Simplifying your life--what luxuries do you cut?

[Indylady]

I'm in the process of 'simplifying' my life--cutting extra expenses and costs, taking out some of the unnecessary luxuries. I have some student debt that I'm motivated to pay off, and--I don't want to settle into a comfortable life in 'golden handcuffs'. I drink coffee at home, that's a basic one. I've been making more of an effort to eat in, rather than eating out. No cable tv. My rent is reasonable and I'm not likely to save much by 'downsizing'. What else do you do?

 

[asscherisme]

I'm in the process of 'simplifying' my life--cutting extra expenses and costs, taking out some of the unnecessary luxuries. I have some student debt that I'm motivated to pay off, and--I don't want to settle into a comfortable life in 'golden handcuffs'. I drink coffee at home, that's a basic one. I've been making more of an effort to eat in, rather than eating out. No cable tv. My rent is reasonable and I'm not likely to save much by 'downsizing'. What else do you do?

I'm embarrassed to admit how much I use to spend on buying daily frappachinos at starbucks. And smoothies for my kids. I bought a really great blender and make them at home. Healthier for my kids and I and saved tons of money.

Also, got rid of twice monthly maid. Got my kids on a cleaning schedule with me. Not only saved money but great lesson for my kids on responsibility.

I also sold jewelry I don't love and wear.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I stopped dry cleaning--except for my DH's essentials. Dry cleaning ruined many of my cashmere sweaters, and now I put almost everything in my LG front loader. I hated spending $20 (each) on my dresses--and except for really special pieces....I just wash them.

PS. Although I could never do it--alcohol is a huge expense. Cut it out if you can!

cheers--Sharon

 

[justginger]

Do one weekly trip to the shops, instead of popping in for bits and pieces, here and there. Or ride a bike, walk, for close trips (if possible). Gas really adds up.

Cut down your cell phone plan.

Drop any memberships that you can't live without.

Do your own hair at home, if that's something you do.

Change your thermostat by a couple of degrees, take shorter showers, etc.

Not saving money, but making money - sell off unwanted items via ebay or Craigslist.

 

[baby monster]

I think it comes down to really knowing your spending. There was a great show called "Till Debt do Us Part" that I used to watch a lot. The host tells everyone to write down everything they spend down to a penny and then puts them on cash budget. Once the cash is gone, there is no more to spend. I'd say it's the best way to stick to a budget and pay off debt.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I cancelled Netflix. Cut the cleaning woman from 4x a month to 2 {I NEED her, I have severe rheumatoid arthritis in my hands and a husband who doesn't like to do housework}. When using the dishwasher I cut out the 1/2hr. drying cycle. I keep the microwave unplugged--someone told me that saved energy. Cut manicures to once a month. We cut the cable and movie channels down to basic. I know we could do more, but we're essentially low maintenance people.

 

[ringbling17]

Manicures/gel manicures and pedicures are a big expense if you do them regularly.

I haven't had a pedicure in over two years and my last manicure was over a year ago.

Turn off the lights when your not in the room and unplug all your chargers when not in use.

 

[msop04]

We've tried to cut down some too...

- no home phone (only cells)
- I get a wet cut instead of a blow-out (saves $37 every 6-7 weeks!)
- cut back on mani/pedi treats (try to stretch them out)
- We both take our lunch to work every day
- We cook a lot more (instead of going out)
- conserve energy by turning all lights except one (for the ^..^ 's)
- load the dishwasher to ABSOLUTE CAPACITY before washing (like a game or puzzle of sorts...) LOL
- try to buy more generic/store brand on things we just don't care about (some are better!)
- we do a lot of work on our home/yard by ourselves (DH is in landscape, but very handy with other stuff too!)

We're still trying to cut where we can -- it's a work in progress!

 

[jaysonsmom]

I have never gotten manis and pedis, I also get my hair cut about once a year. So far no coloring needed, but when I've wanted to try a new color for fun, I color it myself. I figure I save at least a couple thousand a year.

 

[Dancing Fire]

eating out every day cost me about $900 per month + tips...

 

[pregcurious]

-Cut down on eating out
-Only eat out at casual places
-Only buy clothes that I need, and are 40%+ off
-Strict bling budget
-Currently cleaning out basement stuff and am planing a yard sale
-No movie rentals
-No airplane travel except to visit family

General lifestyle things:
-no/minimal drycleaning
-no cleaning service
-fill gas near work where it is cheaper than at home
-take deductions properly for donations
-haircuts only 2x a year (I have long hair)
-no manicures
-fix things around house on own as possible
-repurpose/fix/upcycle furniture/household goods

I invest wisely on quality childcare, hobbies for kids, memorable birthday parties for kids, and healthy home-cooked food ingredients.

 

[TooPatient]

Make a spreadsheet of every bill you have. Include ALL income you get. Look up specific numbers down to the penny. Have the spreadsheet do a running sum. Positive numbers for income. Negative for expenses. Enter your fixed bills first (rent, car, minimum loan, etc). What you have left is for gas, groceries, extras, and paying down debt faster.
Give yourself a fixed budget each week for gas & groceries.

We cut our cable entirely.
I get a haircut once every year or two (I'm currently growing and plan to donate).
DH has me cut his hair (super easy and saves $40 every 6 weeks).
No cleaning service.
No yard service.
If I can't throw it in the washing machine, it doesn't get bought.
Fill dishwasher full before running. (saves water & detergent)
Full laundry loads.
Shorter showers.
Water lawn minimally.
Grow herbs and any fruits/veggies you can. (we used to spend $10+ per week on fresh herbs and haven't had to buy any for a couple of years now!)
Eat at home. Make lunches to take to work. Coffee at home (we have an espresso machine so don't even feel the need to get a treat). Make iced tea to keep at home and fill a water bottle to take with you in summer.
Temperature down a degree or two in winter and up a degree or two in summer.
Buy canned/boxed by the case for a 10% discount.
Buy clothes on sale and off season. (I just got a pair of great gloves on sale from $45 to $6 plus an extra 20% off!)
Use the online coupons -- QFC, Fred Meyer, Safeway, etc let you load electronic coupons to your club card (I recently got $130 worth of groceries for $75 after sales & coupons!)

Oh....
Make as much from scratch as you can!
$5/box of chicken stock adds up fast. Make your own for just a couple of dollars -- easily $30 worth of stock made at home for $5
Bread -- If you have a food processor with the bread blade, this just takes a few minutes to mix up and it is risen and baked within an hour.

 

[Sky56]

Buy quality clothing and housewares at TJMaxx and Ross.

No money spent on hair or nails. I buy shampoo and conditioner and wear my hair long and unstyled.

90% of my jewelry is second-hand. Nice collection bought at bargain prices.

I don't drink alcohol or eat meat, chicken or fish - restaurant meal prices good!

Turn off unneeded lights.

Keep my house pretty cold in the winter, I don't like the hot, stuffy feeling of a 70 degree house anyway.

Buy stuff on sale.

 

[MishB]

Mani/pedis, although I exchanged that for eyelash extensions so no real net saving there.

Magazines - I was shocked how much I was spending over a month when I added them up, now I swap them with a close group of friends so I still get to enjoy them for a fraction of the cost.

Meat - we've always had a few meat free meals per week, but we also have cut down on the meat content of dishes like curries and stir fries and bulked them up with extra veges, saving and healthier.

 

[diamondringlover]

I dont have any additional info to add, all of the above is good advice, I live a very simple life, my only advice is clip coupons for the grocery stores and do the online electronic coupons as well, just last Friday I save $19.50 on my grocery bill using coupons! I only buy whats on sale (unless its a must have) and I go to several stores to get the bargains, I usually feed a family of 4 on less then $150 a week, its has gotten to be like a game for me, I try to see how many groceries I can get for as little money as possible!

 

[JewelFreak]

Cut out pre-prepared frozen meals; they are really expensive. Also sodas, etc.

I used to send my bed linens out because I like them crisp & starched. When it got to almost $40 per bed, I started doing them at home. I starch them & turn on a mindless movie & iron them. Wash sweaters & anything that doesn't NEED dry cleaning at home too.

Wash the car yourself.

Pretty much everything else has been said.

One thing -- let yourself have a small treat once in a while & feel proud that you earned it. Otherwise you'll go crazy & not stick to a budget.

--- Laurie

 

[recordaras]

Food-wise it's always great to plan meals around what's on sale this week, and also don't forget how amazing bean dishes can be! Seriously, they are less than $2/lb, but are incredibly tasty and healthy. Same goes for chickpeas, lentils, barley (barley risotto is my favorite thing EVER).
Also, when I'm in savings mode I never buy fresh bread. Our supermarket cuts the price on bread with a sell by date that's the next day, and I regularly get $4 organic whole grain loaves for $0.79-1.50. I also stick it in the freezer to make sure that a. it doesn't go bad and b. I always have bread on hand.

And of course, buy products when they are in season. We're going to start our fourth year of CSA soon, and it's a lot to put towards groceries before the season even begins, however in our case it totally makes sense. Our shares come to about $30/week, and from March to mid-December we are guaranteed a weekly box of local, fresh, organic fruit and vegetables. If we were to buy the same things at a farmer's market or Whole Foods we would be paying much, much more!

Also, it can help to check prices online. For example, the Ecover dishwasher tabs I use are something like $7.50 plus tax at Whole Foods, so I buy them at Vitacost for $4 with no tax and 4% cash back through ebates. Same with Bob's Red Mill cereals and grains, Dr. Bronner soaps - much cheaper online than locally!

 

[NTave]

Im the queen of simplifying after going through a divorce 5 years ago. Cutting luxuries..cut cable. Cut back cell phone plan. Get rid of house phone if you get good cell service. Shop your insurances for the best deal. Yearly. Make sure your car is worth what you are paying out..ie gas vs payment, etc. Shut off lights when you aren't around. Keep heat down and don't turn it on until you really need it. Stick to a grocery list, plan out your meals around loss leaders. I don't coupon food, because I find most coupons to not pertain to meat and vegetables, as I shop mostly the perimeter of a store. Change grocery stores if there is one that is significantly cheaper and still has good quality. I saved 30 dollar per shop off just changing grocery stores..didn't want to, but helped. Long term look at energy efficient appliances, I have slowly been changing over all the can lights to the energy saving halogen bulbs. Make sure you make a budget for luxuries so you don't feel deprived when you are saving, fun is important too.

 

[kgizo]

Gifts. We say it's the thought that counts so it's crazy what we spend over the course of a year. Auto maintenance, independent service shops are often a lot less than dealerships. Vacations, look at all the trips you take and decide which are most important to you. If you have multiple credit cards get down to one so you can track your spending easily.

I also liked Till Debt Do Us Part. Is that on anymore?

 

[recordaras]

By the way, we use mint.com for tracking all spending (in our case we prefer to actually have multiple credit cards to maximize rewards in different categories), and it is great! I actually check the app every morning on my cell phone to see where I am in terms of monthly spending by category.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

If you have good public transportation in your area, I would get rid of a car.

Do your grocery shopping every other week and then take one day and cook meals to freeze so that when your tired and don't want to cook, you won't do take-out.

Get a friend to cut your hair or color it.

Plan activiities that are free or low cost. In the summer they have so much going on in the Chicagoland area(where i live) that you will be busy on most weekends at low cost fun.

No starbucks or lunches out except as a real treat , like once or twice a month.

I like my cable TV so much that I wouldn't tell anyone to get rid of it, unless they never watch it. It is entertainment at a reasonable price.


Annette

 

[marymm]

(deleted)

 

[MollyMalone]

"Bulk" dry cleaning (it's charged by the pound) can be a good, less expensive option for some items that cannot be safely laundered in a machine or by hand. Bulk-cleaned items aren't pressed; they are hung on hangers after being tumbled dry. But my wool coats, for example, have always looked fine.

 

[Laila619]

Think about purchases before you make them. "Is this something I'll really love and use? Will I still love it in 5 years?"
When grocery shopping, stick to the basics. No fancy cookies, cakes, treats, liquor, drinks, pop, etc.
I have long hair and only get it cut like once or twice a year. No manis or pedis ever. They are expensive and I can do my own nails.
Stick to quality over quantity. It's better to own a few quality pieces than a ton of junky pieces.
Keep lights turned off when not in rooms.
Keep heat turned down low.
Buy generic/store brand.
Use coupons whenever you can.
When essentials that you use daily are on sale for a low price, buy in bulk.
Buy gifts for people on sale.
Don't eat out as much.
When you DO eat out, don't order beverages or alcohol. Just stick to water for free. And definitely don't order dessert.
Use the library to check out books and movies and music for free.
No more bling purchases.
Cut out cable.
Get a basic cell phone plan.
Sell stuff you don't use or wear anymore.

 

[pregcurious]

No more bling purchases.

Laila, could you share how you discipline yourself on this? I go through phases when I am off PS, but when I am here, it's so hard not to buy.

 

[TooPatient]

No more bling purchases.

Laila, could you share how you discipline yourself on this? I go through phases when I am off PS, but when I am here, it's so hard not to buy.

I'm not Laila, but I don't buy bling much at all. Last year was the first in several years. Not looking like I'll do any more for another year or better.

At the end of each two week pay period, I take the "extra" money from our accounts (usually have "extra" by using less than budgeted for food & gas) and make extra payments to the couple of loans we have. That pays down the debt faster and since it isn't money sitting in an account, I can't be tempted to buy anything with it.

 

[Laila619]

No more bling purchases.

Laila, could you share how you discipline yourself on this? I go through phases when I am off PS, but when I am here, it's so hard not to buy.

Mainly I just tell myself I don't need it, diamonds are expensive and prices are extra crazy these days, I'll regret it when I see the credit card statement, I won't wear it all that much anyway, I need the money for the kids' college funds, etc.

I do still buy some jewelry sporadically, but it's inexpensive stuff ($150 or less).

 

[lambskin]

ALL of the above suggestions are great and will save you $$. Here are a few more. Use your library for books and free movie rental. Try to go a week without shopping for food. Use what you have in your cabinet, fridge and freezer. We all have a stock pile of canned goods we never seem to use. Seriously this will save you a lot of money and get your older goods used before they expire. Same with cleaning products and toiletries. Avoid clothes shopping for a month. When you do shop, don't buy the first day. Think about it and if you really need it go back later. The added effort and burden may deter the impulse purchase. Avoid alcohol at a restaurant. The mark up is high and really adds to the bill. Same with soda pop. Tap water is fine. Know when things go on sale. For example soda pop always goes on a super sale right before a major holiday of sport event such as Super Bowl. Just knowing how much a few dollars can add up. Finally watch gas prices and sale prices.
,

 

[iLander]

Don't forget your library also has Kindle books that you can download from your wi-fi and pretty recent DVD's.

If they don't have something you want, ask about their interlibrary loans, you can borrow from the Library of Congress if you have to.

We love Redbox for $1.25 movie rentals.

I color my hair at home, $8 versus $200 a month at the salon. I like Garnier Nutrisse, and my hair is lush and shiny.

I have paid up to $200 for a haircut. Now I go to Great Clips and pay $15. I was sitting outside at a strip center, and all these people with great hair kept walking by. They were coming out of the Great Clips! I tried them, and they're awesome!

Costco is the way to go for food. $2.50 a pound for chicken breast in the freezer section. Paper towels, toilet paper, the Kirkland brand is great. I gave up paper plates, so I'm saving $15 a month there. Don't wander into the snack section though, they'll get you.

Don't eat lunch out if you work. Try Costco for microwave lunches; burritos, sandwiches, pot pies, etc. Eat in the park to get away.

I pay $6 for a POUND of coffee beans, organic, rainforest blend. That makes a lot of coffee! Costco website, San Francisco brand. 2 bags, 3 lbs each, $36 including shipping. It's delicious, extremely smooth. Can't even imagine paying $6 for a cup of coffee.

We got rid of $40 a month worth of movie channels and got $9 a month Netflix.

I never buy clothes that require dry cleaning. Going on 30 years of that habit and I'm not sure I'm missing anything.

Thinking of getting rid of the land line, it's $50 a month and no one calls it but solicitors. Will use cell instead.

Remember WALMART IS NOT CHEAPER!! It's seriously not. Target is cheaper. I've comparison shopped my items, and between Costco and Target I get the best prices. Walmart leaves their stores in bad shape because it furthers the perception that they're cheap. But they're not. I checked their plant department this weekend, and their plants (lousy selection) were all $2 more than Home Depot. I watched a woman spend $6.99 on the saddest bag of oranges I've ever seen. Then I thought of the big, luscious CRATE of oranges I just got at Costco for the same price. Even cat food at Walmart is $2 more expensive than the same thing at Target.

Years ago, a retail executive told me that Walmart is not cheap. It took me years to figure out that he was 100% right.

 

[PintoBean]

We reduced our cable package - Pretty much cut out most channels above 100.
Instead of dining in restaurants, we order take-out from the same restaurants - saves us tips. We order delivery if the weather is bad

Sometimes I will order lunch specials from the restaurant because they are usually better priced than dinner.

When I worked in an office, I realized that I didn't need to dress to impress - mostly men, tech company. I just needed to dress so as to not violate any dress codes! I only got whatever I needed for each season... a dress for a dress going to donation... I also always go for materials I can handwash in a sink or machine wash.

DH's pants come from TJ Maxx and Marshalls, and his shirts are from Costco - Kirkland wrinkle free are usually around $23.99 (if I recall correctly...). We replace his work shoes once a year - he likes Cole Haans from Nordstrom, so I usually keep an eye out for when they are on sale and snatch them up then.