Pinching Pennies in a Recession

[Gutmutter]

I used to order a lot out of catalogs (mostly J.Jill). I've started turning down the pages of items I like and then put it aside for a couple of days. I go back and look at what I thought I wanted and usually find I can do without it. I also curb a lot of impulse buying by asking myself, "Where is this going to go?" I don't really need anything other than food. I have too many clothes, enough furniture and decorative items. I don't wear make-up or have my hair or nails done. I have the basic cable package with 10 channels. I unplug my coffee maker and toaster after I use them in the morning. I don't leave any chargers plugged in unless I'm using them. When I go away on vacation I unplug everything in the house except the oven and fridge. I make a crockpot full of soup or something on the weekend and pack it in individual containers for the rest of the week. I make my own applesauce. I don't get the paper or any magazine subscriptions. I do buy books for my Kindle (could get them free from the library) but I share my account with my 3 children and my mom, so everyone can read the books. I don't eat meat on a regular basis. I have a wood stove that I supplement my heating system with. The only thing I really splurge on is good coffee, pet food, and produce.
Oh, and I bought my house from a bank that had foreclosed it and only pay $120/month for my mortgage.

[Brooks]

I also curb a lot of impulse buying by asking myself, "Where is this going to go?"

One of the best curbs I have had was the grueling experience of closing down my parents' house. It's not just "where is this going to go", it's also "how the heck am I going to get rid of it!!". I largely stopped buying books and discovered the joys of the area's online library system.

[justCoz]

One way I really worked hard at the last two winters was remembering to turn down the heat at night and during the day if noone was going to be home. It really made a difference. My mom always did this and I just always did it hit or miss. It made a big difference. I hate to be cold, so I don't leave it too low during the day when I'm walking around, but just comfortable enough my fingers aren't too cold and I can use them. It's a little chillier in the mornings or right when we get home from work, but the bill makes it well worth it.

We always used to shop at Walmart for groceries. Then my husband worked very near a grocery store, so he started stopping there. We figured out that if we wait for their sales and are part of their frequent shopper deals that I can get almost everything cheaper than Walmart. There are five to seven items that are still cheaper routinely at Walmart, but I can save money usually at what I previously thought was the more expensive store. Plus, that store has a gas program and we get so much money off a gallon of gas depending on how much we've spent. I used to shop more at Aldi's and I love it, but it doesn't always have enough of what I need so I end up going to another store anyhow. When gas prices raised I ended up just going to one store instead of the two. Again, the 'expensive' grocery store sale prices end up being the same as or cheaper than Aldi sometimes without a second store to go to.

[rgw718]

I'm enjoying everyone's comments.

I like the free audio books on LibriVox and listen on my Kindle daily.

[Debb70]

I'm trying to process that $120.00 per month mortgage payment, Gutmutter! Man, I don't think that can be beat! lol

I find some good deals at Ollie's. You have to check them out regularly, but if you hang in there, good things will come, I have found. Also great saving at Big Lots for window treatement hardware. Much cheaper than any other store I have found, including Walmart.

I don't eat lunch most days. Not to save money, but I'm usually too busy and don't think much about it. I don't miss it. It's probably not good for me, but .......I'm not a big lunch person.

I do waste a couple of dollars per week on a lottery ticket. Just in case.........lol

[Photobabe]

I have always been frugal in my daily spending. In summer, I rarely run my AC. When it's super hot I spend most of my at home time on my lowest, coolest level where I have my TV, computer and 2 ceiling fans. I keep the heat at 69 (or lower) during the day in the winter and turn it off at night. I have always done these things whether money was tight or not. Also, l I have never paid for TV. I still use "rabbit ears". Those shows that I can't get on my TV I can usually get on line the day after they air. There is nothing that I want to watch enough to pay $100+ a month!

I only buy books as gifts for grandkids. There is a wonderful library just 2 miles from me. My tax dollars help support it so I might as well use it! If I had a Kindle I could rent library books for free for it. When I grocery shop I stock up on items when they are on sale. For big ticket items I do a lot of on line comparison shopping. I've gotten some fantastic deals at Overstock dot com and some good deals at Amazon. I'm an Angie's list member and have saved thousands using some of their "Big Deals" and more by using their coupons. Since my girl friends and I like to eat out often, I buy Double Take deals or Groupon deals if they have them for a place I want to go. Since I am not addicted to cell phone use I have a very simple no frills phone with a pay as you go plan. My annual cost is about $25.

[Debb70]

Does anyone know the cost of extended cable with Time Warner with no DVR? You do have to have a box. I'm referring to the plan that gets the basic, but also the channels like OWN, FX, Lifetime, Hallmark, etc. It has everything except NOT premiums like movies.

[rgw718]

My annual cost is about $25.

Wow! That's amazing, PB.

My contract with Verizon ends soon, and I am seriously thinking about dropping my cell phone ($30 per month). My family, especially my mother, is aghast. But we do have a home phone, and I'm home almost all of the time.

[Gutmutter]

I'm trying to process that $120.00 per month mortgage payment, Gutmutter! Man, I don't think that can be beat! lol

The former owner was heating with wood and had taken out the oil burner. When they foreclosed on him, he took the wood stoves with him, so there was no heat source. You can't get a mortgage without some kind of heat, so they weren't getting any offers. I got them down to $45,000 and got a short-term loan from my mom, put in an oil burner (there were already baseboards), and got a mortgage and paid my mom back. I got enough extra on the mortgage to get a beautiful, blue soapstone wood stove with a glass front that I absolutely love.

[rgw718]

My daughter and I just went to the dollar store. She spent $2 on two bags of gum and some candy and plans to sell it at school for a small profit.