Economy... What have you given up.

Tell me what you have given up due to the rising prices.

1: Driving to see my friends who live over 30 min away.

2: Beauty products

3: getting my nails done.. I still get a pedicure just once a month though

4: New cloths.. booo. Goodwill has decent pants though during weight loss

5:Sunday drives

6: 100 calorie packs

7: Smart ones... packing everything fresh now

mochas and lattes.  they're loaded with calories anyway. 

No more shopping for anything that isn't essential, and no eating out.  Also, I try to drive as little as possible. 

• Buying lunch regularly
• New summer blouses (I'm sewing/taking in my old ones from last year)
• Quick trips to the store

Quick trips to the store

New clothes and shoes

Putting off my planned haircut/highlighting

And  Vitamuffins  (sigh)  I may splurge around the time of my Bday - I'm doing okay with other snacks, but I do miss them.

I just got back from a first time ever trip to Europe (Italy), and I found things very expensive. For example, a Big Mac combo (about $5 here) was 6.20 euros, with the exchange rate to CAD, that made it around $9-10 CAD!! The only things I could find that cost less there than here was travel (plane, train) and wine.

As a result, we can home with very little in the way of souvenirs and momentos. I just couldn't justify it when I can get shoes/ clothes, etc here for so much less. Instead we came home with 2000 pictures taken. Hope my computer doesn't crash before I can afford to print them off!

In the way of everyday things, I would love to get my hair trimmed, but I only get it done once a year and just had it done in April.

Eating out as much

combining trip out to store and picking up stuff so don't go every day.

new clothes

planning meal better.

The price of food has gone up and will continue with the floods out west and gas is the pits so I'm just going to hang out for the summer and the one big splurge is going on a trip 2 hrs away for the weekend instead of out of state. 

Well, my portfolio is down about 30%... but it will go back up eventually *sigh*

I don't travel as much.

I gave up

1- cable - basic only =saving $45

2- phone, use only my cell phone and lowered minutes plan = $20

3- I stopped driving on my days off because I live 20 minutes from a real town with a grocery store, mall, etc..  if I don't get it when I get out of work, I don't get it.

4- stopped driving over 60 miles per hour

 

 

hookers, booze, drugs...

Just kidding

Switched cable for Netflix.

Dumped the lawn service and mow (it burns a lot of calories)

Only drive one errand per day.

Work from home.

Buy fresh produce instead of packaged, canned, or frozen.

My life... I stay home ALOT now.. we got Cinemax and Stars and watch that rather than go out to the movies.  Also I bring my lunch to work EVERY SINGLE DAY now.  IF I go out it is only once or twice a month.  I work an hour away from home so I looked for and found a job half as far away.. I start next week...

I haven't had to give up anything.

I already don't drive much since I am a avid cyclist and prefer riding over driving. So gas prices haven't had an effect on my.

I bring my lunch to work anyway since I am trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup and partally hydrogenated oils and MSG.

Some of my investments have lost some value but nothing major as of yet.

Not much.  I don't have a lot of money, so I have fewer expenses.  Mo' money, mo problems, haha.  The things I spend the most money on are things I need--food, gasoline, gym membership.  Yeah, I need the gym.  And gasoline to get to the gym.  DON'T JUDGE ME.

On the other hand, my job has been cutting hours because of a lack of customers.  Good thing I'm quitting.

This is a trick question for me...   here is a list of things I WANT to give up!! 

Weekend movies and snacks $50, cable with movie channels $99, $300 grocery bills every 2 weeks because of junk food that jumps in the cart, late night drives because the kids are bored (and don't "want" to go for a bike ride) 2 gallons of gas, eating out three times a week because hubby won't pack a lunch or eat the left overs he claims he loves $50+.  The purchasing of new movies everytime a good one comes out $20 per movie(we have over 150 that NEVER get watched!)    That's over $300 a week that would be put in savings if I could only convince my wonderful hubby that saving is a good thing.

All of these things I want to give up!!!      It's a constant battle!!!  I usually lose.  :(    Sorry to rant.      &nbs p;   But this definately pushes me to try again!  

I think I need to sit down and completly budget everything out.....geez

I switched from name brand diet decaf pop at $1.68 per bottle to store brand at .68 per bottle.  I go thru about 12 bottles a week so a $12 savings.  (I love my  diet decaf, fortunately I managed to kill my sweet tooth about 15 years ago - so no pop induced cravings! lol)

I buy all my lunch meats in the deli at the Food 4 less.  They run, on average, $2 cheaper than the other stores.  Better price per oz than pre-packaged and less preservatives.

I stock up on 10 for 10 sales at the store on canned goods and paper items.

I don't/wont eat in a restaurant (smoker - we are not welcome in Illinois)

I drive the speed limit on all roads.  Tollway 60 miles everyday - mileage has gone up 6 mpg.  (too bad 99% of the other drivers are doing 70 plus in a 55 zone - they are part of the gas problem)

(I am saving massive gas this week. I am off work today till next Tuesday - YAY! - Bad news is I'm doing major cleaning this week - BOO! Well I will as soon as I can get off of CC - :D )

I limit my shopping to try to do everything in one trip to reduce use on the car.

I don't use the air conditioning in my car unless it is really really bad on the way to work.  I'll suffer coming home.

Air at home only goes on when we can't sleep or sit without pouring sweat.  I've only had to run it for about 2 weeks so far this summer.

Cut out a lot of the grocery budget - DH wants it but then DH wont eat all of what he wants and it goes to waste.  I stopped buying the amount he says he wants.  What little leftovers there are now go to work with him (I pack his lunch - he's too lazy)

I won't buy anything where I work (taxes in that county are now the highest in the States)

I don't go anywhere in the winter.  We rarely go to the movies (1 a year maybe and only for a special occasion with friends.)

I don't rent movies - he won't watch them anyway.  If I want a movie, I wait till there is a really really good sale or it hits the $5 bin.  Or I borrow it from a friend.

I buy all of my clothes on clearance, goodwill or garage sales.  Couple of good skirts on clearance and a few nice tops and I'm good for work.

There are little things here and there. No more newspapers.  I use to get my weekly womans magazines religiously.  I might get them 1x per month now.  Go without if I don't like the price of something.  No snacks for work (I bring radishes and cut them up to eat) More store brand canned goods v name brand (only an issue if DH sees the can)

There are things I want and things I need.  Need comes first and I save my pennies for the things I really want.  (I have to buy my own birthday and Xmas gifts - I said DH was lazy and he has more free time that I do)

 

Wow coppertop,  think of the money you could save.  I never did buy movie because I won't watch more then once.   I just found a 5% cd for 3 months at a new bank. Not much but pretty good for todays rates.

   Grocery bills are always a big one. I spend about 50.00 a week but there is only 2 of us now, but even when kids were growing up I only had 300 for the month to feed four ( we were military). 

Is your husband's lunches 50.00 a week?  $2,400 a year. My hub and I take sandwiches or microwave meals. 

Please dont get upset, I give this same speach to all, My son and his wife, they are  in their late 20's  bought new house 150,000 and was able to put 50,000 down, their cars are paid for and they make 80,000 a year.   They do have student loans.

My other son is an accountant and has a pretty good portfolio since he was 24 and car paid for and travels all around the world. He is saving for wedding and house right now.

 My house payment is 370.00 a mo.( I put a down payment on it) and will be paid in 10yrs. and all our vehicles are paid for and are fairly new.  I'm just really into saving and never carry a bal. on credit cards. 

Always keep 6mo. pay in the bank for an emergency. I use to do financial planing for the military through the Red cross for soldiers who were in debt. and would help them budget and pay off their bills.  It's amazing how fast money can get away from you if your not accounting for it.

I have a friend that has a 2,000 a mo. mortage payment 2 car payments, motorcycle payment and make the same amount as I do. they are really in bad shape.

I guess it also helps that I hate to go shopping.

Wishing everyone a secure financial future, nothing feels better then that.

I don't use the air conditioning in my car unless it is really really bad on the way to work.  I'll suffer coming home.

Just to let everyone know.  It actually uses more gas to drive on the highway with your windows down than it does to use the airconditioner. When the windows are down, more air resistance is created and the engine has to work harder. City driving under 35 mph makes very little difference, the air conditioner uses just a little more gas.

Original Post by moonikins:

I don't use the air conditioning in my car unless it is really really bad on the way to work.  I'll suffer coming home.

Just to let everyone know.  It actually uses more gas to drive on the highway with your windows down than it does to use the airconditioner. When the windows are down, more air resistance is created and the engine has to work harder. City driving under 35 mph makes very little difference, the air conditioner uses just a little more gas.

According to Consumer Reports, windows down saved a negligible amount of gas at 55mph.  At lower speeds, wind resistance is no longer a factor and it did in fact result in better gas mileage.  I wish car manufacturers would sell lighter weight versions of their vehicles.  Unfortunately, the few that do this actually sell their "stripped down" versions of the car for a higher price... doesn't make much sense to me.  All I know is I'd rather do without that GPS unit, 38 airbags, and computer controlled whatever if it saves me 150 lbs.

I haven't had to give up anything.

Same. Nothing. I don't drive (use public transport or walk). I stopped shopping for the week and now go to the grocery every couple days for produce because I was wasting alot (produce spoils within 3 days here). The air cons here aren't like back home (no central air)... they're wall mounted air cons. Mine is very old school and ghetto and has a 12 hour timer. When I'm home, the air con is on but when I'm gone it's off. I refuse to lay in bed sweating. And it's not that expensive to run an air con for 8 hrs/day.