So, What are You Doing to Cut Back? Do you even need to?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I do. So do all of my friends. All everybody is talking about is the rising prices on absolutely everything. Gas is the worst - but food, taxes, insurance - everything is going up. And salaries that used to pay the bills at the end of the month aren't able to any more.

People I talk to are really starting to get worried. Me, too.

I've been trying to figure out ways to save money because I have to drive in my work so I can't cut back there. Not eating out is next up, I think. I think I can save quite a bit if I just fix all my own food (I hate to cook so I eat out a lot).

And no more extras. I get all my books from the library now. I read a lot so that is a big savings.

No more movies. No more new clothes - I have all the clothes I need so that is no big deal to me. I always buy my clothes from the thrift store, anyway.

[ikojo]

1. I don't eat out as much....

I have owned only one car and that died in 1990...After 15.5 years of depending upon St Louis' public transit system, I bought my first scooter in 2005 and I now own a Vespa GT 200L.

I don't have cable TV but since I can now only get one channel, I am considering something. May wait until the fall before I make a decision about satellite or cable.

I don't buy as many DVDs as I used to.

I don't buy as many books as I used to

I don't buy as many clothes

When I go to movies, I try to go to the "rush hour" show because it costs less. When at the movies I don't buy any treats as they are way overpriced.

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. I don't have cable either. We must be the last two people on the

planet. I also don't have a computer at home. I use the one at the library - or at a friends'.

I wish I could use a scooter but I have to drive on the freeway all the time - no other way to get where I'm going. I don't think scooters are allowed. I've never seen one - would be way too dangerous. But I drive a Yaris because I drive up to 200 miles a day and I had to get the best mileage that I could.

Cooking sis going to be the hard one. I hate to cook. And I can hardly eat it when I get through with it. But I need to bite the bullet and learn to eat at home.

[ikojo]

9. I don't like to cook either and consider it a chore

for me because I am single. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, good inexpensive frozen foods can be found there. I often buy them to take for lunch at work.

200 miles a day!!! Wow, that's a lot of miles! Even with a scooter you'd be filling it up at least twice a day. There are larger scooters that can easily handle the highway (Burgman 650, Piaggio mp3, Piaggio BV 500 etc). The downer about a scooter is that it's not the ideal vehicle in the snow (I'm working on becoming more comfortable riding in the rain, though)

[leftyladyfrommo]

11. I'm a pet sitter. I have to drive to my customer's homes several

times a day. When I'm really busy I will drive 170 miles a day. It would be really nice if I could drive a scooter but I can't. I kind of wish I had waited and gotten a Smart Car - I just love them. But I don't think they do very well on our freeways. They were made for getting around cities. And I doubt that do very well in bad weather but I don't know. Sure are cute, tho.

[ikojo]

12. I pet sit and love it when I get a summer pet sitting job

I stay at the person's house so it's really like house and pet sitting. I love it when they go on long summer vacations like this woman did last year. She was gone all of June and July. I got the added bonus of using her air conditioning and her cable TV!! I think she's only going away for two weeks this summer though.

[hlthe2b]

14. No, you can add me--two years now, no cable...

I have a monthly blockbuster plan and watch lots of dvds--that may be the next to go.

I use my cell phone as modem to get on the internet, have no wired phone, walk everywhere I can from home, but work is my issue. I live 18 miles away and there is no reasonable way to go by bus and, though I have an electric bike, there is no route that I can safely or legally take to commute by bike. My subie is on last legs, but paid for and I pray it holds out until an all electric or plug in hybrid becomes available and reasonable. I have considered trying to move closer to work, but right now the costs of moving do not make that a great trade off.

I have little time to cook, but I will stop eating out and cut back on the convenience foods. I have a great rice cooker, so can cook large quantities of brown rice to eat on with veggies and aduki beans throughout the week or mix with a little thai curry or stir fry.

I hardly buy anything in terms of luxuries now and haven't taken a real vacation in years. I sometimes travel for work, which always costs me in terms of dog boarding anyway, so I may try to turn one of these trips into a mini vacation,

[Warpy]

15. Cooking isn't a chore to me, it's art

as much as watercolors or weaving are.

Whenever I go into the kitchen of someone who hates to cook, the first things I look at are the knives. I invariably find a bunch of very dull paring knives.

The first step to learning how to enjoy cooking is to treat yourself to one good chef's knife. When you go to the store, test them out in your hand. Find one that feels balanced to you, whether it's a French chef's knife, santoku, or cleaver. Get a sharpener and keep it sharp. Big sharp knives are a joy to use and will keep your fingers from being sliced.

Any general cookbook in paperback will allow you to cook good plain food. You don't need a wall of spices or fancy flavored vinegars. You don't need counters crammed with powered equipment.

You do need that one good knife, though.

[kestrel91316]

17. I have no cable either. I stopped after the Northridge earthquake

(TV died post-quake-toss) and never bothered to sign up again.......

And a Yaris will probably be my next car (currently driving 20-yr-old Accord).

[tbyg52]

19. #3 in the "no cable" club.

I figure if I watched enough TV for it to be worth it, I'd be watching too much TV.

We've cut way back on restaurants, and going to less expensive ones when we do. And I *hate* to cook.

Never have spent much on clothes - I won't buy anything unless it's washable, doesn't need to be ironed, and is on sale. Oh, and the pants must have pockets. You can imagine my looking/buying time ratio....

Gas and food inflation is getting seriously scary. You know it's bad when BushCo's book-cooking doesn't work anymore.

[GoesTo11]

2. Lots of suggestions.

You're doing a lot right. Library, thrift stores, fixing your own food.

You can carpool to work - surely someone who lives near where you live works near where you work. If you can trade your car for one with higher mileage, do it.
For eating, give up meat. Make your own coffee too, of course. And bag your own lunches. Buy food that's in-season. Buy in bulk at Costco (a blue company) if you can. You can sort of balance it and get partially prepared food that is still pretty cheap but saves you a lot of time cooking since you don't like it. Pot luck dinners with friends are better than going out to a restaurant, so organize a group of your friends.

If rent is too high, move somewhere cheaper or get roommates. Make your home neat and it will feel more luxurious.
Check your utilities - too much cellphone plan? Cable tv? Nix it. Read books, check out videos from the library. Or rent videos with friends and take turns paying. Take advantage of parks. Take camping vacations.

I do all this stuff. I cut way back during a career, um, transition point some years back. Never really got back to high spending mode, and have had more coming in than going out for quite a while. Do not feel deprived in the least and don't worry about a downturn.

Good luck!

Finally, go to the following website and read, read, read. This is based off a classic book that changed my view on life.

http://www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org/

[But....]

6. Thanks,

any and all information is helpful:bounce:

[GreenEyedLefty]

3. Apparently lots of people are cutting back.

On driving, at least. I was on I-75 in metro Detroit yesterday afternoon and immediately noticed that the traffic is a fraction of its usual volume for a Friday before a holiday weekend.

Around here, I don't sense worry so much as a new pragmatism. The worst that can happen has already happened with the foreclosures and all, it really can't get much worse, and if it does, most people will take it with aplomb rather than panic. It's amazing how quickly people adapt.

As for cutting back, we've already done everything we could to make our house as energy-efficient as possible. We're putting in a garden, bargain shopping for groceries, not driving unless we have to. I'm not a shopper so new clothing and shoes aren't an issue.

[hendo]

18. "can't get much worse"?

Oh, it will get much worse before/if it gets better.

It does sound like you are taking positive steps though.

As far as eating out, my wife and I have never really been all that big when it comes to eating out. Although I kind of luck out on eating out, I have a job that sends me traveling all the time, and I can eat out whenever I am out of town and expense all of it.

[GreenEyedLefty]

22. I'm sure it will... but there's always hope.

[Horse with no Name]

4. The problems will come when people have cut back all they can

At that point, the necessities will start going...like car insurance, car maintenance, home maintenance, personal maintenance...etc.
Last week, the air in my tires seemed low so I stopped at the tire shop to have them checked. While I was there, a young man in his early 20's was having the NICE tires and wheels taken off of his ride (to sell) and purchased some OLD tires to put on his car in their place.
The tires were as bald as Yul Brynner. I shudder to think about the safety of that car with those tires. I shudder even further when I realize he isn't the only one who will do this.:scared:
I think I have cut back as far as I can now. I started buying more generics, we are eating out less, planning trips to town with lots of stops, shopping sales and loss leaders, etc.
Gas went up here 6 cents a gallon yesterday. There is no end in sight.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. My medical insurance also went up - from 300 a month to 385.

The gas bills were say higher this winter and so I am going to cut way back on air conditioning. I have a couple of really good fans to use. Maybe only run air at night so that I can sleep.

It's just everything is going up. Too much month at the end of the money.

[Fovea]

7. Note my user pic.

I don't buy much gas, and a gallon will last my string trimmer almost a summer.

Meds and doctors bills eat up most of my income.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. I'm definitely seeing lots more really small cars and bikes.

And I think people on the freeway have slowed way down. I know I have. I do between 55 and 60 and just stay all the way over in the right hand lane. Other people can go around but I need to get the very best mileage that I can.

[ikojo]

13. Have you considered hypermiling?

Since you're already in the right lane...go here and read about it..this guy from Chicago drove from Chicago to NYC in a Prius on one tank of gas. It was on the CBS morning show this past Monday and Tuesday.

http://www.hypermiling.com/car-mpg.html

[bentley]

16. Definitely cutting back

I have been cutting back for awhile. I stopped buying CD's, books, clothing and anything made in China. I no longer go to sporting events or concerts. I buy bulk when I can. I made my garden bigger this year and plan on doing more canning. I cut my electric bill by 1/3, just by unplugging things I'm not using. I cut back on driving. I still eat out, but I go to less expensive places and stay away from the more expensive meals. I raised my deductible on my home and auto insurance. Eight years ago, I was able to save quite a bit of money every month, now I spend everything I make, but I'm still debt free.

[uppityperson]

20. I am finding little to cut back on, doing more bartering at work though.

Trading for local beef, horse manure, looking for other stuff too. Yes, I declare it on my taxes, but more people have been looking for ways to continue to get health care without money trading hands since everyone is cutting back.

I've hardly ever ever bought new things, don't buy deli lunches any more. It is difficult to figure out what else I can cut out. I wish I were one of those who had more of a cush.

[Saphire]

21. Hubby and I have started to car pool together on the motorcycle.

besides that, we have changed the way I feed the family (more beans and tortillas). San Antonio has always been a rather poor city, so we can learn to live with things.

[DFW]

23. Not yet, but I know there are ten who need to for every one who doesn't

[mrigirl]

24. Totally cutting back. Lost my overtime.

Am now $350 short a month then I was just 2 months ago.

For 2008- my property taxes went up $600. My cable went up $10. My electric went up from $90 to 130 now that we're using our addition. Oil budget started last August at $180/mo and is now 300/mo.
Gas for me- $40 gives me 4 days of travel to work and back. (400 mile a week commute) Good thing I have a 4 cylinder Saab! Food's gone up- not buying as much for the 120/week we spend.

To compensate for this my American Express monthly budget is shredded from my playful $500/mo to 130/mo and it's been all going to gas. No new clothes since the company cutback, no new anything for our new addition. Construction is at a standstill. At 90% complete and 3 and 1/2 yrs later- can't finish it, at least not right now.