For those dealing with hard times during this economy post your ways with dealing wit

[YarisSedan]

My employer just cut back all the hours of the employees including mine.

Things i have started doing is since im a mechanic i bought a mini fridge. Now i keep a box of cheerios and milk in the fridge and save 4 dollars a day instead of stopping for breakfast on the way to work. Plus size i started to loose a bit of weight as well as a result.

Also for lunch i skip the drink i just drink water from our water cooler. Or stock the mini fridge with drinks from my local mart which is obviousely cheaper than buying a soda for a dollar something.

I am trying to save a dollar here 50 cents there. At the end of the week it all adds up.

What are some other ideas are you guys using/doing. I think as gas goes up im going to start to try my take at hypermiling. But giving up driving like speedracer is going to be hard.

[DefStarYaris]

I ride my bike places if I can, saving a little here and there on gas.

[yaris-me]

You can save a lot of money buying sale items and using coupons at the supermarket. Make a shopping list before you go and avoid impulse items. Buying drinks on sale can help.

[SeaYa]

Buy oatmeal and lentils in bulk. Buy as much as you can at a farmers market, always cheaper than the stores. Never eat out. Turn off gas in summer - hang dry clothing and deal with colder showers. Sell anything you haven't used in a year on craigslist. Get rid of cable (and TV) and internet at home. Charge cell phone at work. Stop dating. Offer to do oil changes and tire rotations in exchange for Subway.

Yes, I've done / am doing them all.

Yeah, it's a fun life.

[YarisSedan]

Originally Posted by SeaYa

Buy oatmeal and lentils in bulk. Buy as much as you can at a farmers market, always cheaper than the stores. Never eat out. Turn off gas in summer - hang dry clothing and deal with colder showers. Sell anything you haven't used in a year on craigslist. Get rid of cable (and TV) and internet at home. Charge cell phone at work. Stop dating. Offer to do oil changes and tire rotations in exchange for Subway.

Yes, I've done / am doing them all.

Yeah, it's a fun life.

LOL charging your cel phone at work instead of home how much electricity do you really save.

[SeaYa]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

LOL charging your cel phone at work instead of home how much electricity do you really save.

Haha, at only 5-6 full charges a month, not a lot..maybe 20 cents. It puts me one item closer to not needing electricity at home...(or towards needing one less outlet on the off-grid power system). Washer, freezer, stove.....but... be damned the day my guitar goes acoustic

BOT....Carpooling to work is another good way to save.

Simply put, modern convenience/comfort = $. Everyone has their own balance point.

[hatchbackkid82]

I started buy the stor brand cereals. I went shopping at giant and bought a box of Giant's honey nut o's for $1.00 when you compare it to honey nut cheerios that goes for $3-$4. It taste the same to me. Use there bonus cards to sometimes they have specials on there name brand stuff so you end up saving even more. Buy store brands instead of name brand when you can will save a lot more at the grocery store. Your money will go further if you do that. Take your lunch to work. Take a look at your cell phone bill and see if you can drop down to the next lower plan without incurring overage charges.

[BailOut]

It's interesting how living greener and living more frugally are often the same thing.

There are too many ways to go about this to fit into a single post so I'll just cover some of the easier changes here:

1) As has been mentioned, bicycle as much as you can, which will be more than you think you can do. While hypermiling would also be of great benefit to you the most efficient use of fuel is to not use it at all.

2) Drop your land line. Your cellular phone covers that need and usually offers free long distance. If you rely on it for Internet access look into one of the wireless or cable providers that is willing to do a free installation and offer a better monthly price.

3) Reuse everything you can. Print paper on both sides if you must print at all. Use your grocery bags over and over even if you don't have the cloth ones. Use the plastic bags from food packaging to store bulk items you buy at the store.

4) Become a power/gas/water conservationist. Turn off the lights when you leave a room for more than a few seconds. Turn off all power draining devices like televisions and computers at their power strip rather than at their own buttons. Rethink how you use power (Does that light really need to be on? Am I even listening to the television?). Take "Navy showers" where you get wet, turn the water off, soap up, turn the water on and rinse, etc. Run the dishwasher instead of hand washing, but make sure you do not let it start hot nor finish with a plate warmer. Do without a/c, instead opting for strategic use of open/closed windows and house fans. Do without heat when you can; bring out the extra blanket.

5) Change how you entertain yourself. An evening in the park watching a free concert costs close to nothing while a night of drinking takes both money and immediate health away from you. Other low cost activities include museums, festivals, local nature attractions like river walks, volunteering (you often get free shirts, food and swag) and matinee movies (sneak in your own drink and food, if you want them). Check your local newspaper's calendar and CraigsList for events, activities and volunteer opportunities.

6) As has been mentioned terminate your cable/satellite connection. Living without it is not as hard as you think, and if you're spending time outdoors and bicycling you will find you require much less in-home entertainment.

7) Learn to cook. Seriously. Eating organic costs quite a bit more than not but I can still throw together a healthy, scrumptious and filling dinner for 4 (and there are only 2 of us, so there's leftovers for lunches) for about $12. We typically cook on Saturdays, Sundays and Monday nights, then coast on leftovers for the rest of our busy week.

8) Try to not buy a single thing new except food, toiletries and underwear. Shop thrift stores, CraigsList, etc. for everything else you need or want, including that bicycle we've covered. Learn to shop smarter at the same time: Ask yourself if you really need that item you're pining for or if you simply want it, if it will be used frequently, if it will hold up to long term use, if it will still be in use in a year, etc.

9) If you have a yard, or access to an open space, start a garden. Food for the cost of seeds, a few hand tools and some water is about as cheap as it gets and it is still early enough in the season for you to see a lot of production before the first frost hits. Avoid places like Home Depot, instead opting for a local nursery where you are almost certain to get sound advice from folks that know your local climate. Buy the hand tools used.

10) If you are into gaming (which is a good way to not miss cable television at all) stop paying subscription fees and keeping up with hardware and such. Get yourself a used and loaded PS2 with lots of games from CraigsList. I got a slim model with 3 controllers, 13 games (including a lot of 4 and 5 star titles) and 2 memory cards for $150. The Final Fantasy game that came with is good for at least 60 hours of entertainment alone. Check out your local book store, Game Stop, etc. for the ability to trade in your games and to buy used ones. I got a game my wife wanted for the PS2 which originally retailed for $60 and had gone down to $30 post PS3 release for $8 used (and with a 1-month warranty). This allowed me to drop 2 EVE Online subscriptions, my wife to drop her WoW account, us both to drop our Cedega account and skip an impending round of desktop upgrades, meaning the used PS2 purchase paid for itself in just 3 months on saved subscription fees alone.

[Shroomster]

I work overtime. meh it's counterintuitive but it pays the bills.

also have a garden growing, keep the a/c at 78 while here 85 while away.

I know the hypermilers will eat me for this but I use cruise as much as possible in the car (commute to work is 23 miles and flat)

buy in bulk and run the food for the month bjs membership is around 50/year you can get a free trial for 2 months right now just google it.

sell what you can on craigslist or ebay (they have a free listing promo right now 5 items only)

put what you can or are willing to into some sort of interest bearing account and don't touch it.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

started making coffee at work and now save $2.09 a day instead of paying dunkin donuts. unplugged ANY device that wasn't in use and am contemplating getting rid of cable altogether and just start watching TV on the internet(HULU.com)

[BailOut]

Here's 2 more easy ones:

1) Get away from using disposable items in the kitchen. Use plastic containers to store food (both in and out of the fridge/freezer), real dishes and utensils, cover things in the microwave with a another dish, use linen napkins that can be washed (you can even make your own out of scrap materials), etc. This means you'll likely never need to buy napkins, paper towels, foils, plastic wraps or plastic bags again.

2) Don't wash your over clothes every time you wear them. While it is important to wash socks, underwear and undershirts after each use the same by no means applies to outer clothing unless it has become soiled. I have dry skin so I get 3-5 wearings of my polo shirts, shorts and pants and a good dozen or more wearings of my sweaters before they need to be laundered. Washing machines require lots of energy, not to mention water, so the fewer loads you do each month the better. As has been mentioned air drying costs nothing. If you still want to use a dryer get some of those reusable spiky ball things that you can use in the place of fabric softener so that you don't need to buy that stuff, either.

[Morgan]

Don't shop for food when you're hungry! Eating before can stop impulse buys and larger quantities. Of course, try to stick to that list you made!

[KCALB SIRAY]

I'm living my life as normal as I can. I am by no means well off, and I buy what I can, when I can. Using common sense keeps me in balance with today’s economy

[SIPNGAS]

I'm dumping cable for the summer to see how it goes. The girls will be with their dad the entire 3 months so it will be easy for me to go without and they'll just have to go along with it when they return. I plan my weekly meal menu around the sales and 2 very close grocery stores.

[jkuchta]

If there's a Trader Joe's nerby...use it. You'd be amazed how far $60 will go there!

[GeneW]

Keep in mind that saving money does not mean spending more time.

Riding a bike is swell unless you have a long commute, then the car makes more sense because your time is valuable. Figure out how much extra time it takes to commute with a bike and figure out if your time could be spent more wisely.

Any money saving tip must include an accounting of time. Saving a few bucks and wasting an hour is not a bargain.

If you cut out the cable don't replace it with commercial TV. Most Commercial TV programs are worse than staring at a wall. At least staring at a wall can build relaxation and focus skills.

See if you have a local library and use it. Great place to meet people.

Amazon.com offers a lot of "battered" and "used" text books. Catch up on your school skills, which will help you at work no matter what you do.

A lot of "classic" texts can be had for under twenty bucks a copy. I just purchased a thermodynamics text from Enrico Fermi and just shelved a copy of General Chemistry by Linus Pauling. Total bill is around forty bucks for texts written by Nobel Laureates. I'm buying books now before Obama or Fast Eddie slap sales taxes on online sales. I think it's gonna happen, alas.

A lot of businesses today use "old" software. I just picked up a copy of Microsoft .Net 5.0 for a pittance. I cannot use it for work since it's not registered there but I can master new skills at home and use it fairly. Computer books are often scams but "old" computer books can be had for cheap. I also have Bloodshed C++ and some other free development ware here. You don't have to pay to program if you don't want to do so.

Suggested courses - accounting, writing, coding, project management and leadership. Heck, anything you can imagine you can learn. A blog is a cheap way to learn to write clearly and is a good way to expose yourself to a public for future reference.

MIT OCW offers online courses that are world class. I bought texts for them and work along. It's a free college course for the asking. "Attend" the lecture, then taking your cheap as dirt dry erase board "lecture" the room and reinforce the lessons, taking notes from your text book.

If you have kids this kind of activity sets a good example for them and can help motivate them to learn harder. You can also teach them their own school work, perhaps better than a teacher who must educate, referee and act as a jail guard at the same time.

Food - buy grains and beans in bulk. I just bought fifty pounds of Quinoa for about $140.00 with shipping included. I cannot touch Quinoa in stores for under $3.00 a pound. Buy grains and beans and store them in glass containers. When you're done rinse them out and reuse them.

Food service places can sell you bulk for cheap. Anything you want, including gluten free flours, sugar or anything else except perishables. For that an indoor or outdoor garden can do the task.

When you buy the staples cheap and grow many of your own veggies you can afford to eat out for lunch. Cutting out meat from your diet will reduce your bad blood chemistry and save a huge amount of money. Same with dairy.

Cheap junk food can be baked at home, and if you multitask while its baking you can save a lot of time and money.

You like to drink? It's legal to brew your own beer or wine. Go for it.

Lots of ways to make good use of your time and money.

Gene

[GeneW]

One way I saved a lot of money was to buy an "Apartment" washing machine. I use cold water, wash judicious size loads and then hang them dry in the kitchen. I calculated that I'd pay for the thing in about nine months considering how expensive laundromat fees are these days, especially for dryers. In terms of convenience and saved time the thing paid for itself the first month.

I agree with Brian about pants, though not shirts. I eat too much garlic, onion and other aromatic foods to keep shirts more than one wearing.

A good coat of polish on shoes can detract from drab clothing and changes one's appearance. The process of putting a spit shine on boots or shoes has a Zen/Meditative effect which is calming. I often will touch up the finish at work while doing reports in the early afternoon after lunch. This behavior is ignored but the results speak for themselves. I have brown work shoes which look like dress shoes but which are safe for floor wear and which are reimbursed by my employer. It's like getting a free set of dress shoes, frequent meditation and can impress the right people all in one.

I use an old T-shift to shine them but have not tried to bleach wash it with the socks and towels to see if it can be reused. Sure hope so.

A bread maker is a great way to make bread to your specifications. The small size of the machine saves energy that would be squandered heating up an entire oven.

I also have a rice cooker, which will also cook most common grains. Again it saves energy. A food processor uses small amounts of energy and huge amounts of time.

I grew up in the 1970s when everyone turned down the thermostats, shut off lights and did without. Conservation of heat, light and water is quite natural to me.

Gebe

[TinyGiant]

my wife and i are in the same boat.

I find myself taking what little cash i have left and sometimes buying things on craigslists that i know i can resell on ebay for a profit. it helps too that we screen print from the house so at times i go around town trying to drum up business :)

we've also been eliminating things like i just traded my reef tank away .. probably going to save me 20 a month in electricity alone.

-no land line
-switched to a prepay phone service $50 a month for unlimited everything (txt,talk,web) saved us about 30-60 a month right there
-cheapest satelite plan on the tv (saved me 40 bux over local cable provider)
-internet we need cant really mess with that.
-making min payments on the credit cards right now or maybe $1 over
shopping 2-3 times a week rather than one large shop. Less food tends to get unused in the fridge if we shop on the way home and get what we need for a meal.
-Unplug the TV and other appliances when not using them ..pretty much anything that has an instant on feature
-we unloaded out jeep to get the yaris back in sept .. saves us a ton on gas.. but now we have a car payment.. lol i think car is a lose lose either way.. its either no payment and car fixing bills.. or car payment and no issues with the car.
-less going out to eat and more staying in and renting $1 movies from the store if we feel like seeing something new.
-unload toys you dont need.. i do that alot.
-watch craigslist for really good deals. you can make a good amount of money getting sturdy furniture and refinishing it and selling it at consignment shops or yardsales. Check the electronics section and compare CL asking price withe ebay completed listings. if there seems to be money to be made .. take the initiative and make some side money. there is also money to be made knowing what to buy at yardsales that will do well on ebay :)

be creative and keep your head up. dont be afraid to call the credit card companies and tell them that you are having some tough times and need some help reducing interest rates so that you can make good on your debt. I did that a while back and got a couple cards reduced from like 19% down to 5% or lower. if they dont want to help. hang up and call again until someone will help.