What changes are you making?

[sundial]

With the stock market experiencing volatile changes and the banks struggling to remain solvent, have you made any changes in your day to day living?

I am buying cheaper groceries, making more meals from scratch, cancelled my newpaper and magazine subscriptions, driving less, painting with acrylics vs oils, and shifting money in my portfolio to less risky investments, watching less t.v. and spending more time with happy, upbeat people. I've noticed in the past several days that I am not receiving near the amount of junk mail. It kind of reminds me of post 9/11.

How about you?

[GLC1968]

What haven't I changed?! My husband is still the same....that's about it!

We just relocated and are feverishly working on setting up a sustainable lifestyle in preparation for just these types of events...so it was already well underway for us. This time of year we are canning the harvest, stocking up on firewood and trying to breed our dairy goat. But - all this is 'normal' for fall.

Specifically related to the past week's events? - nothing really. Oh, wait, when I sold my car two days ago, I got half the funds in cash so that we'd have some stashed away 'just in case' while only half went into our normal account. Normally, I would not have bothered with cash. And I transfered our 'savings' amounts into our ING account a little faster than normal this past pay period due to their superior 'safety' rankings. Other than that, it's business as usual for us.

[Lifesgreat]

We are are just "staying the course" as we already have a (relatively) simple, frugal lifestyle.

[redrhodie]

I'm driving less, eating out less. I haven't had a haircut in months (disclosure--I am trying to grow it long). I quit my gym, and do day passes at the Y instead, which saves around $30 a month. There's not that much left to cut back on. It's not like my lifestyle is getting me my own reality show!

[Zen]

What's to change? I've always been poor

[wildhawk]

What's to change? I've always been poor

Well said Zen!

We are using our bikes for a lot of our weekly errands and driving only when we have to. I am making all our food at home - larger quantities to last a couple of days or several meals. We have gone to the basics - but then, we have rabbit ears and do not pay for cable, get no newspapers, watch our old DVDs of the Andy Griffith show or rental DVD movies - the older titles are cheaper. We eat out only on Saturdays at a local Mom and Pop that is like home to us. And the park near our home is my “free gym”. I can either walk there or cycle there and it is free. And now that we are getting into better shape physically, we can explore wider distances from the house with our bikes - yay!

[Aggie_Ama]

When gas got expensive we already made changes to keep Clifford the big red truck parked. We hybrid bike commute usually 4 days a week, exceptions are this week when we are both trying to keep our allergies/weak colds from blowing up into a big problem. We both get lunch one day a week but otherwise brown bag it. We cook at home and make meals that we have left overs from for several days. This allows us to buy meat in large quantities where it is cheaper. We switched to turkey a couple years ago when we realized it is healthier and $1/lb less than red meat. We already only went out to dinner about once a week and for us that is something about the price of Chili's (although we prefer to visit locally owned). We also bought generic form the time we moved in together so that was already in place but we did stop buying cokes. We find free weekend entertainment: bike rides, expos, hiking. Other than that we are cutting back on traveling when we can and staying the course.

[shootingstar]

Not a whole lot has changed since we continue to save money by not owning/having a car.

But admittedly, I find it hard to look at my portfolio and watch the spiral down for now. Just sittin' tight and trying to be fiscal safe.

Yes, true oil paints are more expensive than acrylic. But the switch for me here, is harder..I'm such a slow poke at the blank canvass to lay down those precious strokes.

[wildhawk]

Not a whole lot has changed since we continue to save money by not owning/having a car.

But admittedly, I find it hard to look at my portfolio and watch the spiral down for now. Just sittin' tight and trying to be fiscal safe.

Yes, true oil paints are more expensive than acrylic. But the switch for me here, is harder..I'm such a slow poke at the blank canvass to lay down those precious strokes.

I switched to Artisan oils a couple of years ago to avoid solvents, etc. in cleanup. I was curious if you had tried them? **** Blick always has good prices on them and they respond just like my traditional oils. So nice to hear from another artist! I have acrylics too, but still prefer oils.

[shootingstar]

Does Artisan oils dry abit faster due to its different chemical composition that doesn't require solvents for clean-up/dilution?

Certainly the world of acrylic paints has cut down the headaches from solvents as cleaners. Or drafty rooms when painting for better ventilation.

I'm a newbie at acrylics and know that there are acrylic retarders that slow down the drying rate. Nor have I experimented enough with thickening agents to mimic oils' yummy rich viscosity.

[sundial]

It's odd not working with odorless mineral spirits.

[emily_in_nc]

We already live pretty frugally these days as they are outsourcing jobs all around me at my company and I could lose my job any day. So, no new clothes this year other than a few very inexpensive fitness items from Sierra Trading Post, no new shoes this fall, not going out to eat, no vacations other than trips to our sailboat where we can live aboard very frugally as if it were a small condo, cooking all our meals with food we've brought from home aboard there too. Also had a garden this year and grew some of our own veggies. I'm working at home once a week to save on gas (wish I could do it more often), and will be cutting back on Christmas gifts to some extent as well.

Other than that, just watching our investments lose value. My 401K, which I've been socking money into regularly since 1985 is at is lowest level in years as of yesterday. Very depressing. But I won't panic and sell my stocks.

[bmccasland]

Since I'm not a jet-setter, nor hang out in clubs, I'm living pretty much the same as always. I lived through "black monday" several years ago, so I'm just leaving my investments alone. Of course I'm not happy about the amount of money I've lost on paper as the value of my investments plummeted. Just hoping I can afford to retire in 11 years. My biggest decision in the next few years is whether I want to retire here on the storm tossed Gulf coast, or do I want to move elsewhere. I don't want to evacuate when I'm 80.

[tulip]

The changes I'm making predate this mess. Over a year ago I moved from the Washington DC area, which is VERY expensive, to a smaller, much more reasonable city. I was fortunate that I squeaked in under the wire and bought a house in July that costs me half of what I was paying in DC. However, I'm undertaking a renovation now. The upside is that the contractor's are ready to work because they don't have too many jobs right now. I'm happy to be putting my cash in the house at this time, but it's hard to swallow, this spending of money! But when it's done, the house will be just right.

I already work from home and hardly drive. I fill up my little car perhaps once a month. I can ride my bike to the grocery store, post office, and local cafe. And since I'm in my new little house, I'm starting a garden after several years of being gardenless.

The only thing I've decided to change in the past week is to put my renovation money in a local bank. I'll keep my regular checking at the Next Big Bank To Be In Trouble for work-related issues, but I feel better about having the bulk of my cash in a small, local bank.

Check back after the election--my plans may change dramatically.

[bmccasland]

Check back after the election--my plans may change dramatically.

Federal budgets are passed two years in advance. So whoever wins in November will have a year's worth of the current occupants of Washington (W and Congress) decisions to live with. November Winner will make their mark on the 2010 budget.