What to give up

orangehills · August 2015

What have you given up to save money that you haven't found yourself missing? DH and I are probably buying a new house this fall, and we decided we aren't going to get cable again. Just use my brother's netflix account and get an antenna for basic news channels. It will save like $70 a month and hopefully help us to not be such slaves to the tv! I'm wondering what else we could get rid of, but there isn't a lot else that I can think of.

als1982 · August 2015

We have a pretty bare bones budget, and cut cable about 18 months ago. I don't miss it and neither does my sports fan husband. Also, I totaled a 2008 Jetta I bought new nearly four years ago and took the equity I had in it and bought a beater. I love not having a car payment and can't say I miss having a newer, nicer car one bit! Additionally, in the past I had my hair highlighted at a salon but switched a year ago to using $5 drugstore color. Again, don't miss this either and it saves more than $75 every six weeks!!

MommyLiberty5013 · August 2015

Ditto cable. We haven't had it for 7 or 8 years. Don't miss it at all. It's very freeing in so many ways not just financially.

Xstatic3333 · August 2015

Another vote for cable! I also gave up coloring my hair completely, and don't do manicures (except myself at home).

MommyLiberty5013 · August 2015

Oh, just thought of something. I used to pay for having my eyebrows waxed. For the past few years, I do my own with the Sally Hensen waxing kit. It comes with a wax melter and everything. The kit is $20. And, then you buy occasional wax refills.

blondie42107 · August 2015

Ditto cable. We dropped it about 2 years ago. We have a Roku (lots of free options on there), Hulu and Netflix.

We have a Keurig but rarely buy K-Cups. We use a reusable K-Cup and buy Biggby Best (huge bag at Sams for $12) that lasts a month or so.

simplyelise · August 2015

Currently enjoying cable because it's free along with internet with our rent, but it had been a few years of no cable before this apartment.

When I was single, I wasted a lot of money on movies in theaters and buying books instead of borrowing them from the library. I also spent a lot of money on makeup because it's what I would buy when I was bored. I think the only makeup I've bought since marriage is mascara. Definitely saving a lot of money with that change in habits. And we only do a movie very occasionally.

I never have used many professional services. I go to Cost Cutters for haircuts and that works just fine for the 2 times a year I get my hair cut. We buy generic on nearly everything - except toilet paper and honey nut cheerios because I can't deal with generics for those!. Never done professional waxing or hair coloring or nail work. I did have a massage envy membership before we got married, but I have pretty extensive back pain issues, so it was really helpful health-wise. But we still cut it when we decided to payoff debt.

We get a lot of pressure from friends to join cross fit ($150+/month) or another expensive gym in town ($40+/month). But we've kept our membership at the city rec center for $20/month and we go 2-4 times a week, so it's totally worth it for us.

DH gets coffee once a week with his men's church group, but it's $1.50 and he uses his blow money. We have date nights down to $50/month and any other eating out comes from our blow money ($60 each monthly).

The other big area for savings is cell phone/device plans. We each have a smartphone and share 3GB of data on a two year contract. It's not the most economical, but it's not that bad. Definitely an area for downsizing if you can't find another place to cut back.

vlagrl29 · August 2015

Cable for sure here too. We got rid of it 4 years ago. We had bought an HD antenna to mount on our roof so we still get about 20 ish channels over the airwaves for free. We don't miss the other channels.

Watching how much you eat out will save lots of money. I still like going out a couple times a week because I don't get out much - lol.

lbonga1 · August 2015

We don't have cable either; we just use a friend's Netflix account. He hangs out at our house often, so he doesn't mind. When we started budgeting, we cut back a lot on eating out. I think that's where a majority of our money was going. Cutting out Starbucks will help if that's a habit of yours, and you can do a Google search for fun free things to do in your area. I have kids, so we go to park and splash pads a lot, and picnics.

Mustard76 · August 2015

Eating out was our big thing. H and I don't see each other a lot with him traveling for work, so this is how we spend time together. We still fall into that trap sometimes, but not like we used to. Now we go out maybe once a month. We each also used to go out to lunch every day. Every. Day. Reigning that in has really helped us save some cash.

We haven't cancelled cable yet, but plan to do so when we move at the end of the month. I'll be fine without it, H is the one feeling uneasy about it.

The only things we don't buy store brand are pop, toothpaste, and tampons. I gave up drinking pop about 6 months ago. If I could get H to stop drinking it, we'd save some money and it would be healthier.

jessica490 · August 2015

We still have cable and I'd have a hard time getting rid of that. With the long cold winters, we need something to do inside...

H has a smartphone and I downgraded to a basic phone and I don't miss a smartphone at all and it saved us a lot of money. We have an Ipad so that makes up for it for me

You can cut gym memberships if you have them...there are other ways to stay healthy and fit

I learned to buzz H's hair from youtube and we save some good money there. I also get my haircut at Family Haircut where it costs $16 every 2-3 months and I am very happy with that. I also highlight my hair twice a year there for $70. I don't do any other girly things like getting my nails done etc...

I got rid of my of my car payment years ago and it's so nice not to have that payment. My car is 8 yrs old and it still looks/runs great!

hoffse · August 2015

Ha we added cable when we got a house. We've since rolled over to AT&T Uverse, and not going to lie - we both really like it.

When we bought the house a year ago we got a Y membership because we no longer had access to a free gym through our apartment. Since then a planet fitness opened up down the street, so we cancelled the Y and got a planet fitness membership. That's $20/month and well worth it. The Y was $70/month, and the gym actually wasn't as good.

We cook more than we used to because we bought a house with a bigger kitchen and better storage (and we have since remodeled to make it exactly what we wanted). We bought a grill that has also inspired more cooking during the warm months. Next year we plan to grow a few veggies because we spent a small fortune on fresh tomatoes this summer. Buying produce was still cheaper than eating out, but tomatoes grow like weeds around here so we're just going to grow our own next summer.

I will say that our spending hasn't decreased, but the categories have shifted. We used to spend a lot more on clothes than we did this past year. On the flip side we used to spend a lot less on home goods and nothing at all on lawn/garden stuff. We now go to Home Depot almost as often as Costco, and that never happened before owning a house. Actually, I didn't know where the Home Depot was before we bought the house, and I had lived here for two years prior to that.

We are able to buy more in bulk because we have a second fridge in our garage. We also actually have a place to store bulk dry goods, and we really didn't in our apartment. That has helped us save a lot of money. H and I are pretty in tune with Costco's sales, so we stock up on key things when they go on sale.

I've never really used pro services either - I've never dyed my hair or anything like that, and I tweeze my own eyebrows. I've paid for a massage exactly once in my life. I get a pedicare about once a year right before the summer starts.

I haven't really bought makeup recently, but I'll probably get some over Christmas with the Sephora sales. Makeup does expire, and I need to replace a couple things for that reason. Unfortunately I have pretty bad makeup allergies and there are only a few brands I've found that don't make me break out in a rash, so I'm stuck with $$$ makeup. In an effort to be more MM with it, I wait for the holiday sales and holiday palettes to come out, and I try to limit the amount and colors I buy to things I regularly use. I also ALWAYS shop for makeup through an online portal because I can usually get around 8-10% back on Sephora if I just time it right.

One thing I recently started doing is calling my doctor before going to fulfill my monthly prescription. I'm on a pretty $$$ BC because it's the only one I've tried (out of 5 or 6 kinds) that doesn't make me crazy. It's not covered by my insurance, and it would cost $110/month normally. Well my doctor apparently gets tons of samples of this stuff, so for the last 8 months I've just picked up free samples from her instead of paying for it! I do budget for it just in case she doesn't have any, but so far she's always come through for me.

CuriousKiddosMama · August 2015

Cable was a big one for us. We also have quit going out for coffee, we bought a keurig instead so that saves us a lot. (I buy the cups when they are on sale for about 33 cents each).
Another biggie for us was switching cell phone companies. We were with Verizon and our bill for 2 phones was about $150. We switched to net10 and our new bill is 90 a month for more data, and unlimited talk and text that we didn't have before. Quality has been about the same.

blondie42107 · August 2015

hoffse said:
Ha we added cable when we got a house. We've since rolled over to AT&T Uverse, and not going to lie - we both really like it.

When we bought the house a year ago we got a Y membership because we no longer had access to a free gym through our apartment. Since then a planet fitness opened up down the street, so we cancelled the Y and got a planet fitness membership. That's $20/month and well worth it. The Y was $70/month, and the gym actually wasn't as good.

We cook more than we used to because we bought a house with a bigger kitchen and better storage (and we have since remodeled to make it exactly what we wanted). We bought a grill that has also inspired more cooking during the warm months. Next year we plan to grow a few veggies because we spent a small fortune on fresh tomatoes this summer. Buying produce was still cheaper than eating out, but tomatoes grow like weeds around here so we're just going to grow our own next summer.

I will say that our spending hasn't decreased, but the categories have shifted. We used to spend a lot more on clothes than we did this past year. On the flip side we used to spend a lot less on home goods and nothing at all on lawn/garden stuff. We now go to Home Depot almost as often as Costco, and that never happened before owning a house. Actually, I didn't know where the Home Depot was before we bought the house, and I had lived here for two years prior to that.

We are able to buy more in bulk because we have a second fridge in our garage. We also actually have a place to store bulk dry goods, and we really didn't in our apartment. That has helped us save a lot of money. H and I are pretty in tune with Costco's sales, so we stock up on key things when they go on sale.

I've never really used pro services either - I've never dyed my hair or anything like that, and I tweeze my own eyebrows. I've paid for a massage exactly once in my life. I get a pedicare about once a year right before the summer starts.

I haven't really bought makeup recently, but I'll probably get some over Christmas with the Sephora sales. Makeup does expire, and I need to replace a couple things for that reason. Unfortunately I have pretty bad makeup allergies and there are only a few brands I've found that don't make me break out in a rash, so I'm stuck with $$$ makeup. In an effort to be more MM with it, I wait for the holiday sales and holiday palettes to come out, and I try to limit the amount and colors I buy to things I regularly use. I also ALWAYS shop for makeup through an online portal because I can usually get around 8-10% back on Sephora if I just time it right.

One thing I recently started doing is calling my doctor before going to fulfill my monthly prescription. I'm on a pretty $$$ BC because it's the only one I've tried (out of 5 or 6 kinds) that doesn't make me crazy. It's not covered by my insurance, and it would cost $110/month normally. Well my doctor apparently gets tons of samples of this stuff, so for the last 8 months I've just picked up free samples from her instead of paying for it! I do budget for it just in case she doesn't have any, but so far she's always come through for me.

My doctor gave me a six month supply of samples. Huge savings!

Xstatic3333 · August 2015

CuriousKiddosMama said:
Cable was a big one for us. We also have quit going out for coffee, we bought a keurig instead so that saves us a lot. (I buy the cups when they are on sale for about 33 cents each).
Another biggie for us was switching cell phone companies. We were with Verizon and our bill for 2 phones was about $150. We switched to net10 and our new bill is 90 a month for more data, and unlimited talk and text that we didn't have before. Quality has been about the same.

YES! Can't believe I forgot coffee. That was huge. We use a regular coffee maker and can buy really high-quality coffee while still saving a ton over DD.

I can't talk H into the really budget cell providers like Republuc Wireless, but we did save about $50 a month switching from Verizon to T-Mobile.

bparkhur · August 2015

Here Are some of my tips:

1. Tear up your sales ads if you get the paper. One trip to Target for some discounted hamburger buns can end up costing a $100. Often times, I see something in the Lowes, Home Depot, or Target ad and it "reminds" me that I want/"need" it. These are things that generally wouldn't be on your mind unless they were right in front of you.

2. Call all insurance companies and ask for a lower rate--Auto, Life, Home Owners, etc. See what happens.

3. Stay active. Sitting around on the computer leads to needless online purchases.

4. Buy used. Don't be afraid of Goodwill, Craiglist, and Garage Sales. This is especially important when you have a bright, shiny new house that you want to furnish with all the beautiful things from Target. I recently found school uniform shirts for .50 a piece at a yard sale in my neighborhood. They were in good condition and saved me $13 a piece (my six year old will destroy new shirts the first week of school anyway).

There's a great thread here that you might want to check it out. It's like 80 pages long with stuff people have done to save money:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-small-things-did-you-do-today-to-save-money/

hoffse · August 2015

I will add that learning some very basic sewing skills can save you a crapton of money with decor. I'm not good enough to sew clothes, but I can do curtains, throw pillows, and bed skirts. I got a pretty basic but decent quality sewing machine - maybe a $200 investment - and it's been good enough to help with these kinds of projects. It doesn't take long to learn how to work sales at JoAnn's or Hancock's. My city also has an incredible designer fabric store - it's actually one of the largest online fabric retailers, but their only physical store is just down the street from my office - and because I can sew these things myself I will occasionally buy a couple yards from that place if I want some higher quality fabric. Even with their prices it's cheaper to sew your own than buying pillow cases at a department store or whatever. They also run sales when they have an overstock in their warehouse, and I have scored some incredible fabric that way.

My mom has a friend who literally can't sew a straight line. She once spent $2K on custom curtains for a new house. Not saying you would do that, but.... you see where I'm going with this.

I also recommend learning some basic upholstery skills. One of my projects for the fall/winter is reupholstering the seats of our dining room chairs because they are stained from some law school parties.

brij2006 · August 2015

Another vote for cable. Don't miss it one bit. My H is a big sports fan, and loves his tv. But even now that our budget can be a lot looser, he has said he doesn't want it back.

Newer vehicles with payments. H drove a beater for a while, and my car is a large SUV but not the top end one. We have since upgraded his car for one that's still 10 years old, but not a beater. Don't regret it one bit. We're car people, but will never have a car payment again.

Eating out. It's amazing how much better we feel and how much money we save from not eating out randomly. Instead, we cook. Even if it's just simple quick meals or a frozen pizza. We eat at home or pack something to eat in the car on busy nights.

All used items for our DD. This has been a major savings. Like anything that says "baby" or "wedding" on it, you add 100% to the price because marketers know people will pay a premium to make sure their baby is safe or has the best. All of her clothes are 2nd hand or gifts, we cloth diaper (bought those used as well), and I did whatever it took (and still do) to breastfeed. Even though it was rough and still is now that I'm back at work. Formula would be much easier and convenient, but breastmilk is free. Only thing we've bought new was her car seats and stroller. Her entire bedroom outfit (crib, changing table/dresser, and glider) only cost us $50 from buying 2nd hand and getting the word out what we were still needing. You would be amazed at how many people just want rid of their baby items.

MommyLiberty5013 · August 2015

hoffse said:

I will add that learning some very basic sewing skills can save you a crapton of money with decor. I'm not good enough to sew clothes, but I can do curtains, throw pillows, and bed skirts. I got a pretty basic but decent quality sewing machine - maybe a $200 investment - and it's been good enough to help with these kinds of projects. It doesn't take long to learn how to work sales at JoAnn's or Hancock's. My city also has an incredible designer fabric store - it's actually one of the largest online fabric retailers, but their only physical store is just down the street from my office - and because I can sew these things myself I will occasionally buy a couple yards from that place if I want some higher quality fabric. Even with their prices it's cheaper to sew your own than buying pillow cases at a department store or whatever. They also run sales when they have an overstock in their warehouse, and I have scored some incredible fabric that way.

My mom has a friend who literally can't sew a straight line. She once spent $2K on custom curtains for a new house. Not saying you would do that, but.... you see where I'm going with this.

I also recommend learning some basic upholstery skills. One of my projects for the fall/winter is reupholstering the seats of our dining room chairs because they are stained from some law school parties.

YES! Two years ago, I bought a $20 Stanley heavy duty stapler and staples to go with it at Home Depot. Since then, I have recovered a piano bench, a hall bench, an arm chair and all 6 of our dining chairs. As long as you use thick material, you can use really any fabric for upholstery...my arm chair (that I bought for $25 on Craigslist), is recovered in a scrap of a Target drapery panel that cost me about $15.

I have also found that a super hot glue gun can work wonders on hemming up drapery panel bottoms. As long as your line is straight, you cannot tell that it's glued versus sewn.

Lastly, I hem a lot of clothing items for the kids and DH. Not just buttons...I have fixed hems and other things too. A family sewing kit is a good thing.

I also will take shoes to a cobbler for repairs if they are good, decent shoes and still are worth wearing (not completely worn out). Many times doing that is cheaper than buying a whole new pair, but it does depend on what the cobbler has to fix.

With YouTube these days, anybody will a bit of skill and some time, can do pretty much all repairs and projects. DH is self taught on tile work, building decks, building shelves, refinishing furniture, as well as plumbing and electrical work. Driveway repairs, landscaping, etc.. It has saved us a ton of money.

orangehills · August 2015

Yah, we don't have car payments. I have a gym membership that is $10 and that will probably go away once we move too since it'll be too far away. We buy used for a lot of stuff where we don't need better quality. We don't eat out much at all, or go out for coffee, and I use the library. I don't buy makeup or clothes often, or haircuts. It's just random purchases or social events where we do eat out that get high. Those I have to watch!! But I had no idea about the HD antenna- and just wish listed that on Amazon to remember it. I guess I could start making baby food too, that would help. And good idea about the sewing machine! I think once I have another house and space for one, I want to get one and re-learn so I can do stuff, especially as my kiddo gets older! And yes- my DH has learned a lot from youtube videos too. I have a feeling once we are in a new house, we'll have to really learn how to do lots from youtube!

bridejl · August 2015

I second learning from YouTube! My husband has learned a ton about home repairs from watching videos. Next we're going to install toilets ourselves instead of hiring a plumber (unless something goes majorly wrong lol!). That's a huge savings right there.

kelshaws1311 · August 2015

We cut cable around a year ago and switched to Netflix. We are sports fanatics but having the HD antenna has created wonders. Neither one of us miss cable at all and I do not plan to ever go back. In the summer we do a lot of free things with our kids. Movies in the park, picnics, playing at the park and splash pad. I found a water table for $7 two years ago, it was faded and beat up but 2 years later and it is the kids favorite thing to do. They can play with that for hours. We typically garage sale for everything. I buy generic everything except diapers and a few other things. The items I don't buy generic I always have a coupon or I don't buy them. When Jax was a baby we made all of his baby food because it was so much cheaper than buying the jars. Huge cost savings.

blondie42107 · August 2015

My H does all of our oil changes. Super easy! The repair shop that we use when H can't fix something on our vehicles, let's us dump the used oil in his drum at no cost.

strickland8052 · August 2015

I love this post!

I second the cheaper cell phone plan, cheaper car, and dropping cable. I've probably shaved $500 off our monthly expenses by doing these three things plus shopping around for insurance. Love the ideas about oil changes and hair cuts... I may have to try that!

Other things we do:

1. The dog gets her annual shots at a low cost vet clinic. It takes more thought, planning, waiting in line, but it is about half the price!

2. We don't buy each other gifts for birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc. We just make an effort to be extra sweet to one another and maybe go out to dinner.

3. I refuse to pay for exercise. I run outside when the weather is good and do free YouTube workout videos when the weather is not good.

csuave · August 2015

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

bparkhur · August 2015

csuave said:

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

I'm also giving up my Lean Cuisines this year. My plan is to make a big pot of rice and beans and bring some to work each day. VERY cheap!

Mustard76 · August 2015

bparkhur said:

csuave said:

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

I'm also giving up my Lean Cuisines this year. My plan is to make a big pot of rice and beans and bring some to work each day. VERY cheap!

There are a lot of things that I'm willing/happy to do for the sake of not spending needless money. Living on rice and beans when I don't have to is not one of those things. That's a whole new level of commitment to the cause!

orangehills · August 2015

Man, there really is a lot more I can give up or do better at!! I think my biggest thing is baby food. I can save a lot right there until she's into finger foods. I need to coupon more too and buy more generic and meal plan better!!

Xstatic3333 · August 2015

Mustard76 said:

bparkhur said:

csuave said:

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

I'm also giving up my Lean Cuisines this year. My plan is to make a big pot of rice and beans and bring some to work each day. VERY cheap!

There are a lot of things that I'm willing/happy to do for the sake of not spending needless money. Living on rice and beans when I don't have to is not one of those things. That's a whole new level of commitment to the cause!

This made me giggle. Anyone else find rice and beans really tasty? I make them nice and spicy and put cilantro in the rice. :-)

That said, I agree with your overall point. We skimp less on food to cook at home, but rarely go out so I think we end up ahead on food in the long run.

hoffse · August 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

csuave said:

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

I'm also giving up my Lean Cuisines this year. My plan is to make a big pot of rice and beans and bring some to work each day. VERY cheap!

There are a lot of things that I'm willing/happy to do for the sake of not spending needless money. Living on rice and beans when I don't have to is not one of those things. That's a whole new level of commitment to the cause!
This made me giggle. Anyone else find rice and beans really tasty? I make them nice and spicy and put cilantro in the rice. :-) That said, I agree with your overall point. We skimp less on food to cook at home, but rarely go out so I think we end up ahead on food in the long run.

**STUCK IN BOX***

I love red beans and rice, but H won't eat it. He was a student at Loyola New Orleans when Katrina hit 10 years ago, and the national guard pretty much fed them red beans and rice for a year. He just can't do it anymore.

We do splurge on good deli meat and cheese for sandwiches. It costs less than LCs or eating out, but yes - it's more than rice and beans. I don't regret that one bit though.

bridejl · August 2015

hoffse said:

Xstatic3333 said:

csuave said:

We don't have a lot to cut back on, at least that DH would be on board with but we have made the following adjustments lately.
1. DH has started using the library instead of buying books.
2. We go meatless at least one day a week for dinner. DH isn't a huge fan but since we both like Kraft Mac and Cheese we are having some good success.
3. We were eating Lean Cuisines most of the time for lunch. We are now doing PBJ instead. We might get tired of it later but for now it is working and we like it better than eating hot food anyway during the summer. This is probably saving us about $30-35 per week.
4. I guess I can also add that we have given up some of our privacy and schedule flexibility lately to make money on AirBnB. It is working out really well so having people in our house at times is worth giving up some of our privacy/alone time.

ETA #4

I'm also giving up my Lean Cuisines this year. My plan is to make a big pot of rice and beans and bring some to work each day. VERY cheap!

There are a lot of things that I'm willing/happy to do for the sake of not spending needless money. Living on rice and beans when I don't have to is not one of those things. That's a whole new level of commitment to the cause!
This made me giggle. Anyone else find rice and beans really tasty? I make them nice and spicy and put cilantro in the rice. :-) That said, I agree with your overall point. We skimp less on food to cook at home, but rarely go out so I think we end up ahead on food in the long run.

**STUCK IN BOX***

I love red beans and rice, but H won't eat it. He was a student at Loyola New Orleans when Katrina hit 10 years ago, and the national guard pretty much fed them red beans and rice for a year. He just can't do it anymore.

We do splurge on good deli meat and cheese for sandwiches. It costs less than LCs or eating out, but yes - it's more than rice and beans. I don't regret that one bit though.

H and I are also of the mindset that we'll spend a little more on qualify food (of course, depending on the item) because it'll help us eat out less. The thinking - if we have food at home that we don't want to eat, we'll go out. We still eat out way too much...but we've been improving a little bit. H is super picky about food quality, so this works for us.

What to give up

Re: What to give up

Choose Another Board

Search Boards