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....

Here is some info regarding the gasoline myths

Dispelling idling myths, Consumer Reports recently conducted vehicle testing and reported results in its June 2008 issue on the following myths:

Myth: It is better to let your vehicle idle than turn the engine off – turning the engine back on uses more fuel than idling.

Fact: Idling uses more fuel than turning off your engine and restarting it. As a rule of thumb, turn off your engine if you will be idling for more than 30 seconds. David Champion, Senior Director of Auto Testing for Consumer Reports, told the Alliance to Save Energy, "You should not turn your engine off at a traffic light. However, if you are stuck at a train crossing or bridge opening, and it is likely you are going to be parked for a number of minutes, you should turn off your engine."

Myth: You should warm up your vehicle in the morning before driving.

Fact: Engines warm up faster, and are more fuel-efficient, when on the road.



Myth: Warmer gasoline expands, while cooler gasoline is denser. Since gasoline is priced by the gallon, buying gas when ground temperatures are cooler means more BTUs per gallon.

Fact: According to Consumer Reports, the temperature of gasoline, as it is being pumped from underground tanks into your vehicle, changes very little, if any, during the course of the day. Any more gas you may obtain is negligible.

Myth or Fact? More gasoline is lost through evaporation when refueling in a 90° F state, compared to a state with temperatures in the 70° F range.

Fact: According to David Champion, Senior Director of Auto Testing for Consumer Reports, gas evaporation during refueling is least during the coolest times of the day. However, with modern fuel pumps, any loss is negligible. In the summer, a decrease in fuel-efficiency may be attributed to another source. According to the EPA in certain high-ozone areas, the EPA mandates the use of special reformulated gasoline (RFG) during the summer months. RFG causes a small decrease (1-3%) in a vehicle’s fuel economy compared to conventional gasoline. However, it is also less conducive to evaporation than regular gas.

Myth: Fill your tank when it is half full in order to minimize gas evaporation and loss.

Fact: According to API, technical changes to vehicle fuel systems have virtually eliminated fuel evaporation loss.

Myth or Fact? Park in the shade; heat from the sun will result in fuel evaporation and loss.

Fact: According to API, technical changes to vehicle fuel systems have virtually eliminated fuel evaporation loss. David Champion, Senior Director of Auto Testing for Consumer Reports, told the Alliance to Save Energy that a small amount of gas does evaporate from older vehicles (1974 or older). According to the EPA, avoid poorly fitted or missing gas caps to decrease evaporation loss.

Myth or Fact? Additives in gasoline affect mileage.

Fact: In general, gasoline additives can affect engine performance. According to API, deposit control additives, which are found in all gasoline by law, keep engines clean and make them run more efficiently. Deposits in carburetors or in fuel injectors, for example, can affect the engine’s overall air-fuel ratio as well as an individual cylinder air-fuel ratio, which in turn can affect fuel economy, emissions and drivability. Another example is reformulated or "summer-blend" gas, which is composed of oxygenated chemicals. According to the EPA, reformulated gas causes a 1-3% decrease in a vehicle’s fuel economy.

Myth: Buying premium gasoline improves mileage.

Fact: Premium gasoline contains higher octane grades. The octane number measures a fuel’s resistance to engine knocking or pinging – abnormal combustions that could damage the engine. According to Consumer Reports, most engines are designed for an octane rating of about 87 (regular gasoline); engine performance does not increase with a higher octane level than recommended. On the other hand, engines designed to run on premium gas can run on regular gas, without knocking, but with a decrease in fuel efficiency.

Myth: Fuel-saving devices increase fuel efficiency.

Fact: According to Consumer Reports, the fuel-saving devices they tested provided zero or negligible improvements in vehicle fuel economy.
Myth or Fact? Gas purchased in the summer can decrease a vehicle’s fuel economy.

Fact: According to the EPA, in certain high-ozone areas, the EPA mandates the use of special reformulated gasoline (RFG) during the summer months. In California, RFG is required year round. Reformulated gas causes a small decrease (1-3%) in vehicle fuel economy compared to conventional gas.

Bizi
I just turn off the power switch on the power strip, it stops the power, I wonder if that is OK? It has the phone line surge on it?

I just went around and hooked all the appliances to power strip to turn off at night thinking that was OK. Like the toaster, coffee pot, toaster oven, and where I charge the cell phones.

I have tried to put off the heat. I only used it Monday morning so far. Last year this week in North East we had 87* and 90* which was wild!

I am making basic week menue's, and increasing the servings to have a second meal. Made dh stop impulse buying and take a check what we have, use that up NOW!

I am going to reduce christmas big time.

Run the dryer and dishwasher during the night. I collect water in a basin and use it for the outdoor flowers.

I read the newspaper online. I sm not buying any new clothing, I have a coat I bought last year and everyone should be fine there. Maybe gloves and bedroom slippers, ours are beat.

So drop the temp in the house, bundle up. The cats are going to have to stop eating so they stop pooping

I am looking for anything I can sell at a year sale, the baby things can go. My baby, Katie is 13 friday the 10th. My oldest was 34 last week. She wanted books and a horse back ride.found both at a reduced price.

I have been using vinegar to wash water instead of buying cleaner. THe smell evaporates fast and great shinning and dirt cutter. Wash the mirrors, shower and appliances great.

I do a lot of soups and various chilies like a white chili with chicken, white beans. Stews, meatloafs with applesauce, we love rice, a huge bag from SAMs goes a year.

I watch for Kmart to have the bars of soap on sale, refill the hand pumps with liquid soap, it is always on sale. Buy bulk TP with a coupon and it is on sale. Today if we bought the bundle of TP and Paper towels, it was $10 off the next order.

With our AAA card a lot of stores give discount, I think it is 5 or 10% at Payless.

Oh,I needed a desk lamp and found a Mickey Mouse ears one with a bulb in it on 1/2 off day for $1.50 last week at Thrift store. Found a long Burgandy dress for dd to wear for a Renassaince event for $4.99. Gold trim for .25

I found a buy one get one free coupon on the Ziplock site for the huge storage bags. I need them for the summer laundry to put away. I needed tracfone minutes for dh, and on Ebay a buy it now promotion from microsoft had a 30% cash back discount @ live.com if you search for any item you are shopping for, there are many discounts, like Walmart, target, Best Buy and many offer free shipping too.

I am doing basics for Holiday meals, I still do not feel up to decorating....

I really hate to see winter come, i hate the lack of sunlight, the cold, bad roads, depression and pain.

Well that is my whine list.....I still haven;t found the elves and fairies to do the housework while I sleep, but sleep, what is that

So basically, Yard sale or Ebay some things, nothing new, take stock of what I have, soups and casseroles, unplug, and online comparing for any needs.
di

Di,

Your post reminded me that many folks are facing winter's arrival. I wonder if that is depressing or if it is kind of comforting to have the cycles of nature.

The only difference in weather we have is rainy season and dry season. Dry season does not have hurricanes.

You also remind me of the holidays.
Yuck. I really hate the holidays. I don't know why. They feel like work. They are annoying.

I'm glad I married someone who doesn't care about our holidays very much.

You sound like you have a good plan.
A good winter coat.
Not too many presents at Christmas.
Good luck.

Mari