by JH 12 Replies latest jw friends
In just one day gas went up 8.4 cents a litre here.
For our US friends, that means that gas here costs $3.98 Canadian for a US gallon or $3.18 US for a US gallon.
And I paid 12$ for a six pack of Budlight beer at the convenience store next door.
If your salary didn't follow the cost of living, where would you cut, to save money?
being poor i can tell you what gets cut.
you HAVE to pay your utilities..
you HAVE to pay for gas to get to work.
you HAVE to pay your rent or house payment so you have somewhere to live
you HAVE to pay your car insurance in most states its the law.
what gets cut is food ...you eat less and less fresh veggies and meats and eat more mac n cheese and processed foods.
what gets cut is clothing..you wear what you have and do without new clothes for school and work.
what gets cut is prescriptions. if your insurance doesnt pay for prescrips or you simply do not HAVE insurance. you cant afford your meds. many times you gota choose between food for the week or your meds for the month.
its not fun.
Sell your car, buy a horse. It doesn't need gas and you can use it to make your own Bud Light
I'm driving less. I rarely buy beer or any alcohol any more. I haven't been on an actual vacation for over a year. I'm more careful with my grocery budget. I fortunately don't have to have dress clothes or nylons for work (or the KH Ha!). I cut back cable tv to basic ($13.00/month as opposed to $53.00/month). If things are really tight, I'll forego purchasing books and go to the library. I'm planning to get a second job in the fall too. *sigh*
Sadly, because I will be in school for the next few years ( 4 more ) paying my way without student loans, my wages don't cover my living costs. So my little game is what bill not to pay this month. As long as I rotate the bills all is good.
Damselfly, who is screening her calls.
Get rid of the car and use the transit system instead. You save about $400/month plus gas, plus insurance. If you want to travel anywhere, rent a car.
If your grocery budget is tight, you can look for deals. Some stores will mark down items like meat and bread that can go in the freezer. The local supermarket does that and they cut the price of meat and bread by 50% a couple of days before the "Best Before" date. As long as you freeze it or use it right away, there's no noticable difference in the quality.
Stretch the meals you make - if you're roasting a chicken one day, save the bones to make a big pot of chicken soup in a slow cooker. Use the left over meat in casseroles, soups and sandwiches.
Stop buying sodas and beer, and drink water instead. With the money you save initially, buy a filter system so that you can filter water from the tap instead of buying bottled water. If you're feeling adventurous, try home brewing beer instead of buying it at the SAQ or corner store.
Instead of buying coffee at Tim Hortons (I know, blasphemy!!) make coffee at home and put it in a thermos. Make muffins at home to have with your coffee break instead of buying them at Tim's or the bakery (you pay sales tax on them when you buy them one at a time, plus they're way bigger than what we really should be eating).
In the summer, have a garden for vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers and lettuce, so you can make fresh salads or have them to put on sandwiches.
Try having breakfast for dinner sometime. We sometimes enjoy having omelettes for dinner with a salad. A dozen eggs runs about $2.25 which is a lot less than any cut of meat.
I don't know what things are like in the USA when it comes to saving but in Europe it would save a lot of money to eat at home and use discount supermarkets such as LIDL which don't have an enormous range of items but they still do about 5000 lines, the quality is just as good and the prices about 30% cheaper.
I would probably get rid of my HDTV service and go back to basic cable or DirecTV.
I would also cut back on beer.
Being in a similar position to that beautiful Emu - I'm unable to work due to chronic illness, and I'm jumping the hoops with Social Security Disability, which is playing it's normal games, so I have NO income.
I am grateful that I have a spoual unit ( unmarried live-in boyfriend) who takes care of me finanacially. I am on his medical insurance, and tax-wise I am a dependent so he gets a bit of a break. I don't buy clothes unless I absolutely need them. I do sew so I make my own. When I feel up to it. I get a new pair of New Balance orthopedic prescribed shoes every two years. My rare treat to myself is going out to McDonalds and buying a $1 double beef cheeseburger and a $1 soda.
I sold my pickup last year because I could no longer afford to keep it up, let alone reimburse Kev for the insurance or gas. That was the last of my personal independence. A very difficult thing for me to do, given my history with domestic violence and swinging the other direction of being an independent self-sustaining person. Very difficult.
Do you know how many ways you can make fried rice? Well, I'm learning. My contribution to our household is my cooking, and my being low maintenance.
My return is: I have a great guy who loves me and is willing to deal with my limitations. We often take 2 vacations a year - Hawaii, Mexico, or Van-camping. We are in the process of buying a house in Hawaii (when we get home from Hilo next week I'll write more about it.) for his retirement in 4 years.... I feel safe and secure - something unusual for me.
How else to reduce expenses: Plan your errands so that you're not running out to the grocery store for just one item. If you decide you do need that one item, do you really? Cut your electricity useage by making sure you turn off the lights when you leave the room. If you have split rate electrical, run the dishwasher after 11 pm, or handwash your dishes. Do your laundry with cold water.
This runaway economy in oil and housing prices is really bizaar. It will be itneresting to see if how when the dust settles.
Hugs to y'all
Bren
I think I will just walk everywhere instead of driving. No way can I skimp on the beer money.
