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It’s Monday, the stock market has dipped to new lows, we hear of bank failures and mergers, politics and debates and you wonder what I do in troubling times? I cook. This afternoon I am making oatmeal cookies with my 10-year-old son because he thinks I make the best oatmeal cookies in the world. These may be trying times, but when my son tells me how wonderful my cookies are things just don’t seem so bad.

My husband and I are not old enough to be children of the Depression (our parents were) but we have survived the financial ups and downs of family life by simplifying. Baking cookies is just one way to step back and savor the downturn. The kitchen smells wonderful, the ingredients are so basic you probably have them on hand, and your family will love you for it.

Other ways of cutting costs? Shop less, take catalogs immediately to recycling, drive less, eat out less, and pare down your schedule so you and your children do fewer activities. When you are at home more, your children are generally happier and more rested. You have more time to plan meals ahead, thus saving money. I won’t go so far as to say there is a silver lining to this economic mess we are in, but some of my favorite meals are pasta, beans, and a nicely roasted chicken. And oatmeal cookies.

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