Home › Forums › Open Discussion › The economy and you……..
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
March 29, 2008 at 12:31 am #620214
AnonymousInactiveOh, Baking! My stomach is growling just thinking of possibilities! Baking seems like so much fun. I am actually surprised that I enjoy cooking over baking. I know that my daughter would love it if I baked more!
I didn’t mean to pry, but thanks for responding!
March 29, 2008 at 12:33 am #620215
andreaParticipantwell lets see…the husband-to-be and myself most definitley feel the crush of the current economy…right now we are a one income family as he is a full-time college student and national guard member,a dn I’m the lone bread winner :)…the GI bill does offer us a modicum amount each month to put towards expenses, but not enought to really make a differnce…in an effort to save and cut back, we no longer eat out at all, unless its a major event or holiday…i run everywhere if i can, both distance-wise and the weather allows (for everything from mail drops, pharmacy runs, even dog food pick ups)…we don’t go out for movies or other activites, and instead have taken to watching movies on demand, taking long meandering walks with our dogs, as well as very spirited games of chess (I’m still learning!), scrabble, and my favorite, gin rummy when we have spare time on the weekends…and while I’m not the greatest chef in the world, i do try to cook most meals at home from food purchased at Trader Joe’s (a thrifty girls fav!), Costco when needed, and PCC (only for those things that you can’t get anywhere else, like almond cheese…yum!)…i take the bus to and from work everyday (thanks to my employer who provides bus passes to all employees), so that helps in the gas saving dept, and i also take my lunch to work daily (usually frozen Amy’s meals or soup and salad from home)…we don’t have a home phone, and I am a light and heat nazi, and will turn anything off or down that is on unnecessarily…the thermostat does not go higher than 68 in the house either…sweaters and socks are standard attire throughout the winter in my home…our one splurge we aren’t able to break is our dog’s dog food, as our oldest is allergic to wheat products, therefore all 3 now eat expensive (to us at least) wheat free, gluten free, high omega 3 & 6, wet and dry dog food from Mud Bay…lucky boys…i was able to refinance the mortgage this last spring, and that afforded me the ability to pay off all credit card debt, so now we’re sitting pretty in the debt-free land…minus the extra lifetime on the mortgage i suppose!!
March 29, 2008 at 1:02 am #620216
AnonymousInactiveandrea – I LOVE gin rummy!!
March 29, 2008 at 1:20 am #620217
AdmiralJanewayParticipantSince last year, I’ve been making a concerted effort to payoff the credit card debt. I’m definitely more price conscious in my buying decisions these days and waiting for sales. My most notable action was to close money-sucking accounts like my little used gym membership and Netflix subscription.
March 29, 2008 at 1:21 am #620218
charlabobParticipantWe need a whole other thread to talk about whether the media is causing the economic downturn or vice versa. I have to say, I find it a little strange that the “problem” is too much use of credit and the “solution” is more shopping. :-) Having said that, I’ll go home and start another contentious thread…I really like this discussion as it is.
March 29, 2008 at 1:22 am #620219
charlabobParticipantOne other saving, for those of us who can’t quite stop shopping for music: buy songs on demand (from Itunes, whatever). When’s the last time you bought a CD and loved every tune on it? Itunes (and the others) allow you to get a couple of songs you like — some artists now (LOVE ya’ RADIOHEAD) give away their music on their web sites. Look around…you’ll be surprised. And it’s not wrapped in plastic :-)
March 29, 2008 at 1:23 am #620220
AnonymousInactiveOn that note, I would like to point out that blockbuster.com is a really great deal. If you have movies mailed to you, you can take them to the store in exchange for a free movie. Plus you get a free in-store coupon every month.
I don’t think we have paid for a blockbuster movie in months. Of course, we are paying the monthly membership, but it saves us a ton of money overall.
March 29, 2008 at 1:31 am #620221
charlabobParticipantThe bob half went through our online checking account statements last year and found a HUGE number of things that we either didn’t know we had or didn’t want anymore. (Free trial subscriptions that went on and on, deluxe memberships whose deluxe functionality wasn’t useful at all … I think he saved us about $500 total for a couple hours detective work.)
We found one item this year that showed up because we hadn’t opted OUT of a feature and their confirmation mail went to spam. (We did a one-time online search for a friend and apparently bought a subscription to something or other because we didn’t read the fine print and say no.) Turns out it was a known scam and we got our money back. Yup, we should have read it and yup yup, they didn’t get away with it. Think of all the people who never notice and all the $14.95s they get as a result.
If you ever find something mysterious on your bank statement, and it doesn’t have contact information, enter whatever it does have into Google search and odds are you’ll find it, attached to a long list of complaints. They can run, but they can’t hide.
March 29, 2008 at 1:34 am #620222
charlabobParticipantThanks for the reminder about BB, NR — it’s time once again to give up our basic but hardly ever used subscription to Netflix. It does have more of the, um, filmmmmmms I crave (obscure New Zealand cowperson movies) but it isn’t worth the extra cost.
We should write a book. Maybe we have.
March 29, 2008 at 1:37 am #620223
AnonymousInactiveI agree about the overall selection, charla. Netflix is definitely better (we love documentaries), but I think BB is getting better, so keep checking!
And, OMG, I know what you mean about those secret charges to your account! Been there… Nightmare!
March 29, 2008 at 1:39 am #620224
JoBParticipantAndrea..
bench & field holistic natural canine formula at trader joe’s at just under 10 for 6.6 lbs..
i am pretty sure it is wheat free but i couldn’t guarantee gluten free…
bench & field has a website and i think the ingredients are listed there…
if not and you want to know.. i can do the typing thing.. but it is a long list:)
my dogs love it…
of course, they are not the size of yours and probably eat a lot less:)
i don’t know if their regular dog food is wheat and gluten free… i haven’t looked.. but i know it is incredibly inexpensive.
also. i think costco is now carrying nutra nuggets.. but it seems to me that they have either wheat or corn…
our akita couldn’t do corn… our akita/shpeherd mix couldn’t do wheat… so for a while it was a real challenge to find dog food for them…
we lost them both to old age…
the shibas we have now are sensitive to wheat and get more than they need in their treats.. so i try to keep it out of their food.
if i was a good mom, they would get only carrots and chicken bits for treats.
i am trying to work towards that.
i refuse to bake for the hubby or the dogs.
March 29, 2008 at 1:39 am #620225
beachdrivegirlParticipantBlockbuster.com is the best! One other way my friends and I all save is by changing oru girls night out to a girls night in and we all bring aps and a bottle of wine and catch up! Although it isnt quite as exciting as catching the hottest spot in town it is more meaningful and defin. more cost efficient. And JoB, i feel you on the hair…that is why I am a burnette now rather than a blond! Although I miss my blond hair my bank account just couldnt keep up with the highlighting every 8 weeks…
March 29, 2008 at 1:41 am #620226
beachdrivegirlParticipantAnother thing that if you can manage credit is kind of cool are the credit cards the payback. My guy who is good with plastic actually charges everything to his cc adn pays it off at the end of the month. The cc is through Wells Fargo and you earn points for all purchases! With the points you can redeem gift cards including Visa Gift Cards! We use these Visa Gift Cards for nights out!
April 8, 2008 at 9:01 am #620227
JanSParticipantthought I’d bring this to the forefront. While we look for ways to economize, there is a faction of society that, despite a downturn in their businesses, don’t have anything to worry about….
just doesn’t seem right, does it?
April 9, 2008 at 4:19 pm #620228
beachdrivegirlParticipantJanS-
I had not seen your post yesterday. And that article is just sickening…it makes me almsot want to boycott public companies more than i already try to.
April 10, 2008 at 3:37 am #620229
JoBParticipantthink globally… shop locally…
at least that way you are helping local businesses and local employees…
every little bit helps.
April 10, 2008 at 4:11 am #620230
AnonymousInactiveAnd if you prefer supporting progressive stores, bookmark this site.
And if you invest, this site rates the overall progressiveness of companies in several categories.
April 10, 2008 at 4:16 am #620231
JoBParticipantApril 10, 2008 at 4:19 am #620232
AnonymousInactiveI don’t have anything to invest either, just thought there might be others who do, or just want to know what companies to support.
By the way, weren’t there people on here saying the recession is all hype? Why is Greenspan calling it a recession getting no ink?
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSWBT00871920080408
April 10, 2008 at 4:40 am #620233
JoBParticipantJT…
because that would make it real?
of course those of us actually manage our household expenses already know it is real.
speaking of pennies, i shaved 25% off my electric bill the last two months. i guess those low energy bulbs really paid off:)
i think i could buy dinner with that:)
April 10, 2008 at 6:48 am #620234
charlabobParticipantI am all in favor of the changes we’re all making — I’ve learned from many of the things others have posted and made even more changes.
Let me point out that these are all figleaves. Until we steal back our country from the corporatists who rule it, our petty savings won’t help. They’ll simply postpone the inevitable.
April 10, 2008 at 11:30 pm #620235
beachdrivegirlParticipantSo kind of has to do with the economy and shopping locally but not 100%. However, my coworkers and I always joke around that we are going to write letters to the editor (which we never have & probably never would but I thought I would vent here…)
What baffles not only my mind but my co-workers is that nearly ever city and government agency in Seattle does not buy locally for office equipment/supplies. They all go through corporations which typically do not even have local service dispatch centers,they have CEO’s that they are paying and shareholders to support…..To me and maybe i am biased becuase I would like the business it seems logical that the City of Kent, City of Seattle, Seattle School District just a few i could go on but i wont bore you more than i already am :-) all buy from corporations based back east. Just a pet peeve because it is our tax dollars that buys the equipment so it seems like if they can get the same thing locally they should try to (which trust me they go out of their way not too…)
April 11, 2008 at 12:08 am #620236
JoBParticipantbeachdrivegirl…
a great point and one i think we all should make a lot of noise about.
our tax dollars should directly and indirectly support our local economy.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.