The following is a guest post from Joy of Vim and Vigor:
Whether you are a mom of one or of seven, whether you hare just married, or whether you are single, the demands of life are many. You know the old saying, “A woman’s work is never done.” That is so true!
Amidst the meal planning, dishes, work schedules, cleaning up of spills, errands, and laundry, we are real women with real needs–spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If these areas are being neglected in our lives, it affects us as woman and those around us.
Crystal has been such an inspiration to me in setting goals and accomplishing them. Seeing her lists of books to read, projects she wants to try, and also her monthly financial goals has been very motivating for me. I especially like how she doesn’t overload herself. Instead, her goals are doable.
One tangible way Crystal inspired me was to write down a budget for our family. To be honest, it was one of the most freeing things I’ve ever done. I think less about money now, because I know how much I can spend in each area of our lives. I don’t have to wonder, “Do we have enough money in the bank to cover this check?”
Creating a budget was like getting a raise: we can save so much more since we now know how much we can spend! And one goal I have regarding our budget for the New Year is to look at each category and see how I can spend less.
Here are some of the ways I am cutting back:
Clothing:
I have decided (for the time being) to only shop for myself at re-sale shops and rummage sales.
Cosmetics:
I have replaced my expensive, high-dollar face cream, and instead have started using a baking soda and water exfoliate. I’m also using avocado oil on my face, which is an inexpensive, natural and superior moisturizer. I now wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with vinegar. It cleans my hair, instead of stripping it, and it works wonderfully!
Beverages:
I had was in the habit of keeping a variety of store bought drinks at home–pop, juices, coffee, etc. However, I’ve decided we can easily save hundreds of dollars per year by choosing to drink water and milk. Juice is now a treat, and purchased only when on sale.
Eating Out:
One way we can save a ton of money is by setting a budget for eating out–and then sticking to it! If we go over budget in this area, I really feel it is my own doing.
I am the one in charge of meal planning, and I am now trying to have a few “fast food” meals handy in the freezer for those nights I don’t want to cook. (Crystal talks a lot about freezer cooking, which has been so helpful for me.)
It really is the little things that can make or break a budget. And as we approach another New Year, I hope this will be a springboard to help you think of a few areas where you too can cut back, so you can do more with your budget, and bless your family in this way.
Have you recently cut anything out of your budget?
Joy is a 33-year-old homeschooling mama to six kids. She is married to her wonderful husband, who lovingly looks past all her faults, and loves her for the wife, mama, and child of God she is striving to be. Through the trials and triumphs of marriage, having a large family, and living as naturally as possible on a budget, God is in the midst of it all. You can read about all the journeys Christ has been bringing this family through, and to be encouraged in your mothering on Joy’s blog.
Emily Brown | Taycor says
I’ve recently been helping my brother start his small construction business and realize that cutting back on the little things really can add up and help especially when it comes down to us buying his needed equipment.
Bethany says
Haircuts. I’ve gone for a style that looks good when I let it grow for a while. Instead of every month going for a cut, I go every 3 or 4 months.
Heather Abbott says
Does anyone have any suggestions for a reasonable eating out budget? I’m great at the beginning of the month, organizing meals and making sure we stay within reason on the grocery budget, but then seem to peeter out by the end of the month, allowing for more and more “allowances”. We have two boys, trying to set something reasonable without being overly restrictive. Help.
Maddy Han says
I use sesame oil instead of avocado oil, which is not only cheaper, but has the added bonuses of being an anti-bacterial (e.g. pimples) and a natural sunscreen.
Kate B says
Wow, I LOVE these ideas ladies! Especially the give up one thing per month idea. That is so much easier to do!
Now I will have to make a list….I think I will start with replacing my diet coke with water-DC is a huge vice of mine 🙁
We gave up cable, and our land line last year about this time. I purchased a Boxee Box to stream Netflix through.
I don’t miss cable most of the time. If I desparate to watch something, I can go visit at my Mom’s. My daughter watches her couple of shows on Hulu, on her laptop.
We also have the Virgin Mobile android “smart” phones that are 25 dollars per month with unlimited web/text and 300 talk minutes. I didn’t think I would love texting, but have to say it does serve a purpose most of the time. According to my fifteen year old “kids don’t call anyone, they text!” *melodramatic eye roll*
Just doing a few changes with our “electronics” like that saved me over $1000 dollars per year. Our local cable company sends me a ton of junk mail trying to get me to “bundle” up again.
I also don’t purchase anything to wear without buying it at Good Will (preferably on the $1.49 day) or the Target Clearance 75% (actually now it is 70%) off rack.
I have also learned to re-purpose if possible, or put the word out to friends. Sometimes their trash is your treasure, or vice versa.
This was an informative and fun post!
Marie says
We haven’t had cable in 7 years of marriage and we’ve never missed it. I find it hard to make time to watch one or two shows I would enjoy.
My goal is to eat through my stockpile and freezer and only need to buy fruits and veggies (at Aldi’s, weekly specials) and milk and bread. And I’ve even going to attempt making bread. I’ve wanted to for awhile but have a fear of using yeast! Not a fear of the yeast but a fear because I don’t know what I’m doing!!! I borrowed a friends bread machine once and it sat on my counter for weeks and I never used it. The point was to use it to see if I liked it enough to get one. Well, because of my fear and feeling overwhelmed by the process it never happened. I also don’t need to buy any health or beauty or cleaning items. I want to see how far into 2012 I can go before actually having to spend any money.
I am hoping 2012 will be a year for more D-I-Y projects and more cooking ahead. Thanks for all the inspiration from your site and readers!!
Megan says
Where do you get the avocado oil from? What kind of vinegar do you use to rinse your hair? Does it leave a strong odor? Also, how do you wash your hair with baking soda? Do you just mix enough water with it to make a paste? Sorry I’m new to this but very interested!
Joy Y. says
Hi Megan,
Well, I get my avocado oil at a local natural health shop, but you can find the NOW brand that I like on amazon.com, and probably vitacost.com as well. I use apple cider vinegar to rinse my hair….I use about 2 Tablespoons of vinegar in a cup of hot water (I like it warm as I pour it over my head in the shower)…..and it doesn’t leave an odor. You can rinse this out if you like, but I don’t. You can play with the proportions of water and vinegar…..but the odor would be stronger the more vinegar you use, obviously.
As far as the soda goes….I mix the same proportion…about 2 Tablespoons in a cup of hot water…and shake it well to dilute. I pour over my head in the shower, and scrub well. It won’t be sudsy at all of course, but you want to work it all over the scalp. It doesn’t strip your hair of natural oils, as shampoos do, and it just feels so clean, but not stripped bare. It really is wonderful.
You will have to play with these proportions, and see what works best for your hair type. I have blonde, somewhat fine hair with a bit of wave.
Hope this helps! If you have questions, head over to the blog and leave a comment there, or e-mail me through there.
Blessings,
Joy~
http://www.vimandvigor.typepad.com
CJ says
I have decided to delay or do without 2 things I thought I’d have to spend more money on this year. I recently bought a laptop and only have dial up at home so was going to have high speed internet installed. I’ve since decided to just use free wi-fi a couple times a week at locations near my house. I also was planning to have to have cable DVR service installed in my home, but have since gotten an old VCR from a co-worker that works great to record the few shows I need to. These 2 minor “sacrifices” will save me a lot of money this year!
Tammy says
I disconnected my cable TV. I no longer have that one my bill. I can no longer watch TV, but I found that I can watch some of my favorite TV shows on Netflix (for $9/month) or on the TV station’s website (for free)!
Jen Hasseld says
1. I’m not buying anything for myself for three months. I could set it for six, but I know how I am. :o)
2. We’ve cut out all our “fun” categories from our budget (date night, family fun, etc.) for a bit and only “splurging” when my husband has an OT check.
3. I just bought a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s and that, along with vinegar, will be my only cleaning supplies. At this rate, the bottle will last years!
4. I do the oil cleansing method for my face wash, and honey and baking soda for my microderm-cheap!
Jen Hasseld says
I am challenging myself not to buy anything for three months. I’d do six, but I know me. :o) I also bought a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, and I’m using that instead of purchasing a bunch of random cleaning supplies.
B says
We have been cable free for over a year now and do not regret it! We spend more time together as a family, have saved money, and really focused more on the goals we want to accomplish. It was truly a time waster for us and we have done a great job at focusing that time for personal and professional goals.
Since giving up cable, I have completed 4 half marathons and training for my 5th. I am an average person and not a gifted runner. One of my goals for this year is to improve my fitness. To help me on this goal, I have created a website called http://www.momsfitnesstoday.com where we are just starting an 8 week fitness challenge to get motivated for this new year. Best of all, the tips I plan to provide won’t cost you much if anything.
Ginger M. says
I have taken a 6-month challenge to buy nothing other than food for myself and pets and car maintenance/repairs (if needed). I will not suffer if I don’t buy more clothes, books, DVDs, or makeup for 6 months. Due to my couponing, I have deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc., stockpiled. It’s day 2, and I haven’t died of deprivation yet! I am saving my money for the down payment on a 4-plex, of which I will be living in one of the units.
Sandra Lee says
Good for you! I too, have to streamline and was giving thought to whether or not I could go for 1 year with nothing extra. Would I really miss some of the extras or would I come to value them more. Good luck!
michelle says
I think we will start with pop and juice this month. We will be a juice and water only family. And since are water is included in our rent the is totally free and I price match my milk at aldi’s for 1.99 a gallon. So we will be spending about $24 a month for drinks. Not that we spent alot to begin with we will only be saving about $40 a month but some is better than none I guess
Laundry Lady says
It’s tough to cut out things you’ve become used to. I’m currently cutting back on box cereal. Unfortunately, my husband loves it and my daughter has become used to it. (It was easier than a from scratch breakfast during the morning sickness months). But I try to make a big batch of baked oatmeal as a substitute at least half the time. We also, for the most part, gave up store bought bread last year. My daughter seems to prefer homemade and my husband has become used to it. I think sometimes it’s easier to cut down on things than remove them completely. Other examples in our house include: dishwasher detergent (I use a little Cascade and rest homemade), and granola bars (my husband buys a large box from Sam’s every few months and substitutes with homemade treats the rest of the time).
michelle says
I love all these idea, especially the giving up one thing a month. And I would love to try satilite but my husband would not be able to make it and I love my dvr.
Hannah says
I am starting 2012 by going all-cash for my grocery budget (the category I was having the most trouble sticking with) and cutting my own hair. I will go to the salon every 6 months or so and do trims myself in between. I did my first trim today. It took a while but I am very happy with it.
Debbie says
Where do you find avocado oil? I have been needing moisturizer for my face for ever, I know this is bad, I have not used anything in a long while, this sounds like a better idea!
Joy Y. says
I purchase avocado oil…which is VERY inexpensive, on amazon.com. It can also be found at natural health stores in your area, I would assume. I live in the country and I have 3 stores within a 20 minute radius that carry it.
It really is a wonderful moisturizer, and you only need a few drops for your entire face. Also, no icky additives or chemicals are going on your body. I appreciate that aspect as well.
Joy~
Joy Y. says
Debbie,
You can find avocado oil on amazon.com, and I’m pretty sure vitacost.com has it as well. I purchase and like the NOW brand. It costs very little, and a few drops moisturize my entire face. Also, I love it because it works, and doesn’t put any unnecessary chemicals on my face, gotta love that!
Joy~
Joy Y. says
Sorry for the repeat…my computer was messed up!
Kris says
I know I could look up this info as well, but do you happen to know if it works well on various skin types? thanks!
Joy Y. says
Kris,
The bottle of my NOW brand (the one I’ve used and been happy with), says:
Condition: Skin in need of hydration and increased elasticity.
Solution: 100% pure avocado oil in an all-natural, nutrient-rich oil that contains collagen-supporting amino acids and proteins, as well as vitamins A, D and E. Heavy in texture, avocado oil increases epidermal elasticity, while thoroughly moisturizing.
Hope this helps!
My face tends to lean toward the dry side, and it works wonderfully for me. It’s wonderful to find natural products that are inexpensive, and work well.
Blessings,
Joy~
theresa says
my stockpile runneth over and my budget does not, so, we are going to eat down my stockpile for the next two months in an effort to put the finishing sum into our emergency fund! i am cutting hair for everyone but myself ($10 max with a coupon, infrequently) and we are using a magicjack through our internet connection and pre-paid tracphones for our phone needs – i am experimenting with reducing how much i use of every single thing – from toothpaste to parmesan to laundry detergent – and i am investigating ways to sell some stockpile items and books – i have already sold the bigger items that we were ready to be free of – and i am no longer buying clothing anywhere but the target clearance rack (hopefully with a coupon) or the thrift store – we have a small goal of finishing our emergency fund by february, but i am also keeping in my mind paying off our house by 2016, and taking our family to europe in 2018, with higher education starting for our children the year after that! the Lord Jesus Christ has been so gracious to our family – He downsized our lifestyle two years ago, but He has given us such grace to thrive under new circumstances!
Becky says
Theresa, what amazing goals you have for your family! We’re also working on those last few thousand dollars in our emergency fund and need to buckle down like you are. We keep getting so close, but then something comes along & knocks our balance back down. Right now, it’s roof repairs or a new (portion of) one. My goal right now is to keep motivated toward our goal. Maybe I just need to plan the next couple like you, & it will keep us going. Any advice? Way to keep your eye on the prize!
theresa says
becky, it sounds like you know what you are doing already! thank the Lord that you have had the emergency fund when you needed it! personally, i can deal with almost anything for about 6-8 weeks, so, if i could advise you anything, it would be – to strip everything all the way back for as long as you can bear (3 weeks for some things, 3 months for others) and just take a long view – my family does not remember that we skipped having a zoo membership last year, nor do they realize that they have eaten decidedly less convenience food recently, but we are hoping to do big things like eliminate our mortgage/travel/pay for college through an accumulation of these small decisions! and pray for grace, of course!
Sandra Lee says
I read an article just the other day how the average American has thousands of dollars in items, rarely used if at all, sitting around their home. I have to say, I find it hard to believe it would total thousands but, I started looking around at the things I own and agree, I could definitely rid of some of my tangible assets. I plan on making January the month to go through every cabinet, cupboard, closet and drawer and rid of the excess, hoping to bring in some income from the sale of those items.
Recently, I lost my full-time job. While I was able to find a part-time job with health insurance I find myself in need to utilize my savings to make ends meet every month. In an effort to reserve as much of my savings as I can, I’ve decided to trim to the bear bones. I too, have cancelled my cable, and I’ve decreased the amount of $$ I budget for food and completely eliminated what I usually budget for entertainment, and clothing. I started shopping Good Will Stores this past fall when the need for office attire arose. Plus, I feel I can search for budget friendly/meatless meals as easily as any other recipe, not to mention, I can stand to loose a little weight too ;). By the way Crystal, I cut out all drinks except milk, water and carrot juice years ago. You won’t miss a thing.
The Prudent Homemaker says
Thousands–an interesting concept. I guess it depends on what you mean by “unused”! For example, people talk about selling outgrown children’s clothing, but I am still having children, so I keep clothing. But, it’s certainly worth taking a look at, and I’ve been thinking that it is time to do this again at my house.
Last year I had a garage sale to pay the utilities for the month (I almost made enough). While I couldn’t find enough to sell in my own house, I was able to ask friends and family if they had anything that they were planning on taking to the thrift store anytime soon, and if I could sell it at my garage sale instead. They were happy to get rid of their stuff, and it made a big difference in helping us pay our bills that month.
We had a loss of income for 8 months, and the work we’ve had after that was a serious cut in income (70% currently). We’ve been on a super-bare bones budget for 5 years now. I wish I had cut cable several months earlier. If I had known how long it would be, I would gladly have done so.
Like you, we cut out all entertainment. We cut our gorcery bill drastically (no shopping for food for over a year at all, and then smaller and smaller amounts since then).
Cutting now and selling what you can now will help you keep a roof over your head. Good for you for making those cuts right away.
Tricia says
Great post Joy!
I love that so many of you are giving up, or have given up cable. This is something that my husband and I are hoping to give up in the near future. I feel like less TV for me will be a good thing. Often times the TV ends up watching me as I tend to fall asleep watching it -lol 🙂
The Prudent Homemaker says
The other thing about giving up cable is that it gives you more time to get things done. Think about how many hours per week that you spend watching tv, where you could be completing a project, writing a book, working (for some), etc.
Joy Y. says
Thanks Tricia!
As far as cable goes…we have never had it. We do subscribe to the least expensive option on Netflix….and have also looked into Puritan Picks…basically a Christian version of Netflix. This way, we can watch good movies that we choose ourselves, watch no commercials (my favorite part as mama!), and avoid large cable bills. This has worked for us well…and we have tots to teens in our household.
Joy~
Kassi says
I admire those that have given up cable…I could handle Hulu for my shows, but I’m a sports girl and would be very sad without ESPN!
The Prudent Homemaker says
ESPN’s website doesn’t air everything, but they do have some games!
Heather says
Kassi,
Have you considered ESPN3.com? My husband watches it almost nightly to get the latest sports recaps (all in video, not reading an article) and he’s able to watch plenty of sports games. It’s totally free!
MomofTwoPreciousGirls says
When we moved into our new home we decided on no cable or home phone. I have thought o many time about giving up the IPhone, but I really do use it for so much of my home management and shopping lists and everything. DH always says I’m on there too much but I really use it to run our whole lives! So we stuck with just high speed internet. All the major networks offer the latest episodes of their shows each week and we had SO many DVD’s that we never watched. So we loaded them all on the computer and sold them. We will buy no more! We are sticking to a grocery budget and with our meal planning the only time we ever eat out is if we happen to be on a long day of errands…the kids are too little for pushing hunger aside! Other than the occasional lunch out (kids share a meal to save) we really don’t eat out much.
Audrey @ Mom Drop Box says
We dropped cable awhile back and truly have not missed it! Actually, it’s been a good thing because we now watch less TV, and what we do watch is more educational (PBS).
Jessica says
We play games online for gift cards! I have my boys play on my account too to earn them quicker! spyware and kid friendly and FREE! We just got a $5 Amazon card!http://games4giftcards.com/
T says
How long have you been doing this? Have you actually gotten gift cards? I’m not sure what the benefit is to them and with the spelling errors, etc., it looks like a website our son would put up;o)
Jill says
I stopped going to the ice cream store a while ago and I think it made a big difference (calorie-wise too!)
M husband and I agreed to stop the soda and sugar drinks, we only have water, seltzer and orange juice. We limit our eating-out to once a month and when we do, we try to split an entree so the bill is less.
kelli says
We are cutting out eating out for the entire month of January- something God laid on my heart. I don’t even want to add up what we spent on restaurants in December with traveling, and our 10 year anniversary!
I am going to give up one thing each month- buying clothes, makeup, etc. instead of one huge goal for the whole year.
Jennifer says
I love the idea of one sacrifice a month.
Crystal says
I love the idea of giving up one thing per month–fantastic idea!
kelli says
Thanks! Here is my list for the first six months: http://morebangforyourbucks.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-year-new-goals.html
Megan says
Love this idea! I might have to add this to my written goals for the year. A month is so much more doable than a whole year. Plus, it saves money, lessens clutter, and makes me think of how wonderfully blessed my life is that I have so much to use already! And I’m sure I would realize that I don’t NEED stuff as much as I thought once the month is over 🙂
Tricia says
This is an awesome idea. I may definitely look into doing this. Great post!
Andrea says
Great idea, Kelli!
Joy Y. says
Love that idea, too! Makes it much more doable. As you finish one, you can then apply the motivation and inspiration from finishing well, to tackling more. Kind of like the snowball effect on debt, that Dave Ramsey talks about. I know babysteps in my life is the key…whether it’s changing my diet, finances, or any change in my life.
Joy~
Becky says
Last year, we gave up anything that wasn’t a regular bill and wasn’t a necessity. We saved about $450! That was a nice chunk to put into savings, & as we all can relate, you can make it through most sacrifices when you see a near end. Great goal, Kelli!
Marlana says
We cut out juice too!! And yogurt. One principle I use is eat until everything in the refrigerator is gone every other week. I was finding we wasted food too often that was getting stuck in the back of the refrigerator. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but since the country I live in doesn’t do coupons, I can’t stock pile anyway.
Corrine says
you can make your own yogurt and save a lot of money. we make it ourselves and i can control how much sugar is put in as well.
patricia says
I like not only how you are saving money, but I also like how you are saving the enviroment by not buying the plastic bottles that soda and all the other drinks come in, by cooking at home instead of eating fast foods with lots of paper and styrofoam covering them. You are helping your children’s future by managing your money and saving the earths natural resources for them! Wonderful!
Karl says
Rub whole walnuts across scratches in wooden furniture to remove / hide scratch marks. IT WORKS!
Amy says
We were just talking about cable the other day. I’m not sure what it costs per month, because we’ve never had it, but we were estimating that we’ve likely saved about $8000 in the last 13 years! That’s huge! We were assuming it cost somewhere around $50 per month??
Kari says
If you’re lucky! At one point we had a bundle with Insight where we had cable, home phone and wireless internet…it cost us $180 a month!!! Can you believe that! We’ve now gone to a bundle with Cincinnati Bell with DirecTV and wireless internet and are paying about $90 a month! I can’t believe all the money we wasted all those years on cable. I’m seriously considering when our contract is up with DirecTV that we’ll cancel it all and just watch things on Netflix and Hulu Prime. We have Apple TV, Sony TV and a Wii so there are plenty of ways we can watch shows.
casey says
We stopped going to to eat completely and i have finally got into couponing and am saving around 65$ to 80$ a week on household things and food. also as a single mom of 3 kids 2 under 2 we are learning to make bread at home and other things. im going to try looking at my budget to cut even. with the goal to pay off all my credit cards by the end of the yr.!
christy says
We are dropping cable TV too. And being more strict with our budget for food and eating out.
Karen says
So many people I’ve talked to this week are ditching cable or already have! We ditching it too.
Laura @ Frugal Follies says
We are cutting way, way, way back on eating out as well. Not only will this help us save money, but my husband was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. We’d like to keep him from taking medication, so we’re really watching sodium intake, and restaurant/fast food is loaded with it. (You can go to the websites of chain restaurants to find the amount of sodium – and other nutritional information – of their foods.) Eating at home will mean that we can control how much sodium he takes in, which we hope will help bring down his blood pressure to a more normal level.
By the way, I’m doing a monthly linkup for financial goals, if other bloggers would like to join me: Delve Into Your Finances in 2012
Jen says
Switching to sea salt at home might help with your husband’s blood pressure issues. It’s totally natural, has many trace minerals and none of the fillers used in processed, iodized salt.
I was on blood pressure medicine for about 4 years, and was able to come off it about 4 years ago with many lifestyle changes. I use sea salt liberally in my cooking and have had no issues. I recommend Redmond’s Real Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, or Himilayan Pink Salt. There are so many fun one’s to try! Good luck!
Joy Y. says
One more beautiful thing about not eating out as much…is you also get rid of extra pounds! We’ve been “re-making” our favorite restaurant meals at home…like the Penne pasta from Applebee’s or Mcdonald’s egg, sausage and cheese buscuits for breakfast. So much fun, and much healthier for you!
Joy~
Debby says
We dropped our cable service and switched to Netflix & Hulu prime! We also love to rent movies so we dropped that too! Netflix for movies & Hulu has every show we could want to watch! All for $16 a month 🙂
casey says
Deddy whats hulu and how much does it cost?
The Prudent Homemaker says
Hulu is free, unless you want to pay extra for their past episodes of tv shows. We watch Hulu online. We don’t have a fancy box; my husband bought a cable for $12 at Big Lots and we hook up his laptop to the tv, and we can watch on tv. We have also just watched on the computer.
Basically, Hulu lets you watch tv shows for free. There is usually a time limit set by each station as to when they release their shows (1 week to 1 month, depending on the station). Just go to Hulu.com and check it out. They have shows from the Food Network, the History Channel, USA , FOX, and others. We have found plenty to watch for free (we don’t pay for Hulu prime). The great part: you can watch whenever you want, there are only 2 minutes of commercials per 1 hour show, and episodes stay on for several weeks.
Debby says
We have an Xbox 360 & high speed internet. If you have those or a WII, Rouk Box, etc then you can get these. Hulu is the free version online and Hulu Plus is $8.00 a month on the Xbox. We LOVE IT! Once a show airs on TV it then airs on Hulu so its very current, there are very few commercials, they have movies, reality, news, and tons more! I think it’s better then Netflix but my son likes Netflixs shows better. We can’t get Dish here in the mountains and cable was $60.00 a month. So we went with high speed internet for $30.00 and the to programs for $8.00 a month each. Makes it a total of $46.00 a month for entertainment. A savings of $528 a year for cable and we are very happy!
Wendy says
Just to mention for those thinking of doing this, I believe you’d need high speed internet for this to work well. We tried Netflix for 1 month and were very disappointed. We have DSL, and every time we’d try to watch a movie, it would play for 7 min. then stop and load for 4 min.
The Prudent Homemaker says
Low speed cable works fine 🙂 It’s 3 times faster than DSL, and $5 a month more than DSL in my area. I don’t have it bundled with our phone; I just have internet for $35 a month.
Wendy says
We live out in the country and cable is not available here. It’s DSL or dial up as our only options.
Jodi says
We use the library to rent movies. We only have family cable, but these days even the library has full seasons of tv/cable shows. Costs nothing (except sometimes overdue fees, lol!).
The Prudent Homemaker says
That’s too bad. I wonder when satellite will become more of an option for those out in the country. My father-in-law has satellite internet.
Katrina says
We have DSL and can run 2 movies from Netflix on different tvs in the house and surf the internet all at the same time. I guess it depends on the speed in your particular area.
Kimberly says
Last year, I did a yearly forecast on our budget adding up how much we spent on each item on the list. The second most expensive item on our budget was disposable diapers. I purchased a month trial for cloth diapers and haven’t looked back. We are now a cloth diaper family. I love it! Earth friendly, budget friendly, and our son looks adorable in his “fancy pants”!
This year, we are in a frenzy of selling everything that isn’t nailed down to pay off bills and prepare for purchasing a home next year. It is amazing how much stuff we have that is just sitting there not being used and worth money. I cannot tell you how many boxes of books I’ve taken to sell already.
Jennifer says
Kimberly-
I was wondering what route you take to sell items? I’ve tried Ebay and Craigslist and Facebook and haven’t had any luck at all selling items.
Jill says
Jennifer, I haven’t tried Ebay, but I sell things from Amazon and find it VERY easy!
Melissa says
Last January I sold boxes of DVDs and video games on gazelle.com. They buy some electronics too.
Diana says
Disposable diapers. Ever since finding out we were expecting our 2nd child I started buying AIO diapers whenever I found them on sale and asked around to find people who wanted to get rid of their prefolds. In a few months we’ll be saving money already!
The Frugallery says
We are really cutting back on eating out. We purchase gift certificates from Restaurant.com which allows us to eat out much cheaper. We are also eating out less frequently. We are also *trying* to cut back on soda consumption at home. I calculate this will easily save us a few hundred dollars a year.
Susan says
Eating out! I have been using Mint.com for our budget for the last year and this year we are really tweaking our eating out budget. We went over the eating out category many times last year and I am sticking to the budget this year! It is eye opening to see how much money our family of 6 spent in eating out.
Ebony says
I just discovered this site through this blog! I’m excited to use it and I think it will be a helpful tool for my husband and I to get out of debt quickly. Thanks for sharing your experience…this helps affirm we may be on the right track!
Kim @Going Thrifty says
We dropped our home phone and only use our cell phones. I know some people have their home phone in a bundle with their internet but it worked for us.
Laura Hoffman says
We have a home phone and don’t have cell phones! We use a tracfone for traveling but not everyday use. Having no cell phones keeps you more on-time for things. I can’t ever call and tell someone I’m running late, it forces me to be on time.
Kristen says
My cell phone is my alarm and watch, so it would be the opposite for me…I would probably be late for everything without it! 🙂
Meredith says
Laura….I am so glad you said this. We too kept the home phone and use tracfone! We use a VoIP line that is 13 a month,unlimited long distance and we may spend 10 total a month for the tracfone … 2 phones. I still don’t understand the lure of cell phone plans. I don’t have to have someone at my beck and call. We use them for emergency only. If I want to tell my hubby something, I wait until he gets home. No calling, no texting. If I forget something at the store, oh well.
Amber @ SiMoneySavers says
It’s amazing that writing everything out can help you see how much money you really are spending and in what areas you can save more. There are many things we have cut out or downgraded over the last 3 years but I know we still have room for improvement.
Reading Crystal’s book opened my eyes to some ideas I hadn’t even considered yet.
Karen says
We are thinking of cutting out the cable company. So much money thrown out every month.
Alissa DeLucio says
We have an antenna for last give years…haven’t missed cable at all..the extra cash is great.
Alissa DeLucio says
I meant to type five, not give
Karen says
Yep, the wheels are in motion. I’ve ordered the antenna and we are jumping off the cable train!
Becky says
We got rid of our satellite 2 years ago when DH lost his job. We use an antenna. Two months ago we started subscribing to Netflix. We love it! We wish we had all the money that we wasted on satellite over the past 25 years. It was about $25,000!!!!
Amber says
Wow!
Karen says
We’ve had job loss too. We’ve been hanging onto the cable but I’ve reached my limit. It’s gotta go.
Maria says
We just cut our cable out three months ago. What a savings! We invested in a Roku and pay ($8/month) for Hulu+, which has a lot of the shows we enjoyed watching on cable.
Karen says
We were looking into roku. Honestly, I can buy the best one for the same price I pay for my cable in a month. Then it’s free!
I can stream hulu plus on my blu ray though. So I need to see what they have on that. Thanks for the info.
Kelly says
Do it! Unless you’re pretty far out in the country, you should be able to get quite a few of the broadcast stations- we get at least 15 channels using just an antenna. That gives us local news, a lot of the popular shows, 4 (!!!) PBS stations, a station that plays old movies, and a couple of stations that play music videos.
We recently decided to give Netflix a try- we play them on the computer or watch on TV through an HDMI cable. We figure it saves us the annoying trips to the Redbox, too!
Karen says
We already have netfix too. I think we’ll look into hulu plus for our cable shows! Thanks guys!!