Where are you cutting the Corners?

We have always lived on a very low income, so we are very frugal in our ways. 1. We have cut down on fresh fruits and vegetables and only buy in season. 2. We have put dark curtains up in our apartment. 3. My sons and I walk, walk, walk as we just cannot afford the school bus.

We have changed our eating habits....a lot!! And try to do less driving.

I've always lived on a very tight budget.

- I buy fresh and local produce. A healthy diet tends to mean lower health care related costs.

- I combine errands so that I don't have to make multiple trips.

- I eat primarily vegetarian meals.

we have cut are car insurance down to one car and i have canned alot to save on the food bill i use alot of coupons i havent mowed the lawn alot to save money on gas for the mower we do earends and all the running in one trip also i drive a suv if i would have known the gas prices would be this high i would have got a sub compact car oh you only ask for 3 oops

Taking lunch to school instead of buying it.

I am glad to hear that I am not alone. I did not think about trying to use more fruits and veggies to cut down on costs. Those are some great ideas everyone. I think we are going to have to cut the car insurance down too Rainne.

Hubby and I make a good living, but I have always been into couponing so I have kicked that up a notch. We aren't eating out as much because with a family of 5, that can be pricey. Ummm, I don't know, other than that, we really aren't making any changes.

I buy meat in bulk when it is on sale. I just bought 20 lb's of hamburger for $1.89 a pound. I do the same when I see chicken or porkchop's. I love porkchop's! =)

I have always had to cut corners

Thanks everyone for the good ideas.

I am used to budgeting so I haven't had to cut down much. I am working very hard to be debt free. I do not use a credit card. I have a couple I have paid off but will only use them in case of very bad emergency.

I try to drive less
I've turned off the a/c and opened the windows during the day (I won't leave them open at night)
I use coupons and shop sales.

stopping by to say "HI".

Eating out less
Turning down the AC (it's still warm here)
Using more coupons/ freebie deals
Stocking up on items when they are on sale
Chicken instead of steaks!!!

We are heating with wood this year instead of forced hot air (oil). Last year it cost us over $800.00 for one tank of oil, which could be used up in a very cold month. Last spring I bought enough wood to last the season for only $800.00 from a good neighbor. What a difference that will make. Also grow every veggie and fruit possible in my large gardens, which cuts down dramatically on the grocery bills in season. I'm driving a little bit out of my way to go to the gas station that offers money off for paying cash and for 10% ethanol - it is almost 20 cents per gallon cheaper!

I was larger loads of clothes instead of washing every day got a dish drainer and am doing a lot of dishes by hand ,useing less lighting and dressing in warmer clothes when the weather is cooler.

Thanks for posting to ~3,000 Here We Come!~

I bought a smaller bowl for the dawg... (she was getting fat anyway), I buy a small bag of better grade dry cat food and sneak it into the bottle the cat treats come in, they love it and nver know the difference.
I have beat and beat on the power bill here until it was $60 last month, and have yet to put the timer on the water heater, OR the NEW water heater I HAVE HAD AWHILE.

I have cut back on my trips to town drastically.

Cable WILL be the next to go, and then I'll be about ready to move into the Airstream.

Thanks for more ideas. I started washing dishes by hand, I thought that it would probably help too. I think that after this past week we are going to have to cut down even more. I am not sure what we are going to do.

We are eating out less and I cut back on shopping a long time ago. Christmas will be much simpler this year.

less driving, less spent at grocery store , its about all I can do

I buy alot of groceries on sale and use coupons when I have them. I shop at yard sales for alot of my kids clothes, since they grow so fast.

Okay - this will be the fourth thread I have posted these two sites on .

First off - FrugaVillage.com - go to their forums, read through the old threads, these people really know their stuff.

Second - Hillbilly Housewife.com She has recipes and menu plans that are unbelievably cheap - but believe it. These meals all well balanced and very thrifty.

Starting looking up other frugal websites. That's one of the things I do.


I cut my cable back to basic. Use my library for numerous things - explore yours. Called around and wound up saving 50% on my car insurance, do errands in a round trip. Try to only go out one or two times a week and try to be thoughtful about how I use things.



S

Wow Sharon those are some great tips! Thanks!

I haven't bought steak in a long time :-(

The biggest thing I've done to save lately is making lists. Being organized saves time and money. I make a weekly menu - first I go through what we already have in the kitchen and then when I go shopping I ONLY buy what is on the list! NO impulse buys! This way we don't have stuff sitting in the cabinets collecting dust too! So much cheaper to buy only what you need, and much less junk food in the house!

I agree with Amy O. Making a list cuts down on many unnessasary running around. I am more careful with what I throw away and I bought some of those green veggie saver bags...they are awesome. They really do keep your veggies fresh longer! I keep the bottled water in the fridge so the ice maker does not have to be used. I make sure the a/c filter is always changed when needed.

Buy a lunch sized Tupperware microvave container and set of 3 or 4 small Tupperware containers to put fruit in for your lunch. Make an extra portion of everything you fix for supper and take it for lunch the next day in you microwave container. Take a can of fruit and divide it among the small Tupperware containers. Have one for dessert at lunch, and one at breaktime for a snack. I want to scream every time I see a coworker with one of those tiny disposable plastic fruit containers. The fruit portion is so small, and that plastic container is going right to the landfill every day! The diffence in price between the can of fruit and the small portions of fruit in the disposable containers will pay for the cost of the Tupperware container in no time, and soon you will be way ahead as you reuse the container every day, and focus on filling that container with fruit every day. The new govt food pyramid suggests 2 cups of fruit each day, and 2 1/2 cups of veggies. Visit my website at my2.tupperware.com/lmosgrove for more info.

Now something I do is look for meats that I can get more then one meal out of. Like turkey. One day I will make it with stuffing and potatoes and the next day I will dice up what meat is left from it and mix it with cream of mushroom soup and have that on whole wheat bread. Han is another I get more then one meal out of. Make it whole one day and another day make a spread out of it and use it on whole wheat bread as another meal. Feeding 5 adults in this house, I cut where ever I can. And if you figure out what the original cost of the turkey and ham is, divide it by two, that is the price you are actually paying for it for two meals. Hope that made sense.

Now we have an Aldii store near us. I go there and by a LOT of items for side dishes such as noodle mixes and such. The prices there are low! Check the dollar stores. Sometimes they will have items (not always in stock) there that you can purchase for usually a buck an item in the freezer section (of those that have them) and you will be surprised at how much, over time you will save.

Like pancakes? Make them for a dinner! Spruce them up! Add things such as fruits, bacon, ham, turkey, whatever you can think of! Don't have maple syrup? Tale jelly and mix in karo syrup and make your own. Bacon and eggs are not just for breakfast anymore.
Make BLTs for a dinner.

Think of it this way! Anything you would eat at anyother time during a day, sit and wonder - How could I do this a little differently to make an evening meal and make it come alive!

Jazz things up and you may be surprised at what your imagination comes up with. How do you think the masters of cooking came up with dishes? Not all was written down.

Tortillas can be made into pizzas. Did you know that one?

(If there are any spelling mistakes in this post, sorry, was in a rush to get my thoughts down as fast as I could)

We try to drive less. any left overs we freeze and eat latter

Just letting you know your content has reached 25 comments and has therefore been removed from ~3,000 Here We Come!~

I havent been out for dinner in ages, which is something i really like to do, but it's not really in the budget at this time.