Cutting back on?

[Tri Girl]

Good for everyone for cutting back so much. Every little bit helps!
It's state law that you cannot smoke in restaurants here anymore (unless it's a restaurant where most of the profit comes from the sale of alcohol rather than food). I love not having to sit in the non-smoking section that is usually right next to the smoking section anyway. On vacation this summer I loathed eating in restaurants that still had smoking and non-smoking sections.

We've cut back, but honestly not too much. DH won't let the cable go for anything (it's his downtime after his very stressful days at work- that and running or cycling). We could get rid of the landline- we only use that to answer phone calls from politicians or people begging for money.

I want to cut my car usage to almost zero, but with a job 26 miles away, that won't happen until the end of the school year when I can find a job within 10 miles of home. When I find a closer job- the car is going silent.

I run all errands within 2 miles by bike (and all my errands are almost always within 2 miles).
Oh yeah, and I only buy clothes at second hand consignment stores or thrift stores, but that has more to do with me trying to live more green than trying to save money.

[Karma007]

Brown baggin' it! Cut out movie channels, land line, and avoid driving. I drink my share of beer, but I buy watered down light american beer. Only eat out once a week, and have cut back on magazine subscriptions.

Oh! And left my husband to move in with boyfriend (tee-hee, is that downsizing? It's certainly an upgrade!)

[ginny]

Downsizing.... well I moved to a new town and a new job... I drive only to see the horse (and only in the winter). Unfortunately, with the soft economy, the mortgage won't go away any time soon with the old house, but turning off the phone and internet saves a ton as does having only minimal electricity to show the house. The bf pays his own mortgage and I'm a squatter . As I haven't quite settled in yet, it feels like we are eating out more (or is that something to do with living in town? - I have lived 35 miles from town for six years!). I think I calculated the savings from elect and phone at $120/mo! Good grief! The horse is boarded now (used to keep them at home), but with the savings on gas, I am making money on that deal! - if I could sell the hay I bought for the winter when I wasn't sure of my future, I would be golden! - I'd be even more golden if I could actually sell my house! ...anybody want a nice log cabin in the rockies with views to die for and a phenomenal porch?

[spokewench]

I'm one of those people that hasn't cut back too much; since I was already trying to be frugal. During the Summer, I do almost all my around town driving on my scooter (90 some miles per gallon); or on my bike. If I plan to drive my car (especially in the winter), I try to consolidate my trips so I'm not driving around for no reason and wasting gas.

We burn wood as a supplement to our heater at the house; so the heater is turned down at night, we burn wood while we are home in the evenings; burn wood in the mornings while hubby is still home and then turn the heater down during the day. Turn all lights off when not in use, etc; etc. We do not need airconditioning in the summer since we live in the mountains.

I have become more consistent about buying groceries when there is a great deal; and not buying something if it is not on sale that week. I am now cutting coupons and using those as well. I do not buy flowers or extra things like that any more at the grocery so I have cut down on what I will buy at the grocery.

For the last few years, when we are on a trip to Phoenix or Tucson to visit family, I stock up on Chuck Shaw Wine (or its equivalent) $2.99 a bottle in Arizona so my wine is cheap, but tasty.

I mostly buy my books at the second hand store (used book store) and I've never been a big clothes buyer so I still just buy things if I really need something.

My hubby is handy so he does a lot of our big chores around the house; and I like to cook so we don't eat out a lot. We probably eat out a little less than we did a few years ago now.

That's about it.

[tulip]

There are some things I refuse to cut back on--Life's worth living, afterall!

My kitchen renovation--I could have gone with stock cabinets, but I'm going with custom bamboo. Same for the counter--no laminate for me! I got all nice appliances, but I did get them at the Sears Outlet for half price...

My tea--organic Darjeeling mostly. And travel to see my beau most weekends. And of course, the new dog. That's going to add to my monthly budget (not to mention the crate, the dogbed, the toys, leash...)

[Karma007]

Dogs aren't an expense! They are life sustaining, like air and water!

[eclectic]

Cutting back on

the newspaper - what is important is online

Cable TV - I don't have it or satellite

Unlimited texting and cell service - went to just local - savings $45 per month. Long distance is only .08 per min or can use a calling card - lots of talking for $45

Worth paying for:
good beer
good coffee
Bike stuff
swim stuff
run stuff
gadgets to go with all of the above
Good hotels/condos when on vacation (unless camping of course)

[greycoral]

Grew my hair shoulder length instead pixie-cut so I wouldn't have to get it cut every month.

I hear ya!! My stylist charges $45/cut, not including a tip. I had super short hair for a long time, but got sick of paying so much to keep it up. I've been growing it out for about 6 months now, and it's nowhere NEAR my shoulders. Why does it grow so fast when it's short, but when I want it to get longer, it slows down? Luckily I have been able to get by getting only a full cut every 8 weeks, and she does a free bang trim in the middle, usually around 4 weeks out.

There's not much we (me and my husband) have cut back on, just being more careful how we spend our money. Questioning "do I REALLY need a new pair of exercise shorts", etc. It's just kinda hard for us because over the last year, we've lost a combined 110 pounds, and none of our winter clothes from last year (or from two months ago even) fit We've had to go out and buy new coats, long sleeved stuff, etc. I try and shop at thrift stores, but haven't had a lot of luck. When buying new, I only shop clearance racks, I've been able to build up a decent wardrobe that way, or only buying something if it's on sale.

Groceries: We've gone away from farmers markets and started shopping at a regular grocery store. We're utilizing a lot of canned and frozen vegetables. We buy as much as we can bulk at Costco, usually meats, cereal, TP, etc.

Cable/Internet/Phone: We cut back one level of service, so it has saved us a little bit. We are definitely a tv watching household though, we tried the super basic basic cable, and it just wasn't cutting it. We're also both internet geeks, so fast internet is a must. This is our area where we splurge. We also only have cell phones (at the lowest package), no land lines.

I keep the thermostat set at 62-64 usually and just bundle up with our old "fat" sweatshirts

Next quarter we chose classes and schedules that allow us to carpool 4 days a week, the campus we have to go to is about 30 miles away, so gas has been a big issue for us. Luckily things have gotten cheaper there.

I have recently quit working to be a full time student, so I'm living off loans. My husband only works 2 days/week and gets the GI bill, so we're living on a limited budget as it is. We've been penny pinching for a while now.

[shootingstar]

Next yr. I will have to cut back on vacation/getaway expenses. We booked our Christmas getaway (Jasper) before the economy started to take a serious nosedive in Canada.

My hairstylist's rates are gettin' high...but it is a pain for me to find another...it takes me 2-3 different places since I am fussy (and I want a precision accurate haircut, straight hair shows every uneven/off kilter cut line) and have certain preferences (including understanding my cycling and helmet hairstyle resilency. ) But once, I find someone who is expert, I stick with her for several years.

We already buy certain veggies and fruits from the discounted bin at the market....if we know we will eat them up same or next day. For past 12 months, I've been buying more dried Asian noodles --it's cheaper and less fattening/starchy compared to the dried Italian-style noodles. 'Course I continue to buy certain fresh veggies from Chinatown because it is often cheaper.

I wish I could claim that I use a public library more often but I still buy books ...about 1 every 1-2 months or less often. But need to cut down this too.

We will go to the movie theatre ...next month...for the first time ....in um....3 years. Gift movie tickets were given to us. Admittedly I find a movie ticket even on discounted day, is expensive now and eventually the good movies...do make it to TV...maybe a year later or so. I can wait especially for dopey me who no longer keeps on top of the latest and newest movies released at the theatres. I gave up following the movie developments years ago, when alot of it just isn't worth gettin' excited. I also have the excuse in during cycling seasons, I'm out on the bike and doin' other stuff.