Good morning
and Happy Friday! And Happy Last Day of February, too!
With the way our economy is today, we sometimes don't know which end is up. And we're all trying to cut back and save a little here and there. So my question for you this morning is:
What do you to cut back a bit? How do you save money?
Rick and I both work and, so far, things are OK with us. We have no credit card debt; we pay the cards when the payment is due. We have three credit cards (one that Rick uses when he's traveling, one for both of us to use, and one that I use solely online. The one that I use online has a really low balance; that way, if anything happens, they won't be able to get that much).
We have a budget and we stick to that budget as closely as we can. Our budget includes everything: utilities, clothing, the cats' supplies and vets, medical expenses, etc. (For two years in a row, we went over the cat budget because, for two years in a row, a kitten came into the house. Said kitten needed shots, spayed and we didn't plan on that. But kittens happen sometimes.
When Muffin became part of the family, she was already spayed and had had her kitten shots, so we didn't have that to deal with. But she was on her own dry food and I never had the heart to change her to what the other kids were eating. So she still eats her separate dry food.)
Everything that we can save goes into retirement accounts.
We try not to eat in restaurants unless it's for a special occasion. I enjoy cooking and, for me, cooking is therapeutic, so I enjoy making dinner, baking bread, etc. Our son has often said that, if we had to, we could eat out of our freezer for a good six months or so. I buy the economy packages of food, then re-portion and freeze that way. I make my grocery list, check out my coupons, check out the kitchen and my "What's In the Freezers?" lists and we go for groceries.
I had my nails professionally done once in my life (a French manicure for my son's wedding)....and I wasn't impressed. I do my own nails. And if I could color my own hair, I would. But I make too much of a mess, so the salon is my monthly splurge. And no, I don't feel guilty about it at all. Maybe when I hit 80 or so, I won't worry so much about grey--or in my case, white--hair roots, but for now? Not going there.
We wash our own vehicles...no car wash. I've washed my cars for years; I don't mind it. And I do it at home. It's good exercise. (Rick will sometimes take his truck to the car wash, but I refuse.)
Love my local library. I also use ebooks and can always find something to read.
Rick loves his iced coffee, but he doesn't go to Starbucks; he found a couple k-cups that he loves to make his iced coffee with and he's happy with them. Often on a Saturday morning, I'll come up from the treadmill and Rick will be making his iced coffee.
All my change goes into a jar at home. When the jar is full, it goes into a savings account at the bank.
What about you? How do you cut back and try to save a bit of money? Do you have any good tips to share?
With the way our economy is today, we sometimes don't know which end is up. And we're all trying to cut back and save a little here and there. So my question for you this morning is:
What do you to cut back a bit? How do you save money?
Rick and I both work and, so far, things are OK with us. We have no credit card debt; we pay the cards when the payment is due. We have three credit cards (one that Rick uses when he's traveling, one for both of us to use, and one that I use solely online. The one that I use online has a really low balance; that way, if anything happens, they won't be able to get that much).
We have a budget and we stick to that budget as closely as we can. Our budget includes everything: utilities, clothing, the cats' supplies and vets, medical expenses, etc. (For two years in a row, we went over the cat budget because, for two years in a row, a kitten came into the house. Said kitten needed shots, spayed and we didn't plan on that. But kittens happen sometimes.
Everything that we can save goes into retirement accounts.
We try not to eat in restaurants unless it's for a special occasion. I enjoy cooking and, for me, cooking is therapeutic, so I enjoy making dinner, baking bread, etc. Our son has often said that, if we had to, we could eat out of our freezer for a good six months or so. I buy the economy packages of food, then re-portion and freeze that way. I make my grocery list, check out my coupons, check out the kitchen and my "What's In the Freezers?" lists and we go for groceries.
I had my nails professionally done once in my life (a French manicure for my son's wedding)....and I wasn't impressed. I do my own nails. And if I could color my own hair, I would. But I make too much of a mess, so the salon is my monthly splurge. And no, I don't feel guilty about it at all. Maybe when I hit 80 or so, I won't worry so much about grey--or in my case, white--hair roots, but for now? Not going there.
We wash our own vehicles...no car wash. I've washed my cars for years; I don't mind it. And I do it at home. It's good exercise. (Rick will sometimes take his truck to the car wash, but I refuse.)
Love my local library. I also use ebooks and can always find something to read.
Rick loves his iced coffee, but he doesn't go to Starbucks; he found a couple k-cups that he loves to make his iced coffee with and he's happy with them. Often on a Saturday morning, I'll come up from the treadmill and Rick will be making his iced coffee.
All my change goes into a jar at home. When the jar is full, it goes into a savings account at the bank.
What about you? How do you cut back and try to save a bit of money? Do you have any good tips to share?
and I put about twenty bucks in there each week. I am still very stingy using my cash stash, though. I hide it in the house and even Larry doesn't know where it is. He asks from time to time - "SO - how much do you have hidden away????!!!!" We are both on the same page as far as spending goes which helps a lot. Even our dinners out - we use coupons or share meals. We like to go out on the weekends but not over spend at restaurants.
