Cutting living expenses...

[Medusa]

Hmmmmmm.....cut $500 from my spending. That's insane....unless I quit drinking.

Interesting. I was thinking of increasing my alcohol intake. W/prices the way they are, I don't drink nearly enough!

[kuhio98]

How much does your cable TV, internet connection and cell phone bill come to each month?

Probably not $500, but those would be the things I would cut first.

[CathyBogart]

I just canceled my motorcycle insurance and I'm going to non-op it for awhile.

Oh, and I just got my tubes tied. Should save me LOTS of money in the long run!

[Medusa]

How much does your cable TV, internet connection and cell phone bill come to each month?

Probably not $500, but those would be the things I would cut first.

I suppose most people could do w/out cable TV but we need some type of entertainment; at least I do. The stuff on network TV is mostly reality shows now and who can bear that? Cell phone, sure. Internet, no. I need it for my business, as do a lot of people. Most of us could cut these things out but why should we? We work hard in order to pay for modern conveniences, then have to give them up? It's maddening.

[cassiesmom]

Well, it's just me and Cassie at our house, so I hope we wouldn't have to cut $500 per month. I didn't register for my annual summer singing 'gig' - 20 miles each way for 5 rehearsals and the concert, so I figure that will save around $10 a week in gas and tolls. I can't get rid of cable TV because if I do that, I'll have no reception at all. I could - and should - start bringing my lunch to work more. I've switched some of the light bulbs in my house to CFLs - I'm just changing them all over as the fluorescent bulbs burn out. I hope that will pay off eventually. Sorry, Hallmark, but I'm purchasing greeting cards at the Party Outlet, where they are either 49 or 99 cents. I need to have my auto insurance looked at again, too. My car has 73,000 miles (it's an '02 and I am hoping to get one more year out of it), so I'm sure it's over-insured.

[chocolatepuppy]

Ok, maybe I could cut $50. but that's it! We don't go out, I don't tan, don't get my hair done, (I cut mine and hubby's hair)don't have nails to get done because they're worn to the bone from work where I get very small pay raises every few years and my insurance just keep taking that.Oh and the one luxury we do have is our favorite pizza once a month, that just went up in price also. I guess I could cut back a bit on the $$$ I spend on my furkids and fish.

[Medusa]

We don't go out, I don't tan, don't get my hair done, (I cut mine and hubby's hair)don't have nails to get done

I consider these to be luxuries. Ok, maybe not the tanning and nails but hair? I can't even cut my own toenails (kidding). I can't imagine cutting my own hair. Some people are talented that way, I know, but I'm not one of them. I'm too bloody old to wear long hair. The people that I feel the most compassion for are the elderly and young people, especially those trying to raise a family. How in the world can they afford to take the kids to a ball game or an amusement park? Sure, we can always find things to do at home but life is meant to be LIVED WITH ENJOYMENT and that includes an occasional luxury and some good times where we're not always pinching pennies and having buyers' remorse because we splurged on a good meal or a new pair of shoes. Imagine the young teenager who's been looking forward to the day when s/he gets a drivers' license and asks the parents if s/he can take the car for the evening. Standard answer used to be "Make sure you fill the tank". How can the average teenager do that? Does s/he have an extra $50 or so for that plus the expense of dating? How can they afford the car insurance? I'm sorry to rant but it's just infuriating that we have to freeze in the winter, sweat in the summer, stay home because we can't afford to go anywhere and now that we're staying home, they want us to cut back on things that would ordinarily keep us sane until conditions improve!

[Laura's Babies]

Interesting answers so far.. I love this one!

Hmmmmmm.....cut $500 from my spending. That's insane....unless I quit drinking.

I already have went just about bare bones due to how I work. I only have basic cable and DSL light because of how much I am gone. I see no sense is having the best of the best since I think of it as me paying twice as much for the months I do use these services. My house phone is just plain Jane basic service too.

I have worked extra hard these last 5 or so years to get everything paid off so when I retire, I will be debt free and I been stashing everything I can into savings so I can get myself set up on private property like I want, porches for the kitties and me, a roof built over the house, ect..

Now, I am even wondering if I will be able to retire when I wanted to. I just find it odd that this is hitting just when it is time for us baby boomers to start retiring, God help the ones that already have! Our retirement will not have the "umph" we thought it would.

[kuhio98]

I suppose most people could do w/out cable TV but we need some type of entertainment; at least I do. The stuff on network TV is mostly reality shows now and who can bear that? Cell phone, sure. Internet, no. I need it for my business, as do a lot of people. Most of us could cut these things out but why should we? We work hard in order to pay for modern conveniences, then have to give them up? It's maddening.

Nobody's saying you should have to give them up. But, if it's a choice between feeding my kids/pets or entertainment, I'll choose to give up entertainment.

[Scooter's Mom]

At this point, with the price of gas where it is now, hubby and I are spending $600 a month just commuting. When we moved here 3 1/2 years ago, it was $250/$300 at the most. We're eating the bare minimum, neither of us get our hair done (Mine has not been cut in over a year), our only luxury is once a week we spend more than $5 on dinner. MY luxury is my blood pressure medication and my migraine medication - those are $55 a month.

I am looking to rehome Charlie and Jingle Belle, and Oreo too. No, I don't want to do it. I do want them to have the food and medical care they deserve in case something happens.

We can't sell our house. It's gone down $48,000 since we bought it. Thank you, housing market. Also, since we moved here, my husbands office has moved further away TWICE. His round trip drive is 105 miles a day. Mine is 90. However, if we carpool - which we do - it's 150.

Yes, we did this to ourselves - buying a house far from downtown Phoenix. We bought where we could afford to at the time. Never did we expect the housing market to crap out like it has.

Each night I go to bed shaking, just hoping something happens that is GOOD in life... money on the sidewalk, a long lost relative dies and leaves us in their will, something - anything.

I have to have the internet in order to go to school. Our basic cable is in our HOA fees. My water/sewer is $80+ a month - oh, and it's contaminated water. We can't drink it. Boiling it makes it worse. They recommend we don't even bathe in it...

I can't find an extra $10 to cut out, let alone $500.

[Cookiebaker]

Along the same lines, I cannot BELIEVE how expensive groceries are now! I used to pay $60 for a large grocery shopping that would last us about 2 weeks. For the same thing, it is now costing me $120+/- Unbelievable.

For example, to compare approximately one year ago until now:

Pasta: I used to pay $.33/pound. It now goes on sale for $1.00/pound
Half&Half: I used to pay $.79/pint. Now it is $1.69
Lettuce: Used to be $.99/head Now its $1.49/head
Milk: Used to be $1.99/gallon Now its 3.99 per gallon

I worry about the young single moms, the elderly, the people who already struggle to make ends meet. How in the world can we continue like this???

[Catty1]

Oh boy...wow...I don't drink or smoke; gee, the only area I could cut $$ is on gas for the car...I am doing that a bit by cutting down on outings to the city, unless it is for work (housecleaning).

I could also walk more in town...I used to do it all the time. Lazy now? I don't know what happened - though I use to work right in town so that part was easy.

I wish I could telecommute - work from home - but don't know if that would be feasible with my job.

[Karen]

We can't sell our house. It's gone down $48,000 since we bought it. Thank you, housing market. Also, since we moved here, my husbands office has moved further away TWICE. His round trip drive is 105 miles a day. Mine is 90. However, if we carpool - which we do - it's 150.

I hope, for your sake, that the housing market recovers in your area soon, and that you don't have to move. I love when "talking heads" say things like "cut $500 out of your monthly budget" when they have no idea what our monthly budgets even are, and where our money is being spent.

Would your husband's company agree to some sort of transportation pay, since they are the ones that moved the office, not you!

[Scooter's Mom]

I hope, for your sake, that the housing market recovers in your area soon, and that you don't have to move. I love when "talking heads" say things like "cut $500 out of your monthly budget" when they have no idea what our monthly budgets even are, and where our money is being spent.

Would your husband's company agree to some sort of transportation pay, since they are the ones that moved the office, not you!

Karen, unfortunately no. We've tried. We've also tried getting them to allow him to switch to either 4 10 hr shifts or work from home 1-2 days per week (It's possible, easily!) At the moment it is not possible.

My office would allow me to work 4 10-hr shifts, but with him not able to, it isn't feasible.

[Medusa]

Nobody's saying you should have to give them up. But, if it's a choice between feeding my kids/pets or entertainment, I'll choose to give up entertainment.

Well, of course!