading the headlines in every section in your local newspaper every day (Yes, even the “boring” public service announcement or neighbors section … that’s where you find a lot of important local notices for families on a budget). If you cannot afford home delivery or electronic subscription to the entire newspaper, then make it a point to stop by the library once a week for reading and research.
• Asking your local friends and co-workers for their favorite budget-friendly shopping tricks. If you don’t already know where the clearance aisles are located, and what days have the best specials at what stores, you will find out real quick.