Budget Squeezzzzzzzeeee...

[smallworld0]

In this current economic climate most all of us are not looking at big raises - or even cost-of-living, except perhaps if you work for Congress. Wouldn't it be great if we could just tell our boss that we were taking a raise, too? Ah, but I digress....

As my own home's Budgeteer, when the income isn't rising, but the expenses are, then it is time for me to look at the areas I can make cuts. Hey, just like big government! ...except I have 2 in college, so 'education' isn't the budget I'm cutting. LOL

In your own budget's, where do you look to try to save more?

In my own it is usually the food budget - as I love to cook, so in good economic times I am likely to buy some frivolous equipment and ingredients to try new recipes. Since fall is here I have instituted 'soup night' once a week. Not only is it filling and so better for your waist line - OK, unless it's my Cheddar-Beer Potato Soup! :flowers: - but paired with a simple salad or bread it's also a cost conscious meal. It's small, but it's a start. Any ideas????

Nancy :mickeyXmas:

[LimeGreenCheri]

Great question! Earlier this year, I cut out the HBO Showtime package on my cable bill. I decided that we readlly didn't watch it and they just show the same things over and over again. So, that saved my $20 a month.

I also take my lunch to work. I discovered I was spending $10 per day for food and drinks at work. $30 per week. $1560 per year! :shock:

Now, I have been backsliding on the work issue, but now that I've done the math again, I think I'll pack my lunch!

[Belle]

I am definitely the budgeteer in this house :twisted:

We have basic cable - 25 glorious channels for $6.75/month. We never watch TV so spending $40./month for channels like Sci-Fi and History don't seem worth it at all. Anything I need to learn I can surf for :D

I also buy store brand for most items that you can't tell the difference - pasta, jellies, garbage bags, paper plates. I have switched from shopping at our old grocery store too, and have begun shopping at the new Walmart Super Center. I can't believe the savings every week, even though I am still purchasing the same products - it is literally a $30 savings per week! You don't realize how quickly .50 here and .25 there really adds up!

We borrow movies from the town library instead of renting if we can too. We are very lucky to have a library that purchases many of the new releases and lends them out for 2 days at a time. With movie rentals being about $4. each now, and everyone having to pick ones they want to see, even a movie night at home can get pricey.

We also buy an entertainment book every year (if we don't get one for Christmas). When we eat out or plan activities - casual or formal - we always try and use the book. Two "fancy meals" covers the cost of the book, the rest is pure savings. Since we know we will be mini golfing, fast fooding, and grocery shopping, not to mention vacationing :D it gets its fair share of use. Definitely worth the investment.

I shop clearance for clothes too. Whenever Macy's, Boscov's or JCPenney is having their end of season rock-bottom sales, I stock up. I buy larger for DD for next year and whatever I can grab for DH and me of things that don't go out-of-fashion (socks, dress shirts, t-shirts, basic shorts, swim suits, turtle necks, cardigans, sweaters, etc). It all goes into a plastic storage tote labeled new for whatever season. It is so nice to have new things to wear and not spend a fortune!

I have lots of other ideas, but for now, I have to get some work done :? I'll write part II soon, lol!

{hugs}
Belle

[smallworld0]

Oohhhh - great tips Cheri and Belle! Cheri, do you take the money you save and put it in a Disney fund each week? I have 'X' dollars I take out of checking each week for groceries, gas, etc. If I have any leftover it goes into the change jar with the coins for WDW trips and more.

Nancy :mickeyXmas:

[Belle]

Oohhhh - great tips Cheri and Belle! Cheri, do you take the money you save and put it in a Disney fund each week? I have 'X' dollars I take out of checking each week for groceries, gas, etc. If I have any leftover it goes into the change jar with the coins for WDW trips and more.

Nancy :mickeyXmas:

I don't know about Cheri, but I took one of those really nice WDW gift boxes from the Christmas Shop, taped it shut and cut a hole in the top. All loose change and extra cash goes in the Disney box at the end of the day, as well as money we would have spent had we not used a coupon (ie buy one, get one offers). Every little bit helps, esp since we are planning on a Dis cruise next :D

{hugs}
Belle

[Barb D]

I make my own Christmas gifts for family. Last year my husband makes bowls/plates on his lathe and i made cookies to put on the plates. Then we bought a hanger for $1 at the dollar store so they could hang the bowl or plate we gave them. I do buy gifts for my own kids and grandaughter but everyone else I make for. The year before that we made cook books for everyone. I was surprised how much it cost to print but at $10 a gift it was still nice. I put them into Word and used 2 colum format and it was about 80 pages long. Then I went to Costco to get binders and my daughter helped me make nice covers to slide into the binders. (If anyone does this dont forget to put a page with the date on it. I did this back in 1987 and its so fun to look back at that cook book but its hard to remember when I did it.)

My husband was laid off August 2002 and he finally got his job August 2003. We are making about $700 a month less so I guarantee you I found many ways to cut our budget. (His unemployment was about the same as what we are making now so Ive lived more than a year on this budget too!) One thing that helped us was we discovered we rarely used our phone now that our kids are grown. We got our internet on the Cable, got a cell phone plan that allows us ot call between our phones for free and dropped out phone service. In the old days we paid about $85 for 2 cell phones, $30 for cable(our basic cable is that high- we have no pay chanels at all), $100 for phone and internet. Now we pay Cell phones $60, Cable and internet is about $80 and no phone cost. Thats a great savings for us and we dont miss our phone. Our plan gives us 800 minutes to share each month and nothing on the weekend counts nor does any phone calls between us so we rarely go over 100 to 200 billable minutes. I only wish they had a smaller family plan to go on.

Other ways we saved: Our trip to California turned into a driving trip instead of flying. It was 19 hours each way but we didnt have to rent a car down there, or pay for airfare (Seattle to Los Angelas is so expensive. Its usually cheaper for us to fly to Florida) and we was able to go to the store to get things to eat in the hotel. That was another budget saver. We ate cup a noodles and things like that for many meals.

I notice we eat out way less since my husband lost his job a year ago. I like to cook so its not so bad anyway. I know I have done many more things to cut our budget but cant think of them right now.

Barb

[SuzyQ]

We bought and Entertainment Book to save money on food. With just the two of us, we found that it is sometimes cheaper to eat out 2-for-1 than to make a whole meal. However, when we do cook, we make extra for another meal and for lunches. Leftovers are our friend!

We also, like Cheri, cut abck on the lunch/coffee budgets wehre we take our lunches most of the time and make coffee at work instead of buying. Sometimes, when I want a special treat with the gals at work, we will got o Starbucks and I will get a tall americano and put a bit of half and half in it. It tastes like a latte, but only 1.80 instead of $3+.

Coupons: Never clipped them before but now when they are used, I tally up how much has been saved and put that into my Disney fund. It can really add up!

Buy special gifts throughout the year for Christmas. When I find something on sale that I know someone would like, I just purchase it and hang onto it for Christmas. I have also done the hand-made gifts. I did scarves last year. My sister is really good about taking herbs out of her garden and making herbed oils to gove as well - they make great affordable gifts!

~Suzy

[Bookwood]

WE used our "kid" government refund to purchase a side of beef- now freezer is full of meat for $1.61 a pound which is cheeper that grocery ground beef (70% lean) not on sale here and we have steaks, roasts, and all the rest at the same price.

Bethany and I eat salad once a day while DH is out of town (or she eats frozen Pizza) my meals while he's gone have been eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, fruit for dinner since we still have cantalope in the garden food is costing very little right now.

When I worked at the pharmacy I would take $100.00 a week for food (Lunches at work or dinners out because of activities, as well as anythng I bought at Aldi our local discount grocery), gas, and incidentals, (field trips, extra stuff for kids ect) at the end of the week whatever was left went to Disney Dollars for Vacations

Food savings is really the easiest around here.

Bookwood

[MargaretJ]

Great tips. As much as I absolutely loathe WalMart I may have to give them a try for groceries. Hoping Belle is right about the big savings.

[disneylover]

I also take lunch too work.or now that I don't work everyday on those days I do work.I also make lunchs for the kids for school.At $$3.00 a day for both kids that adds up too $15.00 a week.I was taking $20.00 a week so there is a savings of $35 right there.Dh is now going too start taking his too work as the hospital is no longer giving discounts(he could eat for $1.35)I also shop at super Walmart.For those who wonder do you save.You bet you do!!We also buy meat on sale or on markdown.

[Brer]

I skp lunch, walk to work leave the lights off,was h clothes down by the crik,drink water and eat beans and fish and hunt for our food. ANYTHING TO MAKE OUR TRIPS TO DISNEY :nahnah: