QotD: Pinching Pennies
What are you doing to save money during this economic downslide?
Submitted by Jenn.
First and foremost, I'm strongly curtailing our eating out. No 'eh, I don't feel like cooking' sort of nights,,,well, more of less. We still eat out for special occasions or as just special treats. But no more guilty trips to McDonalds because I don't have my act together. (And if we do go out, we might use a coupon. That's not a deal breaker though.)
Food is still a major expense, but even there--a first line of defense is to eat the food already in the house. Something like twenty percent of the average American's food budget ends up in the trash (I know, lies, damned lies and statistics), and I know that still happens in my house. But we're getting better.
I'm not shopping as much as I used to, not that I've ever been that much of a spender. But there doesn't seem to be as much draw and thus as much temptation. I have too much stuff already. Heck, I've been in a mood to get rid of things lately--who wants to bring MORE into the house while still culling things out? I still covet from time to time, but rarely do I have to take advantage and actually BUY something.
Of course, some of my cost cutting is just laziness--not going to the store because I'm not in the mood to run errands. And hey, the library is FREE, assuming you remember to return the books. Gotta say, I almost never buy books these days. And very rarely do I actually pay retail. Free paperback exchanges are my favorite. Even Half-Price books seems expensive in comparison. If I do go that route, it's generally the clearance shelves in the back. Note to self--go through kids' books for the school's used book sale.
But hey--we finally got a Discover bill under $1000. And considering that it had the tail end of holiday charges, that's a real accomplishment. We'll have to wait and see if we can keep it up. Maybe, if gas stays under $2/gallon. Oh, yeah--even there. I'm trying to cut down on my mileage, both for the money and the environment. I used to fill up every Tuesday and it was pretty much a full fill up. Now I'm doing a full fill up every 10-12 days. It's hard to get through two Wednesdays without careful planning, but it IS possible. (Wednesdays are co-op days. 80 miles badabing, but I'm keeping twenty families from driving 30-40 miles each... It makes sense, really.)
I should not try to do this exercise with Colbert on. He's more than a little distracting. Woot. We like our Colbert. Especially when he's doing mental association shtick.
