Stuff you're cutting back on (due to the economy)

[DebTX]

Tell us one thing you've done to diminish your monthly spend :cool:

- This month my haircolor went on sale ($4 off!) at Walgreens.com and I ordered nine boxes, qualifying for free shipping.

[Biciclista]

we're eating out less.

[Pax]

Same as Mimi, eating out less. We used to eat out approximately 8-10 times a week, now it's more like 3.

Also, we both just got word that our jobs might be cut (we work for the same university), we're put a huge contingency plan into place where, if all else fails, we can keep our little house.

[Raindrop]

Since I'm a self-employed personal trainer who has lost a few clients due to the economy, I've down-graded my personal health insurance to catastrophic health insurance which saves me about $200.00 a month. I've also dropped all magazine subscriptions and have the cheapest cell-phone plan possible.

I rarely eat out and always, always make my own coffee at home so I'm not cutting back there.

Luckily I barter personal training for the stuff I can't live without (hair color and cuts....accupuncture). I'm afraid the economy is going to get worse before it gets better so I'm also going back to consulting work in my previous occupation. Hopefully, I can fit it all in....training, consulting work and teaching indoor cycling seven times a week.:(

[GLC1968]

This month, it's baking our own bread and eating out less.

(We also have chickens for eggs and goats for milk, so I never have to buy those things anymore)

[Dog]

DH and I have cut back significantly on dining out. I'm staying away from stores other then the grocery store and I'm using the library service a lot more this year. We discontinued our membership in a wine club and disconnected our voicemail and other features on our landline. Still looking for other ways to save.

Raindrop,
I'm from WA state too. My good paying 30+ year corporate job is ending on 12/31. I will begin my encore career in the fitness industry. I am a certified PT, yoga, pilates and Spin instructor. I currently teach about 4 Spin classes/week and will be increasing the number of Spin classes and adding some mat pilates classes. I also want to pick up some private clients. The timing is not the best, but this is something I've been working towards for the past five years. :D

[sundial]

Cut back trips to town.

[lunacycles]

No eating out.

Travel only where I can stay for free or for cheap.

Drive as little as possible.

I refuse to sacrifice the quality of the food I eat, so I will still spend plenty on organics at the grocery store.

I already have catastrophic health insurance. At least I have health insurance!

I keep my house at 62 degrees. amazingly, I have adapted and it feels pretty nice.

When you are a framebuilder it is basically a life of making minimum wage, so I live simply, but I don't think I would ever want it otherwise!

I trust this crazy break in our "prosperity." Supposedly during recessions, emissions are reduced globally quite a bit, so there are some potential big positives going on. I hope we can use this "recession" as a way to re-prioritize and invest in long-term policies that not only reduce our impact on the planet, but show us that less is more in so many ways.

Happy holidays.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We have always chosen to eat out breakfasts instead of dinners- eating breakfast out is less than half the cost of eating dinner out. We find mornings more romantic anyway. :p

We have been using our cars way less than a couple of years ago. Mostly bike errands or walking errands. Also we've cut WAY back on trips to visit people or go to parties or overnight events that require more than an hour's drive. We work at home so we really don't use the car much anyway, we are lucky there.
We tend to hang out more with our local town friends now. No official vacations lately either, just 'days off' periodically.

Making more soups and more 'simple' meals like spaghetti, or wild rice with bok choy, or even just pancakes for dinner. :)

My daughter canceled her cable tv and got Netflix instead, which saved her about $40 a month. You can pretty much get all the most popular tv series from Netflix anyway, including educational programs, documentaries and Nature series.
We haven't watched tv at all for many years, so we just get netflix films which only costs us $15/month for more films than we can practically watch.

[Brandi]

You know it's funny but we have always been conservative. But I am really asking myself "Do I really need that"?

[Skierchickie]

Everything. My DH lost his job 3 weeks ago (yes, the Monday after Thanksgiving). :(

Right now I'm sitting in a motel room (an inexpensive one, but we always stay in inexpensive ones) with DH & our doggie. We're on our way downstate for his family Christmas. Aside from cutting back on gifts (well, it was largely too late by the time it happened) I canceled Zoe's kennel reservation, which would have cost us around $70 for this trip, and she's traveling with us.

I'm also going to check into my cell phone, and see if I can switch to a pay-as-you-go plan, or get rid of it altogether. I never use it.

I'd like to cut back the satellite tv and internet - we haven't gotten that far yet. Fewer and cheaper pizzas, less eating out. We're still sorting it out.

Believe me - it hurts when it happens. The real pain won't hit until after the holidays, after he gets his severance check and that runs out.

[Red Rock]

I lost my job back in September before all this really hit hard. I would say I have been doing the usual things-this means not spending money. I think I had a few months post employment where I did spend but I now have it out of my system.

I have made a whole bunch of Xmas (two quits) and Birthday presents this year. I am still working on some croched fish for the nephews. They are not totally finished. I have until mid January if it is going to happen, if not they will be ready made for next year.

In the meantime, I have been doing errands by foot for two reasons. Exercise which I need, it gets me out of house for a while, and I do not spend money on gas filling up the tank, which is a great idea, I think. I have been wanting a mountain bike to diversify my riding skills and enjoyment. I could see the use of one easily doing this around town type stuff. I could go further and do more on these snowy days when I can't ride my good road bike. I have seriously thought about just getting a cheap bike for just these sort of things. What do you all think?

This might not sound like a whole lotbut this is what we are doing so far.

Red Rock

[Tuckervill]

We're not eating out as much, but we fall off the wagon often.

We need to cut back on other things, but I just can't pull the trigger, yet. The tenant in our rent house lost her job, so if she doesn't make her rent, we'll be in trouble. Lucky for us, we live in a part of the country that survived the last recession, and the cost of living is low. Still, there are companies here announcing relocations of their workforce out of the country. No one has outright closed a plant, though.

Everyone's getting spiced pecans from my yard, rather than store-bought gifts. I don't think I'll be traveling much this coming year, either.

Karen

[greycoral]

This thread was brought up a few weeks ago as well...

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28002

[jesvetmed]

We have not been eating out as much either. That is a huge one for us, as our schedules really don't often work well for cooking at home together. We REALLY need to set a budget. Otherwise, I don't have any idea where all the money really goes -- I can tell you that I won't be ordering workout gear, etc, at will, anymore! :( The internet really makes shopping too easy.

I'm taking extra work and stashing the money into the savings accounts.
Thinking we'll cancel our home phone -- it's over 80 / month and we don't use it. Also thinking of cutting way back on our insurances (life, disability, etc) where it makes sense. This stuff is spendy!

Oh... and coffee. I have made more at home recently. That's big for me :rolleyes:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

One tip for those who find it hard to cook when they get home from work-
Try using a slow cooker (crock pot or other brands) more often. Good ones only cost about $25 these days, and last for many years.
It's a great way to eat more cheaply, easily, and more healthily.

You can literally just wash and roughly chop up a few vegetables in the morning, or even do the chopping the night before after dinner, and put the ingredients into a bag in the fridge overnight, and start the soup in the morning. Throw it in the crock pot with 6 or 8 cups of water and set it on low and go to work....come home to a wonderful aromatic hearty and healthy soup for very little money. Add a couple slices of crusty whole grain bread and you have a great meal plus leftovers. Also, the food can just stay warm in the pot if two people tend to come home at different times.

Some examples of things that can be thrown into the pot in pretty much any combination, chopped:

potatoes
yams
bok choy
spinach
carrots
celery
turnips or parsnips
eggplant
tomatoes
leeks
beets
cilantro or scallions
squash
green beans
kale
mushrooms
cabbage
onions
canned beans
dried small beans, lentils or split peas
barley
rice
small bits of chicken or cheap cuts of beef or ham if you like meat

There are a couple of good threads on TE already with slow cooker/crock pot recipes and advice. :)

[Jones]

This month, it's baking our own bread and eating out less.

Does this really save money? I have a bread machine that I have never used and am looking for motivation to use it. I keep thinking about baking bread but don't want to lay out the money for supplies if it isn't less expensive than store bought. I guess my question is, approximately how much does it cost to bake a loaf of bread?
Thanks,
Jones

[Blueberry]

Does this really save money? I have a bread machine that I have never used and am looking for motivation to use it. I keep thinking about baking bread but don't want to lay out the money for supplies if it isn't less expensive than store bought. I guess my question is, approximately how much does it cost to bake a loaf of bread?
Thanks,
Jones

It depends on the recipe. Lots of colorful grains = more expensive. I can bake a loaf of basic white bread for less than $1.50 probably (factoring in something for electricity).

But I'm spoiled - we have an awesome local bakery I'm trying to support!

CA

[Veronica]

I'm very thankful that neither of us has to worry about our jobs. We seldom go out to eat as it is. I'm too good of a cook :) yes really, and I have the time. We've been working towards "early retirement" for awhile. What that translates into is a lower paying, but local job for Thom (no more 90 minute commute each way) and a job share for me. So every purchase for a few years has been, "Do we really need this?" One of my coworkers has told me that I HAVE to buy some new clothes. I've lost enough inches that a lot of my pants just hang off my hips. But I'm not ready to invest in some new stuff yet.

We're actually thinking about making some big purchases. We really want to get a Sprinter van and convert it into a camper sort of thing - mostly shower and head. I'm at events (biking or triathlon) generally at least two weekends a month. And those two things would be REALLY nice. It would be good to have when Thom is doing SAG on rides as well, a vehicle that can really take 4 people and 4 bikes. And summers... well in 2005 and 2007 we spent the summer traveling. We want to do that a lot more.

Interest rates are coming down too, so we're thinking about refinancing our mortgage. We've been very lucky with the decisions and jobs we've taken. Last December Thom had three job offers and I'm really glad he picked the one he did. I lose enough sleep worrying about my students. Lack of job security would probably send me over the edge.

Veronica

[maillotpois]

We've definitely cut back on going out to dinner. We used to go out several times a week. Now it is maybe 1 - 2 times a month (this month being sort of an exception because of birthdays, etc.).

We also canceled plans to go to France/Italy this summer (and received a nice refund check of our deposit from Backroads. :p ).

[TrekJeni]

I picked up mystery shopping a little more than a year go. I "work" for several different companies and get to pick my own jobs and hours. When I first started, I signed up for EVERYTHING and got burnt out pretty quickly writing narratives until 2 in the morning and then having to get up in the morning for my regular 40 hour a week job.

Now I'm much more selective. I mostly do restaurants now. Geoff and I hardly go out to eat unless I'm getting paid to do so and even then, it's about four times a month.

This month I picked up a few more shops as they were heavily bonused (extra money due to looming end of the month deadlines). I have two Lenscrafters shops tomorrow along with a Sephora beauty shop. Last night, Geoff and I ate a nice meal downtown. Many restaurant shops require an alcoholic purchase as you have to evaluate the bar too. :D

Who have I shopped? Outback, Lonestar, BW3's, Tumbleweed, Amor de Brazil (that one was $140 worth of food), several $$$ upscale dining shops, Panera, Mc'Ds, Hofbrauhus, Papa Johns, etc.

I also have shopped every cell phone carrier known to man, Sunglass Hut, American Eagle, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Jill, Talbots, Charlotte Russe, and on and on.....

With mystery shopping, one really needs to like writing narratives. There's a lot of writing involved!

[Meaux]

I made some Christmas presents and started shopping a little earlier, so it wouldn't be such a strain when we were coming up to Christmas. We eat out less and we've been trying to really watch the rest of our frivolous spending. We've been pretty okay in terms of job security, but inflation is killing me.

[northstar]

Well, the timing of the crash of the economy coincided with our baby girl being born and me starting work as a stay at home mom...so we're already cutting down on driving and eating out, since the baby hates both! :) Hubby has learned to drink black coffee so he doesn't spend $5 every morning. And we're also refinancing our house.

We are still saving for my next bike for this spring, though. :cool:

[msincredible]

We are in the process of buying a house, so soon we will be cutting back on rent and taxes. :D

For real, though, we are cutting back on dining out, my groceries are cheap, I'm waxing at home instead of going to a salon, buying less books/CDs (or buying them used at goodwill), and did most of our Christmas shopping with credit card reward certificates/gift cards.

[Irulan]

local job for Thom (no more 90 minute commute each way)

gah, I'm trying to get my head around a 90 minute each way commute being "local"!!!:eek:

We make our last house payment 01/01/09. Then we are putting towards some home renovations: we always pay cash for those and for everything I guess. We are eating out less. We've lived pretty frugally - I've never been much of a shopper, and always been a library fanatic as I've never seen the sense in buying a book that's not reference. We are still rethinking some things as both our boys are now in school so the grocery bill is 1/3 of what it was when they are home. But it's weird to look at where to cut back when we've always been frugal.

[Veronica]

I guess I didn't phrase it well. Our retirement plan is a local job, so he won't have the 90 minute commute into the city. That's all still a few years away though.

Veronica

[Irulan]

oops sorry I had read that initially as "no more THAN a 90 minute commute"...
sorry sorry!!

[shootingstar]

We actually are slippin' into a questionable habit of eating out abit more often. And plan to do more maybe on this Mon. night...depending on what happens during that day.

When it's winter, I actually get more lazy..I stay on the transit train more often instead of stopping off for a Starbuck's coffee. That saving probably gets negated by eating abit more 'cause I'm indoors more often.

We already are frugal in our grocery shopping and have been since we moved to this city.

[Crankin]

Well, we canceled plans to go to Italy this summer for our 30th anniversary, which is next December. We will go in 2010. This past summer we only did 3 four day vacations, all except one in MA. The fourth was in NH and that was paid for by my husband's company. The bike tour we did was camping; while I like camping, I found out that I don't like it combined with challenging riding every day. We might do a tour in NY state this summer, which is about 3/4 the cost of the Italian tour, but there is also no airfare involved and we can bring our own bikes.
I think we are probably going out to eat less. Maybe once during the week and once during the weekend. I do grab some cheap Mexican or other ethnic food when I am in Cambridge for my classes once or twice a week. But, I take a specific amount of money out on Monday and if it's gone, I bring my food.
I've probably cut down on buying regular clothes, since I am not working. But, I have spent some on "wool weenie" purchases, but nothing crazy.
Most of my social life revolves around outdoor activities, which are mostly free (except when we go to a ski touring center) and going out to eat. We go to the movies like once a year and get the Netflix 2 movies a month plan. I always go to the library for books. We have a theatre subscription (7 plays) at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. We could give this up but when it comes up for payment in the spring, though I am pretty sure we won't, unless something has happened. What will make or break some things for us is my husband's quarterly bonus. It's a lot of money, which we usually use for big home expenses (like our new roof) or paying off something. Somehow, we never get to save all of it. If it is significantly reduced, then more things will change.

[Selkie]

DH and I are counting our blessings (stable, recession-proof jobs), but we are cutting back severely on discretionary purchases. We are limiting strictly our credit card use, too. Cash whenever feasible. Christmas this year will be greatly reduced in regards to gifts, but I think that is probably a good change...

[loneleaf]

Oh my mother has always complained about how prices are rising up these days after going to the market. She doesnt cut down on food but she gives us children less pennies per month and money spent on stuff such as fashion, CDs, books...are also reduced.

[Aggie_Ama]

We sat down the other night to come up with a plan to tackle debt and save. So far we have commute home by bike often and only drive the truck to work if we cannot carpool or are sick. This is already what we have been doing but we just recommitted to it. It is a 28 mile commute home so it is easiest to have one of us drop the other off and then ride home. Still saves a boatload in gas money.

We already have been but will focus even more on "stretch cooking". What I make one night is dinner the next. Sometimes our meals last 3 nights. We take our lunches to work any both can eat all week for the cost of one trip to the sandwich shop. My in laws raise cattle and give us beef to help us and my BIL out. They can never eat all the beef from an entire cow and even though we prefer chicken and turkey we eat beef when it is free. ;) We alos are cutting out on eating out. No where we go is very pricey ($40-50 total is a high priced dinner) but it does impact the budget.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It seems to me that one common thing I am reading in most all these posts is the cutting back on eating out- mostly going out to dinner.
I just want to mention again that DH and I figured out years ago that we can both have a wonderful full breakfast for two with cappuchinos and all for about $20 or less, while an equally nice dinner with dessert (and even without any alcoholic drinks) will cost us about $50 for two.
We made it our tradition to go out for a nice breakfast on the weekends- for us, Saturday and Sunday mornings. It's a wonderful way to start the day together. We also find that we are less tired in the morning, so we actually wind up enjoying the meal more.
This morning DH had scrambled eggs with wheat toast, a cranberry muffin, and a double espresso Americano. I had oatmeal with fruit, scrambled eggs, a croissant, and a double latte. :p
Sometimes I have granola with yogurt topped with fruit, or French Toast with bacon. Sometimes DH has a 'breakfast burrito' or the luxurious lox & bagel platter. It's a real event for us.

Tonight we are having my simple home made vegetable soup for dinner....very cheap and nutritious.

This is something relatively easy to do that does save money. Instead of going out to dinner, try going out for breakfast...it's usually less than half the price. :)

[Red Rock]

I agree with BleeckerSt_Girl on the eating out for breakfast. This is something my second husband and I have been doing for years as well. That was part of the renovation of the finances when we were first married.

We are using the crockpot as much or more these days. My husband has had two rounds of chili and I have been doing veggie/grain combos of sorts. They are the best pieces of equipment and the food is great.

I guess ever since my first husband died, I was ruthless with all bills and cut like mad to survive. So now that it has been eight years since he passed, to me its almost like second nature. My current husband was a widower also, so when I met him it was like doing what I did myself a second time with two people.

With the rise in gas prices and now falling, I have become used to walking, and now that I purchased a hardtail, (pictures coming soon under mountain biking:D)I feel like I can do longer trips arond town safely on the sidewalks and trails that are here. This means I can burn more calories, so I can eat more:).

[emily_in_nc]

We already go out to eat almost never, since DH is retired and does most of the cooking, but with the economy and my company doing very poorly, we've cut way back on Christmas gifts this year. Probably 1/3 of what we've spent in previous years. I still did the same amount of charitable giving, however. I really feel for all these worthy organizations that are no doubt being hit hard by people cutting back.

[RoadRaven]

I have found this thread fascinating to read through as it has opened my eyes to a cultural difference.

I don't know if this is a lifestyle cultural difference and if I canvassed New Zealand households I would garner similar responses to those in this thread. Or perhaps it is an American/other parts of the world - New Zealand difference...

But the number of you who eat out regularly (or did eat out often) just blows me away!

I have been following this thread since it began thinking there might be some useful suggestions for me (which there are, thank you :) ) but have been so surprised that what seems to be the most common "tip/recommendation/strategy" is to eat out less...

Road ~I-am-staggered~ Raven