[Cliffie]

Me, I'm cutting back. I cook from scratch more and eat out less. I use meat only as a condiment now. I drive the short, annoying way to work rather than the longer, pleasanter way. I refinanced the place I live to save $100/mo on the mortgage. When there was a flood in my house, I did as much of the repairs as I could myself. I'm nervously considering after-hours work.

I now save $200 from every paycheck.

What are others doing?

[FERRETI]

Well i have like over a week shut off the gas to my house.I dont have money to drive around either to even find a job or like i used to cruise and such.

I am not gonna see any significant savings here till i move south.Drastic savings without income don`t mean much.One important thing to do for me now is sell the house and buy some land in the south to build my own house at dirt cheap.

Once i have no mortgage and bought my bike and customed it to a german tricycle,i should see some money accumulating,of course having a job down there too.


I am also planing to have a nice backyard planting different plants to save me on groceries.I will have to buy the grain though to make my own bread.As for meat and milk and eggs,i think i will have some chickens and two cows.I don`t want to live far off the city,but neither in since i will be having farm animals.This kinda plan should carry me through even if the country goes into a depression like the 30s...


I may sound like a hillbilly,but the reality is not bars or painting when things re looking mighty bad.

[sikes0000]

There are lots of articles on msn and their forums about saving money. Can't believe what some people live on or do to save money.

Things you should try to do regardless of the economy:

Turn down the furnace. Its easier to throw another comfortor on the bed or dress warmer while inside.

Wash clothes in cold water. Something you don't normally think about but will save some money. Unless you get filthy at work/play how dirty can you clothes really get during the week? Also, don't dry your clothes completely. Hang them up damp (not all types of clothing mind you just shirts and pants).

Driving. Don't lead foot it. I target a certain rpm and try to never go above it.

Turn off everything when you leave for the day. I leave before the rest of my family in the morning. Its hard to get them to shut things down when they leave. Computers, lights, Fans etc. Computers these days have huge power supplies.

Groceries. There are tons of websites on saving money here. Buying items when they are 10 for 10, double, triple coupons while the item is on sale so its free etc. That can work if you plan correctly.

I would do these things in a good economy. I would rather waste money elsewhere. like on myself

[wanderer74]

Well, we didn't eat out before and I only cook vegetarian meals at home, so there wasn't a lot we could cut as far as food costs. But I have been finding ways to reduce those as well, mostly by reducing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables we buy because those get really expensive. I've got my grocery bill down below $100 a week for a family of five, three of those being growing boys who eat more than I do!

I did occasionally get myself a latte when I was out and I gave up that habit. We gave up the Netflix. I spend a lot more days completely at home and only leave the house to pick up the kids from school. I'm going very stir crazy from that, but it's saving a lot of money on gas and is extending the amount of time between oil changes so that's good too. I also didn't think I was doing that much recreational shopping because I didn't buy a lot, but I've cut back on ALL unnecessary shopping and the amount it's saving is noticeable.

We already kept the thermostat pretty low (by my standards at least, because I'm always cold - we had it at 68 during the day and 60 at night; I work from home so there's no time period when nobody's here) but we've started building fires in the fireplace more often so the furnace won't have to run as much.

Mostly now I'm trying to get more work because I have student loans coming due in the next month or so and have no idea how I'll be able cover an extra couple hundred bucks a month in expenses. There was a job posting for part-time, minimum-wage library pages (clerks), positions that were typically open to high school students that are now open to adults as well...I went and applied, but found out they had over 100 applicants. For part time at minimum wage! At this rate it may be a while before I find something and I'm trying really hard to hang in here for another year until my husband finishes his degree before we move. Anyone need to hire a freelance writer?

[jetengineman's wife]

Hmmmm... making ends meet equates to me working part-time from home as a travel agent (not very lucrative in this market) and part-time outside of the home at a fast food joint in addition to hubby's full-time job. It means not going out to dinner or the movies. It means losing weight (which is good) because I refuse to blow grocery money on junk food. It means not buying clothes for myself because my son is growing so fast. It means heating our house with wood which we get for free from my parent's property and my husband's job (did you know wood pallets put off a ton of heat when burned??). It means cutting corners on everything and when paying bills, doing the proverbial "rob Peter to pay Paul" thing so that I feel like my chest is continually compressed with worry for when the next big bill might come along... be it an unexpected medical bill that insurance doesn't fully cover or a problem with a vehicle or the house that needs fixing. I found my first gray hair the other day... and I'm young enough to wonder if the stress is becoming more than mental...

I just thank my lucky stars every day that we have jobs and have the will and ability to make ends meet. Many people don't have that option, and just as many chose not to fight it and decide to get in the government hand-out line for a share of MY hard earned money. Ticks me off.

[JenM]

For my husband and I too help make ends meet we moved from a house to a rental manufactured home ( from $1100 down to $370 a month), buy only gently used clothes for our 3 kids, and both return to college to finish off our degrees, live only off of cash, no credit card payments. It's working well. And we are almost college grads!

[Frankie117]

Originally Posted by Topictitle

What are Michiganders doing to make ends meet?

Moving to the Carolinas..

[austin_or_sd]

The best thing for Michiganian is to move out the depresing Michigan. I moved out of there three years ago, when MI economics is not too bad, first to San Diego to enjoy the perfect year around 75 F sunny weather and then move to Austin, Texas, the perfect place to raise a family.

Texas has a strong economy. Checkout the Forbes report. All of the TX major cities are top 10.

Table: Best Cities For Jobs In 2008 - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/careers/2008/01/11/jobs-economy-growth-lead-careers-cx_mk_0110cities_table.html - broken link)

In Austin, unemployment rate is below 3.5%. The hiring sign is every where. Why going through the suffering, Pack and go. You will be much better off, economic wise and weather wise.

Go Green !

[magellan]

Originally Posted by austin_or_sd

The best thing for Michiganian is to move out the depresing Michigan. I moved out of there three years ago, when MI economics is not too bad, first to San Diego to enjoy the perfect year around 75 F sunny weather and then move to Austin, Texas, the perfect place to raise a family.

Texas has a strong economy. Checkout the Forbes report. All of the TX major cities are top 10.

Table: Best Cities For Jobs In 2008 - Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/careers/2008/01/11/jobs-economy-growth-lead-careers-cx_mk_0110cities_table.html - broken link)

In Austin, unemployment rate is below 3.5%. The hiring sign is every where. Why going through the suffering, Pack and go. You will be much better off, economic wise and weather wise.

Go Green !

Just had to get a jab in eh?

That's funny austin_or_sd, you mentioned in some of your other posts in the Texas forum that Texas has intolerable heat and Austin doesn't live up to the hype.

As far as cutting back, there are a lot of things you can do to save money:

) Get a programmable thermostat if you don't have one already. Run the heat way down to the low 60's if everyone is gone during the day, or at night if you can tolerate it.
) If you have kids and take them out to eat, don't buy the happy meals. They're a waste anyways and the crappy toys end up all over the house.
) Cut back on cable. We switched to basic cable and don't miss it.
) Switch from cable internet to high speed DSL.
) Carpool or take the bus to work, and/or move closer to work.
) Shop around your home and auto insurance every 6 months. You'd be surprised how much you can save. If you aren't with an agent who can shop around for you to different companies, switch to one.
) Pay all your bills online. Saves on stamps and envelopes.
) If you purchase prescriptions regularly, look into mail order prescriptions. Many times you can get higher quantities/more months supply with the same payment (if that is how your insurance is set up).
) Take your tax refunds if you have any coming and pay toward debt with it. Speaking of taxes, if you go to the IRS's website, they have a whole list of websites that will do your taxes for free if you qualify, including free e-filing.
Internal Revenue Service
) Cancel your long distance telephone service and use cell phones.

[Coldjensens]

1. Turn thermostats down to 64

2. Switch to flourescent light bulbs where practical.

3. Remove bulbs from lights that get left on all the time.

4. Go to the $1.50 movie theater.

5. Eat out less.

6. Try to do more things that are free or almost free.

7. Stop buying toys.

8. Use the fireplaces as often as posible.

9. Put plastic window sealing kits over windows.

10. Caulk windows with peel away caulk.


11. Remove as much excess junk from our truck/cars (if you have as much "stuff" in your cars as we did, there is enough to make a weight difference.

12. Wife started working.

13. Postponed home improvements.

14. Agreed to not buy each other Christmas presents.

15. Bought kids mostly staple necessities for Christmas presents (clothing toiletries, etc).

16. Schedule daily events better to cut down on driving or the need to take two cars to the same place.

17. When we need clothing items, ask my sister to find them and don't ask where they came from. She is an amazing bargain shopper (in and arond Ann Arbor), especially salvation Arny and seconds stores.

18. Avoid buying name brands (food, clothing, toiletries).

19. Eat more pasta based meals.

20. Bacon and eggs, or Oatmeal, instead of milk and cereal as often as practical.

21. Buy K brand soda or no soda.

22. Try to pay off high interest credit cards.

23. Plan/organize better so that we do not get hit with so many bank/credit card and other fees.

24. Only go to the Doctor for extreme conditions.

25. Buy the cheapest Christmas tree that we could find ($14).

26. No outside Christmas lights this year.

27. Remember to use the free bridge now that it is an option.

28. Use coupons whenever practical (not too common since off brands are still cheaper).

29. Remove Dry clean clothing as soon as possible and hang it up so it can be worn again before cleaning.

30. Cut back on kid's lessons. (i.s. voice, piano, other instruments, horse riding, etc, etc.).

31 reduced retirement plan contributions.