[Spareribs]

Since the economy is not that great, what are you sacrificing?

For me, I am taking less weekend trips and eating out less. I hate doing this because it will mean more boring Sundays. Also more of the same food and less variety. I refuse to eat cheap junk food though. I probably won't be buying any new clothes until maybe next summer. What will you sacrifice?

 

[arnesto]

I started putting regular gas in my car instead of premium.

I've been doing this as a part of habit, but I try to sack lunch when I go to work.

I am a frugal person, so I didn't have to make many changes to begin with.

I noticed there is always I guy on trash day that goes through my recycling trash bin. Maybe I would have been upset with this earlier. But I try to understand that times are tough.

 

[F107plus5]

Speaking of Trash Day; with this "no Fix-It Shop" throw-away situation we're all in; when we no longer need something, out it goes. Now-adays though; I'll put a tag on things that we no longer need stating that it's still good and only put it out on nice days in full view of anybody passing by.

Now; we have neighbors bringing US good Kids clothes for our four Grandkids we've adopted!

Anyway; being retired and on a fixed income, it's become more interesting lately.

One thing we're doing is eating less prepared foods. We're cooking more "from scratch" and saving a couple bucks that way.

We still order Pizza delivered, but we've gone to more basic Pizzas with fewer of the add-ons we used to get like the fancier breadsticks and Chicken side dishes.

We're also getting better at planning out the routes for errands to save gas.

That kinda stuff.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

I try to get most of my food and weekly necessities from Walmart. Despite being a huge corporation that makes things difficult for local small businesses, the savings is essential for those of us on a tight budget.

Also I've been trying to keep the thermostat off this month and deal with the fluctuation in temperature.

 

[krmathis]

Import less from the US, since I get 30-40% less for the money than a couple of months back.
Apart from that I have not noticed much of the changes in economy, and just go on as usual.

 

[appophylite]

My family was already pretty frugal before all these economic problems and I think I took it to the limit. My sister and friends would all give me grief because I'd put thought into whether or not to by a $7.50-$10.00 DVD at times.

Once all these economic problems came through, other than my parents and myself taking hits to our 401Ks etc. nothing really changed. We eat out a bit less than we used to and car pool a little more, but nothing that saves a particularly noticeable amount.

 

[Jaska]

I actually took the time to read the manual for my HRV unit. I used to think district heating would keep my energy costs low, but there's a lot of tweaking that can be done in the "life support" system of one's dwelling to further defray costs and energy usage.

 

[nickknutson]

I haven't changed anything...don't see the need to. My personal economy is just fine

 

[xenithon]

x2 to krmathis's post. With the local currency losing ~50% in 10 days (against USD, EUR, GBP and AUD) all imports were banned in this household! Some ground has been regained but still sitting at around 25% down from 3 weeks ago.

 

[apatN]

I'm currently trying to find out whether or not the € will get better in the near future. Like krmathis said import will have to wait. Anything else goes on as usual so I really don't see how this 'crisis' affects people living in the US. Not for audio stuff anyway. So what is it that you need to budget for? What do you really notice of this all?

 

[acidbasement]

My disposable income is unchanged as of now, but I am on a term job with the federal government, so I suspect that the likelihood of getting my position extended beyond this fiscal year is lower than it otherwise would have been. Also, due to falling oil prices, the Canadian dollar is weaker, so I probably cannot buy the new Therion LP set from Sweden. Crud.
The good news is that if I'm unemployed in the spring, I plan to start farming. No matter how bad things get economically, everyone still needs to eat

 

[socrates63]

Other than me trying to take the company-provided commuter bus more often, there is no significant changes happening in my family. And even taking the bus more often is so I can save mileage and pass on my 2008 Impreza WRX to my 8 year old when he turns 16.

 

[Al4x]

luxuries,

ie if my iphone broke, i wouldnt replace it with another, no contract phone, no headphones, no more games, havent bought a dvd in a while, looking for a new job [money]

i wont cut back on food, gym, driving inefficintly,

its 'objects' that are getting crossed off my list

 

[digger945]

I just wanted to say that this is one of the most interesting non-audio threads I have read in a long time, possibly ever. I can't explain why, but this makes me somehow stronger. Thank you all.

I don't drive any more than I absolutely have to, and I co-ordinate a bunch of stuff with my step-daughter to try and accomplish as much as possible every time we go out. Also we try to prepare as many meals as possible without cooking (salads, sandwiches, etc.).

 

[sebastian589]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif My family was already pretty frugal before all these economic problems and I think I took it to the limit. My sister and friends would all give me grief because I'd put thought into whether or not to by a $7.50-$10.00 DVD at times.

This is hilarious, I do the exact same thing and my friends give me trouble all the time for it. The reality is there is always a deal to be had on almost anything you buy. If you pay $8 instead of $10 on each cd you buy then you're basically getting a free cd for every 5 cd's you buy. Well worth the added effort for me.

The biggest reason I love being excessively frugal is it prevents you from making crap impulse buys as you will certainly wait to buy something after you've done some price checking. Often after doing some price checking I find I don't want an item anyways. You can never save more than when you decide to not buy at all.

The more you look around the smarter the consumer you become, I have a lot of stuff (electronics, movies, books cd's, LP's, Video games etc.) and I have yet to pay retail price for any of it, which is the main reason I own as much as I do.