Terrible economy- how are you saving?

[Sopamanda]

Clearly our economy is in trouble. I'm a pretty savvy bargainer but here are our modifications as present:


Pondering getting rid of the home phone. We bundle currently, I need to price it out and see if it's worth it.

Pondering getting rid of cable. We have basic, and although I love MSNBC and Super Why, I could probably live without it and get my info from the paper (which I'm not giving up) and free magazines ala slickdeals. Mercury magazines is amazing!

Assessing what we 'need' versus 'want'. DS is 3 and doesn't need more toys (admit it, who out there has toys still left relatively unplayed with from birthdays). We may use this opportunity to get a 'big boy bed' and call it a Christmas present. I have picked up a few cool toys (digital camera from Target last week) at 75% and we're pretty much set.

How are you all modifying???

[shburks]

I am seriously watching the electricity in our house--turning off lights, not running the AC/heat as long as possible. I'm also becoming very aware of not letting leftovers go bad or throwing away food (i.e. celery that got left in the fridge--just throwing away money).

The biggest thing I'm doing is trying to stretch out dinner one more night before I buy groceries. You know...like, what can I make for dinner tonight using stuff in the house? Helps keep down the grocery bill just a tiny bit.

[Melaine]

No house phone, cheapest internet and cable available in the area ($30 total for both together), switched to diva cup and luna pads, exclusively using Klean Kanteens and purposely avoiding buying bottled water and beverages when we are out of the house. this is going to be a lean Christmas, but most of ours' are....cutting down on extended family gifts by drawing names on one side and doing just small stocking gifts on the other side. Contemplating whether to modify my typical Christmas party to avoid spending so much on food....love to hear more ideas. Really really really need to work on the food budget....very very bad at using food that is in the house....also we've been planning eating out (when we do) to accomodate kids' eat free nights. At Moes we all 4 eat for about $7 total on Tuesday nights. I don't care if DH is tired of burritos, it's cheap and it's a nice way for me and the kids to get out of the house!!!

[wellyes]

I typically spend $700 or so at Christmas but this year everyone is getting a frame baby photo. If they wanted more, too bad. I bet no one will mind a bit. And for DH & myself, we're imposing a limit for each other - $25 max each.

I also went to one of those sites that tells you about unclaimed money and found that I had unclaimed money in two different states! $100 from where I went to college and about $500 from a previous employer. I was amazed - posting this to let others know it's worth looking into. That money is coming now and will make a real difference for me this year.

[kellybelly0513]

We also get a lot of free magazines. We cut our phone bill down to the basic package. I buy a lot of clothing on ebay to get it cheaper than retail and also resell outgrown clothing for extra money.

We try not to drive into town unless we really have to and if we do, we do all of our errands in one trip.

We have really cut back on our dining out and fast too, DH and I always try to pack lunches to save extra cash.

I also really stock up when there is a good sale. Like during June/July, Target had a $5 off pampers coupon so I bought tons of diapers for the baby. In fact, I still have about 5 or 6 packages left because I bought so many.

[la mama]

I am seriously watching the electricity in our house--turning off lights, not running the AC/heat as long as possible. I'm also becoming very aware of not letting leftovers go bad or throwing away food (i.e. celery that got left in the fridge--just throwing away money).

The biggest thing I'm doing is trying to stretch out dinner one more night before I buy groceries. You know...like, what can I make for dinner tonight using stuff in the house? Helps keep down the grocery bill just a tiny bit.

:yeahthat:

Plus, I'm actually sticking to my grocery list when I do go. I used to be pretty bad about getting things that weren't on my list so I would end up with duplicates or items that I had nothing to do with.

We've always done thrifty Christmas on my side; last year on both sides we did thrift store Christmas, drew names and set a dollar amount, it was fun to see what you could find.

I'm definitely cutting out my "wants" although DH seems to have a harder time with that. He'll come around. Can't wait to hear other ideas.

[bubbaray]

From the title, I thought you meant how are we saving as in investing. All I have to say on that front is Warren Buffett is buying for the first time in 2 years. I'm in the market for the long haul and ups and downs are part of the stock game. Canadian bank stocks are particularly attractive right now -- Canadian banks were just rated yesterday the safest in the world.

We aren't really economizing much more than normal. We're already pretty "cheap". Switches that are ongoing are more green related than anything. I recently started not using plastic wrap in favor of sandwich containers (safe plastic).

I'm also trying to purge around the house. Its not really saving, but it helps make me realize that I don't really need to buy more things, KWIM?

[lellolicious]

I've stopped going to Target, unless i ABSOLUTELY NEED something. Seriously, one just opened up 4 minutes from my house this past summer, and i'd pay $80 every time i needed a gallon of milk. Just not even giving in to the temptation to go is saving us from a lot of unnecessary clutter and helping our bank account quite a bit.

[tstackett]

We are doing a "green" christmas with our family this year. We usually exchange names and set a dollar amount of $30. This year we are exchanging names, but everyone has to give something of theirs personally - a kind of re-gifting. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. We have stressed that the gift need not be stuff that you yourself do not want - how about giving away something that you treasure just to see someone else enjoy it. Who knows - maybe it will be re-gifted back to you next year!

Tracy
Mom to Alex - 6, Ian - 4, Grace - 2

[alien_host]

What I need to do is stop coming by this board so I don't buy something because it's such a good deal! ;) That would save us tons.

[DietCokeLover]

I have started planning our our meals a week in advance. During my week, I have to have 2 complete days where I use only what is already in the house. It's my own personal challenge to myself. It's really cut down on buying unnecessary things at the grocery store. I've also started using a pitcher of water in the fridge, rather than buying bottled water.

[robertrose]

What I need to do is stop coming by this board so I don't buy something because it's such a good deal! ;) That would save us tons.


ditto to that one. but of course I still check it every day.

:)

Seriously, I've saved tons not going to Starbucks daily. How sad is that when you realize how much you spend there in a month. And I, too am challenging myself to make dinner with whats left in the freezer and pantry, before I hit the grocery store.

[kittymom]

i have most of my christmas shopping done for my son and most of it is used stuff i've gotten on craigslist or the local kids' consignment shop. we are trying to be more green as well so i like the idea of recycling toys. as for family we also do a secret santa so you are only buying for one person. mostly we are pretty thrifty but my weakness is grocery shopping as well. i thought it was just me! i am starting to plan meals for the week and sticking to that for my grocery list.

[AddiesMom]

Three little words... TWO BUCK CHUCK!

-DH changed daily newspaper to Sunday only
-Keep saying over and over "DD has enough clothes, DD has enough clothes..."
-Limiting Target trips
-Doing more in Slow Cooker, can get more than 1 meal out of it
-No swapping holiday gifts with adults (except elderly ones), keep same-as-usual with the kids
-In Dec our current promo with cable company expires, play "lets make a deal" with them to get another promo or HBO goes bye-bye!

[ha98ed14]

We are doing a "green" christmas with our family this year. We usually exchange names and set a dollar amount of $30. This year we are exchanging names, but everyone has to give something of theirs personally - a kind of re-gifting. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. We have stressed that the gift need not be stuff that you yourself do not want - how about giving away something that you treasure just to see someone else enjoy it. Who knows - maybe it will be re-gifted back to you next year!

Tracy
Mom to Alex - 6, Ian - 4, Grace - 2

This is such an awesome idea! I have been to parties where they have you bring a "white elephant" gift-- something you have but don't use or want. Those things are easy to give away. I wonder how hard ( and it would be hard for me) to give away something I actually used or treasured-- to really give of yourself, not just your leftovers.

[wiza]

I've been staying away from my favorite forum: Baby Bargains BARGAIN ALERT! LOL!

[LD92599]

made sandwiches to eat for lunch there, brought apple cider in a thermos along w/ bottled water...and made a pot of chili for dinner before we left home. Easily saved $50+ since we didn't eat lunch out...and dinner for that matter too.

[canada]

After living in several countries, I can truly say that nowhere in the world is credit so easily attained and maintained to encourage spending as it is here.
I had no idea what a balance transfer was until living here.

The best advice that I follow is to never carry a balance on any credit card - $0.00 owing at the end of month, period. Any savings or discount gotten on many a deal here at this board (thank you ladies!) would be negated if you had to pay interest on it.

That said, nowhere else in the world can you get the bargains that you can get here - FS, 80% off and a rebate!!! - but, it requires even more discipline to rein in the urge to buy (sometimes I wimp out), but it beats your home being cluttered up with stuff that you convinced yourself that you "needed."

I hate to say it, but sometimes the husband has a point.

[danagee]

I've been:
-auctioning the kids old shoes and coats on ebay
-planning & cooking meals for the entire week
-checking the library for books rather than ordering thru the preschool from Scholastic like I normally do:reading:
-bought most of the kids' small xmas gifts from Target's dollar spot section
-giving the poor old dog his pain meds every-other-day rather than daily and also stopped buying premium dog food for him :36:

[hellokitty]

We're usually pretty frugal to begin with, but in that past couple of months we've made a few changes.

-Canceled our landline.
-A LOT less browsing at stores, especially trips to target and tj maxx.
-Packing lunch when we go on outings, like the zoo, playdate at the park, etc..
-This winter, DH and I already agreed, we will be decreasing our thermostat down low and doing what our parents did. Have everyone wear sweat pants, socks and sweatshirts/turtlenecks at home.
-Less trips to the big city an hr away. We used to go at least a couple to several times a month. Now we limit it to once a month.
-I stocked up ahead of time for christmas gifts for my kids by buying things on deep clearance, so I won't have to buy anything else for them.
-A friend has been offering her son's outgrown clothes and I have happily accepted them. Most of the clothes is great, I donate the ones that aren't our style or have too many stains.
-We still eat out, but try to get take out. It saves $, b/c we can mix and match the food we order with the food we have available at home (ie: me making my kid a PB&J sandwich is CHEAP compared to paying $5 for a PB&J kids meal at the restaurant) AND we don't have to pay for drinks and gratuity. I also utilize coupons in local fliers for when we eat out.
-I've stopped buying books. I LOVE buying books for my kids, BUT it's become a problem now with storage. We are utilizing the library more than ever.
-Gave up pop, since it's unhealthy and also b/c it costs extra and is basically a rip off at restaurants. I still occasionally have it, but maybe only once a wk. Now we just drink water.
-Instead of paying to workout, I got some workout dvds, utilize my treadmill (which was paid off yrs ago) and utilize workouts from the fit channel on TWC. I also borrowed my parents' wii fit (we have a wii of our own) and we like it so much my mom decided to just give it to us. :) Not something that everyone can swing, but I'm happy that we didn't have to shell out $90+ for a wii fit of our own.

[Sopamanda]

I can live without a landline but we have it all bundled. For those of you without landlines, what are the cheapest rates for basic cable and hi-speed internet (not ready to live without that yet ).

Sopamanda

[cbscherer]

I can live without a landline but we have it all bundled. For those of you without landlines, what are the cheapest rates for basic cable and hi-speed internet (not ready to live without that yet ).

Sopamanda


We pay 10.00 for the "basic, basic, basic" cable. If you ask only for basic cable, they will only tell you about the 40 channels approximately 40 dollar package. Keep pressing that you want their cheapest plan and they'll eventually tell you about this barebones plan. We get most of the regular network channels, CSPAN, and shopping channels. We don't have an antenna but don't watch tv much anyway, so this package is fine for us.

[Melaine]

We pay a little less than $30 total; that includes basic basic cable (about 12 channels) and internet thats faster than dial up but not lightning speed.

[ahrimie]

i just cut my own hair! :P that saved $80 for a 2-3 month span.

i'm going to cancel our landline... we have tons of minutes we don't even use on our cell.

and just today, we set limits on how much we can spend on groceries, eating out, and shopping--and cut out starbucks for a month to see how we would do. :P

[hollybloom24]

I'm not buying anything individually packaged, like juice boxes or raisins - I am buying the larger sizes and then pouring juice into reusable juice boxes or Sigg bottles.

I also don't buy drinks when I take my kids out to lunch or dinner - I bring my own milk in reusable containers.

I buy a big bag of carrots or celery and cut them down myself rather than buying ready-made, precut bags.

I stock up on household staples on sale.

I use coupons whenever possible, but I only buy items I would have bought anyway - I never just buy something because I have a coupon.

Trying to cut Starbucks down to once a week and using it as motivation to get things accomplished!

[Tinochka]

We started to go to financial classes... It was a wake up call.
1) Put 1,000 for emegency.
2) We decided to stick to the budget, based on our monthly income. Every month we'll sit and discuss what we need, how much we are going to spend, save money to pay up the credit cards (we never had been late with paying, but my husbans took some money from the bank when he was not working)
3) Give up using credid cards. Some of them canselled and had cutting party. Some of them we need to pay up. We'll give up with them as soon as we'll be done with them.
4) Use cash instead of credit card (you'll be controlling your spending better such way). Every family will spend 12-18% more using credit cards...
5) Buying some stuff through the craiglist
6) Buyng Christmas gifts long time before, when items are on sale. Buying for family's children, not adults.
7) We don't have cable. I'm buying VSR, SDs at garage sales (no commercials, can watch when you want to)
8) I'm not drinking pop
9) We are not coffee drinkers
10) Seriosly thinking about making food for my 8 months old son myself, because when I calculated how much we spent just this 2 months since he is in solids, I was amazed (even I used coupons, even I bought when they were on sale, even I had 10%off tm discount, even we had additional 10%off rewards:))
11) I'm working 2 days a week to keep 10%off discout, to contribute some money to 401-K, thinking about finding temporary job for better pay or organizing my own daycare, because it doesn't make sence for me to work 40 hours a week and have less money then now, becase I need a daycare for my son.
12) Trying to say to myself, that I don't need this "stuff", another way trying to be more disciplined.

[kijip]

and just today, we set limits on how much we can spend on groceries, eating out, and shopping--and cut out starbucks for a month to see how we would do. :P

Cutting coffee out is a huge savings. And we found we could afford a nice home maker if we stopped going out for coffee. So we have an espresso maker and a regular coffee pot. Get some travel mugs and it is easier to avoid the temptation when out- just carry your own. If you have a favorite flavoring or syrup, buy some at the store. :)