Penny-pinching...

[GrayMatterWife]

If you guys can't tell...I'm trapped at home with both kids in icky weather today. So I am posting a lot!

Question: In this economy, where are y'all cutting corners in the pocketbook? I read an article about how many parents are cutting back on preschool--switching to half-time or eliminating entirely. That's a major financial change. How are y'all handling it? Major or minor (or both!) adjustments?

We already live on a budget with tight discretionary spending, so it's not like I can eliminate daily Starbucks or fancy haircare products or something. And we eat almost exclusively at home, so restaurant-pinching won't help. We're doing little things, though:

--I switched to paying for groceries and Target supplies in cash--I bet I save $15 or more per weekly trip because I am stuck with the cash I allotted myself.

--I switched Ava-Marie to powdered canned formula for breastmilk supplementation, rather than the premixed stuff. I like the premix a lot better (thick, richer, and much easier for me), but it is 1/4th the cost. Unfortunately, it doesn't agree with her sensitive tummy as well, so we've had a lot of spitting up this week, but she seems to be getting used to it, slowly.

[DCJenn]

Re: Penny-pinching...

Meal planning through http://www.bustameal.com has helped immensely.

Shopping at the commissary and the delivery site (http://www.greenling.com for those in San Antonio/Austin) has limited the spontaneous afterwork shopping trips. and when we run out of the milk/bread/eggs thing I can walk down to the end of the street to the little market which helps.

We're having great weather right now so there's no A/C and no heat. Beauty! I'm planning on upgrading the weatherstripping, etc. before we get our two weeks of cold.

I'm not buying ANYTHING right now. I am planning the Christmas lists have essentially cut the budget in half. We're flying home to my parents so I'm not going to bother w/ decorations, buying a tree, or any of that stuff.

We've cut way back on eating out, especially since I have meals planned in advance. Nikolai and I have a thing where between going to the gym and going to the commissary on Saturdays, we go to McDonalds. He gets a Happy Meal and I get a cheeseburger and small fries.

I bought season tickets to the symphony which was an initial outlay but they're less expensive in advance and we have 8 or 9 date nights ready. I get a baby sitter but recently some of the other parents in the 'hood have decided to do a baby sitting exchange.

That's it, really.

Jenn

PS- I'm still paying down debt as aggressively as possible- slightly more difficult now that the DC house is empty and on the market.

[Sheherezade]

Re: Penny-pinching...

Since we have cash savings and steady income....and only school/mortgage debt now, we've actually been spending. We figure somebody has to prop up the sales reports. DH and I did early Christmas shopping the last few weeks. My crackpot theory has been to shop at the stores/industries that we have in our stock portfolio. :huh: Hence, lots of Apple presents and Target gifts. We are trickling down instead of saving extra right now.

I think many could cut back on household entertainment/utilities these days by looking in to new options. We eliminated cable TV and phone bills by doing both of those through a standard high speed internet line. We use Skype for phone and mostly view free video podcasts and shows on network websites. That has saved us in monthly bills (cancel home phone, basic cable TV and Netflix). You could look for better deals on your cell phone. Often there are lots of extra charges added in that you can eliminate if you ask. I'd imagine many already have done this, though.

Cash payment really cuts down on expenses. It is amazing how much I'll turn down if I have to use cash - and how I'll not buy anything for days if I did spend all the cash in my wallet. I hate taking more out of the ATM.

Re: Penny-pinching...

I am really struggling to think of more ways to save, as I am already pretty frugal. :huh:
I have thought about carrying cash but then I find it so hard to keep track.
We are trying so hard to live off DH's salary, leaving what little savings we have for "emergencies", but it just doesn't quite seem possible in this city. If we can get by until DH is PGY3 then he can moonlight, which both of us would prefer to me going back to work.
However, we are not as affected as others by the downturn in the economy since we don't have a mortgage or investments. Our hardships are self inflicted!

Re: Penny-pinching...

We're in a somewhat similar position to Angie. I've been scaling things back a little -- we might still go out to eat but to a less expensive place (me and DH, kids don't go to expensive places). Since we are doing some work on our house, there is some obligated spending on that in the sense that I wouldn't quit mid-project. He also has some work-related expenses coming up. Overall, it is all good but I'm a tiny bit conflicted because now would be a good time to invest more for long-term goals.

I agree about the communication stuff. DH and I watched 30 Rock on hulu last week and he said "why do we have cable?" Good question.

Paying with cash is the way to go for saving money. We did that to get our budget and spending under control about 10 years ago and it made such a difference -- both for our spending and our marriage!

Re: Penny-pinching...

Abigail,

Since I had nothing to contribute in my previous post, did you see this thread? Maybe it was when you were having your baby?

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19758&hilit=money

I have taken on lots of tips from that thread. The meal planning really helps. My problem is that I really like good food. I like to cook from scratch, get good ingredients, to get organic food for the baby and for us where possible. But I have started stretching 2 meals into 3 by adding cheaper ingredients like pasta to soup or potato to a curry dish for example...

Other than that I am stumped. We already have no cable, no home phone, the cheapest cell phone package (we even gave up texting ), don't eat out any more, and rarely by "stuff". I really need new clothes. My wardrobe is pathetic. Hardly anything fits and I am debating whether it will be cheaper to go to a tailor to get some things adjusted or get some new things, or continue to look ridiculous as I do now!

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Penny-pinching...

. . . did you see this thread? Maybe it was when you were having your baby?

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19758&hilit=money

Oh, I didn't see this. You're right--it was right around the time Ava-Marie (and my mother, then my in-laws, then other relatives...) arrived. Thanks!!

[alison]

Re: Penny-pinching...

We just spent $20 for two people at Chipotle. They raised their prices. Why do we eat out when I can make a decent meal at home?! :banghead: I say: eat in for 6 months, and then splurge at Alinea or Charlie Trotter's... We suck at saving money. I won't even try to give you guys advice.

Residency sucks enough as it is - I don't want to pinch my pennies!

Re: Penny-pinching...

Cassy that's awesome that you make your own bread. I"m a bread snob, love to cook but am terrified to make bread. I don't get the whole yeast bit. Is there a fool proof way to make a good hearty wheat loaf? I just made crepes this weekend for the first time all by scratch. They are hard to cook but I was getting the hang of it at the end of the batter, surely bread can't be harder???

Any tips would be great!

Oh and the Diva cup sounds tempting. I have many friends who use it and love it. Though the idea of having an accident puts me over the edge and I just haven't gotten the confidence to try it.

And, you are the only person I've heard using the rock deodorant. Is effective for heavy sweaters? I get the strongest over the counter stuff out, I sweat ... alot. I heard it was good but never knew anyone to try it.

[ladymoreta]

Re: Penny-pinching...

This is the first time since we've been married that we're living on two decent incomes, so we've gotten terrible about spending! I really shouldn't be allowed to post, but I make myself feel better in a few ways.

- Whenever we have leftovers, I go ahead and put them into Tupperware with some frozen veggies, so in the morning I can grab it on my way to work. If I have to do it in the morning, I just grab a frozen lunch, and the leftovers go bad.

- Speaking of Tupperware, when we first got married, I signed up to "sell" it for a few months so I could buy it with the consultant's discount. I ended up paying for a lot of it with the commission I got from the 3 parties I had to do as a new consultant. Now I never need to buy disposable containers unless I'm taking meals to people.

- I've started driving differently, and I've definitely noticed a difference in the amount of gas I have to buy. Nothing
too off-the-wall, but just not following so closely so I don't have to hit my brakes as much. Taking my foot off the gas way before the stop sign/light, and not accellerating as fast also help.

- We wash all of our clothes on cold and dry them on the low dryer setting. This also seems to make them last longer.

- I only buy new clothes a few times a year, and never at full price.

- On cold days, we open up the blinds to help warm the house.

- As far as saving goes, we take out money right when we get our paychecks instead of trying to save what is left over, and we never really miss it.

[spotty_dog]

Re: Penny-pinching...

And, you are the only person I've heard using the rock deodorant. Is effective for heavy sweaters? I get the strongest over the counter stuff out, I sweat ... alot. I heard it was good but never knew anyone to try it.

I used a crystal rock for a couple of years but kept breaking it when I took it on trips, so I switched to Kiss My Face Liquid Rock. The rock is not an antiperspirant, but it's an *incredible* deodorant. If I happen to go a couple of days between showers my armpits are the last part of me to notice, LOL. Also, you might find that once you adjust away from chemical antiperspirants, your sweat level will even out. I used to get really wet pits, but now I can work out (well, carry Eddy around on my back, LOL) in Phoenix heat and hardly get damp.

One downside: the sweat does seem to collect and react in synthetic fabric, so when I wore polyester maternity shirts to work a couple of years ago, I'd be embarrassed by the end of the day. *I'd* be fine once I got home and switched to cotton, it was definitely just the clothes that were making the stinky!

[HouseofWool]

Re: Penny-pinching...

We already do most of the typical things. Eating in, lowering the thermostat etc. The lower temp at night will have to go by the wayside once the baby comes...

For the last month or so, I have been on a mission to clean out our freezer. (It is the size of a dorm fridge and it needs to be be defrosted like crazy). I still haven't finished it, but while I have been working on it my grocery bill for the last few trips has been between $50-$70 for the week. This includes a trip to superwalmart.

I make my own laundry soap. It works well and I have saved a pile of money (3 gallons cost less that $1.00) and I snagged a bunch of used laundry detergent bottles from our upstairs neighbor who is a complete slob. (In a year and a half, they have not taken out the garbage in the laundry area once! I can't wait until we move...)

For the 2 snacks a day I have to send for DS to school, I bought a pack of 8 Gladware that each hold 1/2c. They are the perfect size for him and I don't have to puchase baggies all the time.

I bought some of my maternity clothes second hand and will probably do the same when I need to return to work if I am not in my pre-pregnancy clothes. I refuse to spend a lot of money on clothes when I will only be at the job for 2 more months.

I do a lot of tailoring of my clothes myself.

I cut DH's and DS's hair.

[Meenah]

Re: Penny-pinching...

Kris, how do you make laundry soap? I would love to try it.

[HouseofWool]

Re: Penny-pinching...

It's easy peasy and smells pretty good.

Each batch makes 3 gallons and I use about 1/2-3/4 of a cup for each load.

In a large bucket mix:

1/2 c washing soda (not baking soda)
1/2 c borax
1/2 of fels naptha - grated

Add 1 gallon boiling water. Stir until all of the soap has disolved - this can take a bit of time, which is why I grate the soap instead of shredding it.

Once it is all disolved, add 2 more gallons of water. I then pour it into 4-5 laundry detergent bottles that I reuse each time. It will get kind of gloppy if it is cool where you keep it, but if you shake the bottle before you pour it out, it is fine.

The inital out lay is about 6 bucks, but the box of washing soda and borax will last for years! I have been doing this for almost a year and have barely made a dent in either of them. Each addition bar of the fels naptha cost $1.09 and will make 2 batches.

I do add some Oxi-clean or bleach to my whites because both dh and ds are terrible about keeping their clothes clean...

Re: Penny-pinching...

That is a great idea! I wonder if those ingredients are similar to Charlie's soap.

Alison, FWIW, I had similar issues with synthetic fibers and pregnancy. Maybe it is some hormonal thing. I'm going to try that Kiss My Face stuff you mentioned. I have used a crystal in the past with good results but agree it is bulky for traveling.