<p>I was just wondering if people were doing things differently. I know I am being very careful over discretionary spending. As much as I hate to cook, I am even doing it regularly, rather than take out or dinner out. What’s up with all of you?</p>
<p>We did not buy a car, that was in plans. We rarely went out or to the movies before - no change I just stopped shopping for clothe, just wear what’s in a closet, which is tons anyway. Why I ever shop for clothe? Now it seems such a waste of time / money / gas. I just realize what a relief it is not to do it. Do not need to reorganize closet, drag bags to salvation army, so forth… If I can only convince my 19 years old D. to do the same!</p>
<p>You are right about the clothes. My family actually laughs at me because I don’t get new things. I haven’t for some years.</p>
<p>I have seriously curtailed my spending, which is a dark day for the economy. I considered myself (me, personally- no others need be included :)) to be the “heavy half” that you learn about in marketing class.</p>
<p>I, too, look back on horror on what I spent on clothes, makeup, jewelry, books, music etc. I have more than ten people need, and I have put on the brakes.</p>
<p>I am serious when I say that this is a huge indicator of the situation our country is in.</p>
<p>I already was the world’s worst consumer of ‘stuff’</p>
<p>It’s hard to cut back on what you already don’t do (movies, eating out, shopping).</p>
<p>I’m with Sue on this one. The economy isn’t suffering because of me, I don’t buy anyway. I do have an unusual problem that i’m sure some won’t sympathize with though. I am in dire need of some new clothes - mostly pants/skirts for work. Since last April, I’ve lost about 12 pounds from the waist down (and to make is worse I was only a 6 to start), but now ALL the bottom halves of my clothes are too big around the waist/thighs. So I’ll have to do a little shopping somehow. </p>
<p>The good news is my underemployed for 3 years now H just found a much needed full time salaried job with decent benefits and a company vehicle. The bad news is it’s in another city so we’ll have some dual household expenses. I won’t be relocating because my job here (24 years & counting) is too good to replace (especially in this economy) AND my mom (and her 90 year old sister) live here and I need to stay close. Fortunately H will now be much closer to college junior D so I’ll actually get to visit her on campus, which I rarely do even though it’s only 4 hours away.</p>
<p>I’ll remain very conservative about money though. I’d like to replace some of the savings we’ve been supplementing with and maybe pay back D’s small Perkins loans because she’ll have such huge medical school loans to look forward to soon!</p>
<p>We are extremely lucky to have a secure income in this economy. We are still cutting back as expenses seem to keep going up. I am buying less. I have cut back on unneccessary spending. Few new clothes for any family member. The discussions with the kids between wants and needs.
We would eat out a few nights a week whether dining out or picking up something on the way home. I have actually resorted to making a grocery list and buying for several days at a time. Less trips to the grocery store means savings on items we just don’t need. Also looking more at prices.
We buy lots of books and I am considering going back to the library. Have started visiting the used bookstore.
My youngest has a very expensive EC. We have not cut her back but have thought about it. We have asked her to work a few hours a month to help with some of the expense. Really her earnings are just a drop in the bucket but feel it is good for her to contribute.
I live in a affluent area and many of my friends who live extremely comfortably have been cutting back on spending.</p>
<p>Maysixxmom,
Kudos for losing weight! It does not sound like you needed it anyway. I just wish that I am 6, as most of us I imagine! Well, anyway, my H is in a process also. I looked at some of his pants that are too big now (18 pounds so far), and I can take some of them in at the waist. Just thought that you migth consider the same, it depends how much time you have. We are empty nested. I used to spent a lot of time after work with my D. (college sophmore now). I have fixed a lot of clothe lately with all the time that I have in a evening.</p>
<p>We are bringing only D home for Thanksgiving. Boys are both in grad school and busy, so we had planned to meet in NYC or DC for their sakes, but it is too expensive to travel. So they will probably meet up themselves (there is a fairly inexpensive bus that goes between), and D will come here. (Her campus does not stay open, so she has to leave.) I’m really sad about it. We have agreed to fly everyone home for Christmas, though.</p>
<p>My H saved money by not getting me a birthday present. :(</p>
<p>S2 will prob. share a ride home for Thanksgivng, either driving his truck with a friend kicking in for gas or vice versa. He is four hours from home which isn’t that bad until you think about returning home in less than two weeks for Christmas break.</p>
<p>S1 has not decided if he’s coming or not. He is closer than S2 (3 hours) but will be unable to carpool because he has to go back early to work over the weekend. S1 hates to see so much $ go in his gas tank for such a quick trip.
Both S’s have full size trucks that are really thirsty. Even with lower gas prices, it’s not a cheap trip.
Binx, I can top you…my husband got me nothing for Christmas last year and for my birthday this summer took me to a garden shop to pick ut something for the yard as my gift! On wait…maybe this belongs on the Husband Vent thread,lol</p>
<p>“now ALL the bottom halves of my clothes are too big around the waist/thighs”</p>
<p>My mom’s in the same boat! She lost around 50 pounds, bought new clothes, and now the new clothes are falling off of her. :)</p>
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<p>What?! YOu don’t buy yourself a present and give it to the rest of the family to wrap!</p>
<p>I am actually eating the leftovers out of my frig instead of forgetting about them and throwing them out when they get moldy. It saves money in that I stay home to eat instead of eating out (which is the expensive part).</p>
<p>We are definitely trying to plan our road trips so that we use only one car and combine lots of errands into one trip. We started that though when gas prices went up and have just continued it. We also are eating leftovers (and I hate eating them since i grew up with them). We did do a shopping trip this weekend (everyone needed shoes), but went to an outlet mall and bargain shopped.</p>
<p>I love this thread! I went from being underemployed AND overstressed at a job I hated to being unemployed and playing the frugal housewife. My D, a senior in HS, is thrilled to have mom at home- but mom is having a hard time adjusting to being at home. Job market is terrible (as if that was news to anyone) – but on the plus side, our house is neat and organized; meals are served, not purchased at a window or in styrofoam containers, and I’m much more relaxed! Strangely, we’re all happy doing more with less, as if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>In the last month, our business has been slow and we are worried about it.</p>
<p>I have taken several steps to get rid of frivolous things we clearly can live without.
I have cut down our cable ( used to have some premium channels with multi-channel boxes in 3 places ) I also cut a second phone line that we had for when I needed to work from home )</p>
<p>I no longer drive my own car…I took it off the road to save insurance and gas. With my two older girls away at college, no point of paying for vehicles that are not being used. Car insurance is pricey in NJ, particularly if there are young drivers. I am now driving daughter 1’s little Scion instead of my Landcruiser.
We skipped our vacation plans.
I have also not turned on the heat on the second floor. So far, we don’t seem to need it.
I am hoping that after the election, people start spending some money again.</p>
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<p>I am thinking, if all of us cut our spending drastically, won’t it even make the economy worse ? </p>
<p>I always lived pretty frugally and do most of the stuff mentioned here to save. We actually started getting more relaxed about spending this year. Recently we bought some electronics that we don’t need but want. We bought a Wii yesterday on sale, the very last one available. </p>
<p>We also bought an Acer Aspire One last month, it is a popular item and sold out at different places. I guess there are still people buying out there.</p>
<p>Yes, it will make the economy worse, but who can chance loose spending right now with all the layoffs and businesses failing? Not to mention the lowered value of our retirement accounts… That’s the dilemma- we need people to spend to support businesses but no one wants to take the chance.</p>
<p>Thus far my family is fortunate in not having been affected in a big way. We had thought of going to the UK to visit our daughter this fall but have dropped those plans. I have cut back a few things that I should have done years ago - the extra phone line, the highest level of cable, small stuff but it adds up. </p>
<p>We are waiting to see where/if our D gets into med school and where she will be living next year. If she is in a city we will happily get rid of a car.</p>
<p>A friend of ours who runs an upscale local restaurant told us, not surprisingly, that business has fallen way off. He also said (and this was mentioned in the NYTimes in regard to restaurants there) that many companies who have done so in the past are not planning holiday parties this year. Some of this cutting back is no doubt illusion - it is not seemly to live high on the hog during times like these - but much of it is real. </p>
<p>So many of my friends are in the midst of covering college tuitions that money was not thrown around in a big way before this mess. The western Philadelphia suburbs are pretty comfortable as suburban areas go and there are pockets of people living in a big-time way. I assume that some of them were living on the edge fiscally. Perhaps there will be some empty mansions before this is all over. I can already see that people are not spending as much and the businesses affected by this new frugality will not be able to stay afloat for very long.</p>
<p>^ In Michigan, gas stations are closing. Less customers means less profit from in-store items and they cannot make it on gas alone.</p>
<p>We are all talking about cuts we have made for ourselves.
Have any of us had our children cut back on some of their EC activities due to cost? Or are our children not bearing as much of the burden of this financial crisis?</p>