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

[DebTX]

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

- 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.

[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.

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