Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

For the holidays- we are giving our nieces and nephews savings bonds and if the are old enough to understand presents, we are giving them a board game too. ( something not too much $$, like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders etc.). I had heard some people are drawing names out of a hat for family presents and they just have to get one gift.... idea for thought....
Everday things I scan ads to see what is on sale and were, I recently found milk at a small local store for 1.49 a half gal. Using coupons... shopping in bulk. Also, Home cooked meals, using the crockpot , more cassaroles etc.

Message edited 11/12/2009 9:00:08 AM.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

I know this isn't huge...but I bring lunch more, try to only buy what is on sale, we have friends over or go over friends houses in lieu of going out and spending more $$

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

Even though this isn't saving us so much money, it is saving some. Instead of a group of us, 3 couples, buying presents for each other we are going to do dinner. We are thinking of a favorite restaurant but we MAY do a pot luck dinner.

We list out our meals for 2 weeks and buy ingredients for them only.

We also shop the store brands a lot. For the most part they are the same as the leading brands.

And dinners out or ordered in have turned to cooking it ourself.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

We do not go out for dinner, or go to the movies, DH looks at all the sales fliers from supermarkets to see what's on sale...alot of times he'll buy "manager's special" meat that is close to the expiration dates & freezes it...it stinks but with our current employment situation its a huge help.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

As far as food goes...

We just bought a HUGE thing of ground beef at Costco and separated it into 1/2 lb portions - so no more buying meat for a while! We did the same with Tilapia.

We also buy a Rotisserie chicken every week and that gives us 2-3 nights of dinners... it's only $4.99! You can eat the chicken as-is or shred the meat and put it in enchiladas, tacos, chicken salad, slice the breast and put it over salad, use the breast in paninis... etc.

Last week we only spent $45 at the supermarket total for a week's worth of food. Every week I look at the circular to see what's on sale and I try to plan my meals around that. So if I see mushrooms or tomatoes or green beans... I think of recipe that uses those items. We stay away from most packaged food things and those are usually what coupons are for... so we're not HUGE on coupons, but we do use them whenever we can.

Bring lunch everyday and make breakfast/coffee at home! Also, when you're bringing lunch.. be thrifty with what you bring. Frozen meals can be super expensive... try to either stock up when they are having a good sale or bring cheaper alternatives (remember good old PBJ?) Also, stay away from 100 calorie packs. You can easily make your own! And if you use tupperware containers, it's much cheaper than buying Ziplocs all the time!

Plan out your meals for the week and only buy what you need to make them.. Also try to use more "pantry items" for meals - like you can easily do a simple chicken francaise with pantry items... or roast whatever leftover veggies you have and throw them in some pasta, etc.

Message edited 11/12/2009 11:03:59 AM.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

Also, we go out to dinner 1x/week - which is not something we want to give up! But we go to happy hour and sit at the bar tables.. usually we don't even drink - but we do take advantage of all of the good deals on appetizers!

We go to the same sushi place every Friday night and it's only like $50 for both of us - which IMO is great for sushi!

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For Christmas this year, we won't be coming back to NY as usual - so instead of sending out individual gifts for everyone... we're sending gift baskets to each household. We'll probably spend around $50/basket... so that will help us save $$ on gifts that way.

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I also keep a detailed record of all purchases that we make. When you see how all of the little things add up, it's really eye-opening!

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

we've always planned our meals for the week ahead of time... and that really helps save us money and keep us from going out all the time. we stock up on non-perishable stuff when its on sale. although, we do go out at least twice a week--- you have to give yourself some kind of break!

my moms side of the family has always done the "pull one name" thing for christmas, so thats nothing new for us-- saves A LOT of headache and money when you only have to buy for one person!

the biggest thing that saves us money is just being conscience of how much "household products" we use... things like dishsoap, toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, cleaning products....
an 8 pack of paper towels will last us almost close to 6 months, because i buy the "select a size", and don't use a whole huge paper towel everytime a need to wipe something up.... same with toilet paper LOL don't use more than you really need so you don't have to buy it as often. luckily my hair is thick and i only need to wash it every other day, which means a bottle of shampoo can last me 4 or 5 months. with cleaning products, i've been using just vinegar and water a lot which is cheap and does a great job... but when i do use cleaning products, i just watch how much i use, and they last me awhile. i think its that little stuff that adds up and ends up costing a lot of money....

Message edited 11/12/2009 12:28:15 PM.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

My friends and I do a clothing swap. If there are things that don't fit us anymore we pass it along. My friend couldn't wear her favorite pumps after her pregnancy so I got them. I have worn them to a bunch of events and they make great interview shoes. So I saved $$$ that way.

i also bring lunch every day and only drink coffee that I make at home. Starbucks or DD is a rare treat for me.

Our prescription cat food is expensive so we buy the largest size since bulk is cheaper and it lasts in the bag just fine. Same with the cans of cat food. We buy like a case of 32.

I make use of our work water cooler. I have a bottle that I keep filling up throughout the day instead of buying bottles of water.

We rarely go to the movies. Instead we Tivo shows we want to watch and do movie night with friends in their homes.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

I haven't really changed any of my spening habits- I've always been thrifty:

Have a detailed budget that I check to the cc every few days to make sure we're on point. If it looks like we're going over I tell DH we have to stop buying unneccesary itmes.

We go to the supermarket once a month and go to costco every 2-3 months. We buy all our paper products, shampoo/conditioner, bottled beverages, pasta sauce, pasta, crackers, meat, frozen veggies and foods, etc in bulk and store them. We only use the supermarket for fresh foods we want or things we run out of. We stay away from cold cuts or fresh veggies because they always wind up going bad.

We cook prob 4-5 times a week, one night of takeout, one night at mom's and maybe a night out.

I buy our dog food every 5-6 months in bulk from the best offer online.

Bring a reusable water bottle to work and refil with work's water cooler.

Use the coffee/tea at work. Buy bulk instant oatmeal and granola and have that breakfast every morning at work.

We don't really go out, unless for a bday or something. We hang out w/ friends in eachother's homes.

We through a big party prob 2-3 times a year for our family and friends in our home- annual xmas party, summer party, etc. It's our big slurge and we really enjoy entertaining and having everyone over.

Go on long weekend vacations to the Hamptons (my family has a summer home there). Or to Michigan (where my DH is from). We went on 2 trips to FL last year- both with friends who had condos there so the cost was low.

We do buy lunch in the city most days- but mine is usually low @ 5-6 dollars, and sometimes I get something big and have half one day and half the next. I yell at DH weekely about his $11 lunches, but he also goes out on his job a day a week.

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

Great thread!

Dh and I are really terrible about our spending and these ideas are really helpful. Thank you

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

bump,... so others can add to this thread!

Re: Saw this on a money report ... how people are saving/ spending thru these tough times- add your own ideas to help each other out.......

I use coupons and make lists and try to always stick to my list. Or I buy the generic/store brand if it's cheaper then the coupon.

I always shop in discount stores and the Dollar Tree.

I buy Target brand formula and diapers.

If I know something is cheaper somewhere else, I will go there if it's not super out of the way.

Tonight for example I stopped at a Target I never go to and their formula was almost $2.00 more a can then the Target I always go to, so I went there. It didn't make a whole lot of sense since it's the store brand, but hey, those $$$ add up.

I have been reading "Dining on a Dime" by Tawra Kellum and it offers some great suggestions on how to cut back on everything.

I think for me, my biggest problem sometimes is that I will go shopping out of habit. I won't spend a lot of $$$$, but I will still spend $$$$ on some things that we don't really need (or need at the time) because it seems like it's a good deal, or I will use it eventually. Even $50.00 here and $20.00 there adds up over time!!