Lady Songbird asked for tips on saving money in the new economy. There's just one: Cut out all the crap you really don't need; i.e. stuff you just WANT.
Here's how I'm doing it:
-sexy hair. Costs me 80 bucks a month for cut, color, shampoo,
conditioner, and the five other products that will make my hair stay
straight. Nine dollar Preference will have to do.
-nails. I have chewed and picked my nails 'til they bleed since I was
three and my pacifier was"lost" in a move. The only thing I have found
that stops me is acrylic nails. But that's 30 bucks every two weeks.
I'm bleeding as I type.
-bottled water. Sure, it tastes better than the swill that comes out of the tap, but it's not any better for me. They picked up the fountain last Thursday. The dog has already claimed the space.
-newspaper. Hubs always reads it at the office anyway.
-that addition to the house renovation? Um, no.
-all auto-renew subscriptions. Added up, they're about 50 bucks a month.Whoa. 'Way too much.
-sending Thing One care packages. Zingerman's may go bankrupt because I stop sending him goodies.
-food. I only buy what I need for that day. No planning ahead because food always spoils before I cook it all. Mainly because until this "situation," I rarely cooked.Now it's every night. To the distress of Thing Two, who loves take-out.
-vacations: Don't go on them. Need that money for shuttling Thing One to and from school. Fine with me. Getting ready for them makes me nervous anyway (She says, trying to convince herself).
-stuff for church. I usually buy whatever I need to do my Sunday
school lessons for the kids and never ask for reimbursement. I won't
ask to be reimbursed; I'll just do lessons that don't require craft
materials. Darn kids don't need crafts anyway. All we had was dirt.
-stop sending huge chunks of $ to my favorite charities. Small amounts
will have to do.
-books, music, dvds. This is the hardest one. I will just not buy any. I have lots and will have to be content with that. There is no way to make that funny or clever.
-clothes. Don't even THINK of buying anything unless it's pants for Thing Two.
-Christmas. The Things didn't get much last year anyway, so I don't think it'll kill 'em to just let 'em sleep late and feed 'em honey-glazed smoked turkey.
_A/C stays at 78. When it finally gets cool enough to turn on the heat, it should be at 68. Basically, if you're comfortable, you're not doing it right.
Do you think I sound ENOUGH like a Pharisee? I already have one blood sacrifice. Do I need another?
I've been on this kick for three weeks. How much longer do you think I can do this?
Comments (10)
Books, music, and DVDs at the library for free! (Magazines, too.)
@suzyQ_darnit - Guess what? I'm not responsible enough to borrow. I end up having to pay for them anyway because we lose them. I haven't been to the library in years except for research because of that.
I am not giving up the Rosemary's BabyMama hair. No how, no way. New jeans I can do without, sexy hair--no.
i am with you on of these. yesterday i had to wean husband off of paper towels. the towel does just fine. also, eating all them leftovers. do it!
Haha, I laughed at your political vow of celibacy! I have a friend who is crazy addicted to politics right now - there is just something about this mix of characters that DRAWS a person. Luckily, we don't have cable, we don't let Eowyn watch TV (which really limits possible TV watching time), and I would rather hang out on xanga than track down political commentary. I should know more about it, but I've already made up my mind who I am voting for nationally, anyway. State-wise I'm not as sure, but there are a few people I know I'm definitely voting AGAINST. (-:
Love you saving money strategies! I am too lazy to figure out where I spend money, although having to have a bottle baby instead of a boob baby adds about $125/month to our grocery expenses. I wish my boy hadn't refused to nurse! Sigh. Anyway, I am going to HAVE to buy some clothes soon - 3 years of being pregnant/nursing/between pregnancies with a brand-new body has decimated my wardrobe. Also, I went through a phase where I spilled bleach on all my lounging-around-childcare pants so I have very few items of clothing I can wear out of the house (and be decent and not look homeless, anyway). I hate shopping though. I managed to find 1 pair of red pants at Walmart and some green comfy pants at Target. My other problem is that Ash pukes on me almost every day so I have to put my clothes in the laundry instead of wearing them at least twice and that cuts down on my functional wardrobe as well.
Wow, maybe I need to go blog, since I seem to be doing that in my comment!
Glad you have been posting again - it's always good to hear from you!!
@evagarringer - Listen, Honey; you need to go get some clothes just to remind yourself you are a woman, not just a mother. I didn't think I cared that much, but when I lost the baby weight, my MIL took me to a sale and just a few new things had me feeling human. For a few minutes I was a person, not a person-sized bib. BTW, my second one couldn't nurse either.
For several years - maybe six? - when the boys were the age of your kids, we didn't have TV either. Just videos. So the boys never really got in the habit. Thomas used to go over to other people's houses just so he could watch cartoons. Now he never turns it on. But then, he has comedy videos on YouTube he can waste time watching, which may actually be worse. To tell you the truth, when I get home from work, I want QUIET, so if Bob has the TV on watching a debate, I go into the guest room, close the door, and read. Last night,Thoomas came in and I almost bit his head off when he said he wanted to show me something - I thought it was another inane YouTube video.Turns out he had to re-harmonize "Old McDonald Had a Farm" for his AP Music Theory class, and it sounded great! Then, he showed me a funny he buried in the tenor line to amuse his teacher: the tenor line was actually "Good King Wenceslas." Ahh, I'm going to miss that boy when he graduates in '10!
i thoroughly enjoyed this post. you have, sincerely, inspired me in the process.
Your plan sounds, well, sound. I have to think about something to cut back, but I don't think I can. I color my own hair and get a cut twice a year. I just cut my nails off and that's it. My cat Hoffman was a hugh expense because of various health issues. Her passing will probably save us $200 a month once we pay her last vet bill. Oh God, maybe I'll actually have to go back to work. Oh crap!Â
I thought I would wander over in hopes that maybe you had desubscribed me and you were still posting. No such luck! I hope all is well.
So, are you (a) completely busy with the house, or (b) completely disenchanted with posting?