Comment by Kat P

January 9, 2013 @ 7:40 am

I so agree with all the above said! Sheesh people, quit whining and get some common sense!

Comment by Lydia

January 9, 2013 @ 12:13 pm

So, so true! I can think of some more things like books, movies, music….all things that some folks I know consider important and necessary all the while miring themselves deeper into debt.

Then there are things like meat and cheese. I know that they are important and that we all probably want/need some of them. But growing up we didn’t have either one very often due to lack of money. When we did have them, it was usually in forms that didn’t take a lot. For instance, my mom would make a soup or other recipe that took meat and would only add half the amount of the meat. We lived and were healthy too! I love my meat and cheese but it is also one of the first things to go if things are really tight.

Comment by Savvy Housekeeper

January 11, 2013 @ 11:38 am

Thanks! Lydia, you are right, meat and cheese are luxuries. So are coffee and tea. We all have it so good, we sometimes forget things like that.

Comment by Thea

April 12, 2013 @ 1:06 am

Clothing is another area that is sometimes late in being cut from a budget. Some people that can barely pay rent continue to buy only the latest fashion or best quality clothes. Or too many clothes (instead of making do with what they have). My mom often tells me about when she was young: typically they had about 3 sets of clothes. One for Sundays, and 2 for during the week. She tells me about how my grandmother would be creative in accessorizing (different scraf or broach etc) so that she still could vary what she wore. Old clothes were mended or recycled. Hand me downs were very much the norm. Whereas nowadays I know a lot of people who won’t touch a hand me down.
Another thing I see around me are parents that buy expensive toys for their kids that they really can’t afford.
A third area people could but often don’t cut costs is heating. Although some heating is necessary, we could put on an extra sweater and wear a pair of tights under our jeans to lower the heat needed. A Japanese lady I know went the entire winter with no heating to save costs. She hardened herself. I recently read a newspaper article about Russian primary school kids going outside in the freezing snow in their swimsuits to harden themselves. Their teacher gave them a bucket of cold water to throw over themselves while they were out there. It’s necessary in Russia because their winters are so incredibly cold that they must be able to withstand it to survive. (Link to a similar article in words: SiberianTimes dot com / healthandlifestyle / others / news / like-ducks-to-water-in-the-snow-keeping-kids-healthy-siberian-style/)
And if they can do it, we can (with our much milder winters).
I really loved what you wrote about the TV. It really IS such a part of everyone’s life. I don’t think most people are even aware of how big a role the TV plays in their lives (myself included).
A close second to TV is the internet. If we’re not watching TV, we’re surfing or involved in social media or playing online games.
And finally an often hidden cost: rent. Buying stuff on credit (basically borrowing the money to buy stuff) and then having to pay the amount of purchase + rent. Loads of people forget that it’s FAR cheaper to save up first and buy later, than to buy now with borrowed money (on credit).
Up-side: no TV = less exposure to agressive marketing techniques that are sometimes hard to see through, manipulative and misleading – and all geared to talking the money out of your pocket.
Love your diy money saving tips. Thanks!