Dear friends,
I am starting to really freak out about the economy.
Now is the time to really cut back and save money.
I was jsut thinking about how would we live on one income.
I am gong to talk to hubby about this....with my mental issues, we could be faced with this reality at any time, especially thinking about this just having that car accident.
I hope we can share ideas here....
We jsut paid off our credit card debt and I was gong to start contributing to my long lost IRA that is dwindling like the rest of the country....so am unsure what to do with this, maybe a money market account instead?
They say it is actually a good time to invest in the market when it is down....scares me.

What one thing can you cut back on today to save money?
I listened to Oprah today while at a clients house and they said that we should unplug electronic things that we are not using...this saves electricity even though the item is off, it still uses electricity.

Is it safe to unplug the power strip of the computer when we are not using it?...we watch about 2 hours of tv/vcr/dvd player at night so if we unplugged it for 22 hours a day that has to save some money.
turning down our air conditioning during the day while we are working is a
no brainer...I always turn down the air when I first get up....we like it cool at night, but maybe it doesn't have to be that cool.
Help me out with your tips.
thanks
bizi

Well, we get bargin meat when possible, you know the stuff, the manager's special, usually 25% off or more because it's on its last days of being sale-able. We freeze what we're not going to eat and you have to watch the meat labels, get a rhythm going so you know when they are going to mark down the meat.

Hit up the food banks for extra food, they usually give out mac and cheese and rice, and other staples, so if you're income is low enough to qualify for the help don't be ashamed to get it and use it. Carpooling is another way to save money.

If I can come up with any others I'll post them, good idea bizi. It's important to consider our expenses and how we can get the most for our money.

I was going to suggest getting ridof our land line phone but we have dsl that requires the phone line.
WE don't have cable so that is one area others could conserve.
WE spend alot of money on food.
alot!
How is it possible to eat fresh fruits and vegatables and not spend alot of money?
bizi

Hi all...
I received this from a friend at work and wanted to share, it fits perfectly with this post..(even though gas seems to be coming down a bit now)
TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
It's a letter that came from a lady who works at Kinder Morgan Popeline in San Jose, CA
She suggests:
1. Only buy or fill up your car early in the morning when the ground temp is still cold. With the storage tanks below ground, the colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline. This is the "specific gravity" of the fuel. If you buy a gallon of gas in the afternoon when the ground is warmer, the gasoline has expanded, so a gallon really isn't quite a gallon.
2. When filling up, don't squeeze the trigger to fast mode, instead pump at low speed. This minimizes the vapors produced with pumping, and the gas you pump into your tank will remain gas, not turn into vapor, where is is resorbed back into the hose. You will actually get more worth for you money.
3. Fill up when your tank is half full. Gasoline evaporates very fast, even the storage tanks have floating roofs internally to minimize the air clearance and decrease evaporation. The more gas in your tank, the less air occupying the space, and the less evaporation.
4. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks at the gas station, don't fill up. The gasoline is being stirred up and you might pick up sediment from the bottom.
I found this interesting and sesible. Hope it helps. In these times, every penny counts!!

Keli

I do a lot of canning and gardening. We grow rows and rows of veggies (I have whats called a veggiewall in my backyard. I have stuff planted in the ground, and then I have wooden planters hanging over the garden that also grows veggies. same amount of ground space used but I get twice as much produce. Its extremely cheap to do. I also have raspberry and blueberry bushes growing around the whole exterior of my backyard. It makes awesome jams.

Also, the majority of people around here that have fruit trees just let the fruit fall to the ground instead of using it. I have about 20 family's that I knocked on the doors and asked if we could pick it. They really appriciate my herd and I going and picking the fruit for them and then we can it!

Honestly, I have about a 2-year food storage in our pantry. We also watch the case sales at the grocery stores and we will buy a bunch of non perishables. (rice, soups, mac and cheese, ect.) In fact I just went to one a few weeks ago that had cases of 24 boxes of mac and cheese for $2.99, and cases of 24-soups for $6.00. I bought 6 flats of each. (tomato, chicken and rice, and cream of mushroom)

Food is really expensive and the experts are predicting its going to get a whole lot worse.

Hi,
In my area, people spend fortunes on going on to eat. Even people who have no money eat out a lot.

Hubby and I rarely go out because he likes to cook.

But occassionally I remind myself to cut down on convenience food: ready made stuff in the grocery store, take out, . . .

I would keep the powerstrip for the computer and any explensive appliance (TV?) plugged in 24 hours.
But I could start unplugging the old tv, the recharger for the phone . .

I read in the the newspapers here that frozen veggies are BETTER than fresh because they are flash frozen as soon as they are picked. The "fresh" veggies that we buy are not really fresh. They have been sitting around forever.

Sometimes I buy whatever fruit is on sale that week. If is peaches, I buy peaches, . . . for example.
I do the same thing with the A/C -- keep it cool at night and warmer when we are up or out of the place.
Sleep is crucial.
Do what helps you sleep right.


How about water?
Do you do things to save on your water bill?

Do you try to conserve electric and water when you do laundry?
Hubby seems to go through three outfits a day sometimes.

Most people can save money by eating vegetarian a few nights a week -- make dishes with beans instead of meat or example.
Mari

yes ...rice and beans are inexpensive staples....
thank you for the reminder about the frozen veggies!
and I forgot about my cell phone charger yes mine is plugged in all the time and i just discovered very hot air fresheners that were empty!..they are in the trash now and I think they are a fire hazard too.. I found a clock that did not work that has been on giving the wrong time for years! in the trash.
bizi
running full loads of laundry on short cycles and the same for the dishwasher, short cycle. Turn down the water heater....