How are you cutting back?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2009
How are you cutting back?
9
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 3:12pm

I am constantly trying to find

Ovulation ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2008
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 4:38pm

I've set a strict budget that seems to work very well for us.

Norma


"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2005
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 4:38pm

I have economy basic with Comcast. It only costs $15 per month. Something you might want to look into.


stacy

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-02-1998
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 4:48pm

What is it that you watch on cable? Is it something that you could catch up on the internet. I remember my daughter used to watch Dr. Who on the internet because we didn't get that show. You may find that you don't want to watch the shows after awhile. Then you can save your tv for movie nights. You may want to cancel your cable for at least the summer, when you are more apt to be outside doing other things.

Sharon





iVillage Member
Registered: 01-29-2009
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 4:51pm

We are also doing a large veggie garden this year too!

Ovulation ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-04-2008
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 5:02pm

We cut electricity and heat by dialing down and having a single shut off switch for non-essentials and we have always cooked from scratch, but we eat well (steak, shrimp, fish, chicken.)


We have Direct TV, Netflix, a home phone, internet service and full featured cell phones.




iVillage Member
Registered: 05-20-2005
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 5:25pm

I've cut down my food bill by shopping loss leaders and stocking up on items we use regularly.

Wedding
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-30-1999
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 5:35pm

I haven't been cutting back lately, lol. We've been paying debt and spending too(on landscaping)(cash). But we have made great progress on debt repayment.


I did cancel y membership- that will go to target card for now on.


Today I found it hard to part with the extra money we have right now- i guess I'm doing better in the spending department...I'd rather save. I want a laptop but now I don't know if I'll get it. No rash decisions here- now that's improvement!!


Michelle

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2007
Thu, 04-23-2009 - 7:27pm

Well I am the strange one of the bunch. I did send back my cable box on the living room TV when I started never used the higher channels that much on it but I still have the box on the bedroom TV If we don't rent a movie off cable then it runs 77.00 and some cents a month. We have our land line and Internet with ATT that is 63.00 a month with all the taxes on it.


I have to have a land line because of my husband's heart. Cell phones go out in times of bad weather land lines don't most of the time.


We are considering cutting back on the Cell and just use the land line for long distance. We have a few months to decide about that. We are paying around 45.00 a month but we don't even use a 100 minutes a month most of the time. We just need something when we are out and something happens to my husband's heart or something. So we are looking at our contract It is about up.


I snowflake what is left on a weeks living money. If there is 5.00 left on Tuesday night before I put in next weeks living money then I put it in bill pay and send it to a bill. If I got more left then I send that. Tried doing a real budget Didn't work for us so I just list the bills that need paying pay them and what is left divide by the weeks in the month.


I have cut as much as I can cut with out it hurting us but we are old. We always made our own chilli and such because of the salt Now that I am not suppose to have sugar we will be doing some more that needs sugar in the mix.


We do big pots of chilli, veggie and bean soup and freeze it. Cornbread and such too. Raymond used to make a lot bread but it is better to just go to a good store and buy good bread. Pretzels he makes and stuff like banana bread he still makes. Just not the wheat and such.


I am too old to do the beans and rise menu.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-02-1998
Fri, 04-24-2009 - 5:53pm

If you only use your cell phone for emergencies, can you change it to a pay and talk once your contract is up? My mom changed her phone to a pay and talk when her contract came up because like you she seldom uses the cell phone and now it only costs her about $10 a month to buy a pay and talk card for it. Plus the time is saved over to the next month if you don't use all of them.

Sharon