Living on the cheap...

[Mr. Kilt]

We recently cancelled our cable TV altogether and put the set in the basement. We're saving almost $60/month and we're spending more time doing things rather than sitting in front of the box.

We also don't have any extra "frills" on our home phone service, and the only extras on the cell are call display and voicemail (it's my work phone so I have to have those).

We drive used vehicles and keep them until they can no longer be used before replacing them with another used one.

We don't upgrade to the newest technology in electronics unless absolutely necessary. No Blackberry, no state-of-the-art computers, sound systems, etc.

This last one is certainly not for everyone, but it saved us a TON of money...

Last year we both quit our decent-paying jobs, sold our house in the city, and moved 700 miles east to a small farming town of 3500 people. We went from a crappy but $275K house with a tiny yard to having a gorgeous historic home with a huge yard at 1/4 the price! The gas money we're saving from not having to drive everywhere is incredible as well. I was spending up to $500/month commuting to work in the city, now it's less than $200, and I use the truck as my daily work vehicle!

[ChubRock]

Two years ago, I left my job as a school construction consultant to return to a job closer to home with better health benefits, but 40% lower income, voluntarily. To adjust, we did the following:

Stopped eating out. We do occasionally get a take out, but by not going to restaurants we don't have to buy four sodas and tip 15-20%. That saves us $20 each time. I think wife said we were spending $500/mo eating out for three-four years.

Shop once a week at the stores versus daily for diner, laundry stuffs, personal things. You are still likely to do a little impulse buying, but it's once a week, not 7+.

We told our kids fewer costly activities. My kids play on volleyball teams, swim/dive teams, gymnastics, softball, Girl Scouts, etc. We ask them to trim as well by choosing a sport they like to compete in and no sports camp costs. Saves $100/mo.

Getting rid of cell phones, high speed internet and cable TV are not considered by the Lass at this time. But wow! My parents survived without them, so could we. Total that would be more than $200/mo.

[Coinneach]

Reduce to one phone whether it is cell or landline.

Eat out once every 7 to 10 days (and yes, fast food places count as eating out).

Cut your newspaper subscription to weekend or Sunday only.

If possible, work 2 to 3 days a week from home. (I know that's not an option for a lot of jobs.)

Rediscover the local library for books, music, and movie rentals.

Check if there is a local Freecycle community in your area (think 'one man's trash....').

[dfmacliam]

I rely on Wifi for internet access, since I live on the road, I shop around for best bargain rv parks. I learned to eat slowly.. and found out you will get full with half the food, than if you eat quickly..
I pack my lunch and snacks.. I eat more fruit than junk food... for entertainment, I usually go fishing at night, and suppliment my groceries with fish.. or trade for things I can use..
I have learned to barter... trade for things I can use with things that I do not really use anymore..
I buy movies from the movie rental places.. Movie Gallery is what I use.. I usually pay about $7.00 for movies that have been out for a couple months.. last week, I bought Taken and Valkerie... and after a bit.. I will either trade them, or give them to my girlfriend so she can sell them at a garage sale, and help her income out..

[Chas]

Back in the last recession in the 80's, I lost everything apart from the house which I owned. Water, gas, electricity, phone, sewage - all cut off. No services at all. But my girlfriend at the time and I were young and healthy. We relearned how to cook on open fires; we washed and bathed out of doors; we did what ever we had to during the hours of daylight and slept during the hours of night.

The one thing I learnt then was this: Be Content With Your Lot. When we had nothing, we wanted for nothing. Later the situation eased and times got better, then we started wanting. Is my life better now? It is easier; I have more things; but better? I don't know.

Regards

Chas

[MacKay71]

We got rid of our landline phone since everyone in the familt has a cell phone. We saved $60 a month!

[Pleater]

A long time ago I went to buy a freezer - (there was a sale on, but I was rather late getting there) all they had left were ones two sizes smaller than I thought I wanted, or two sizes larger.

As I had a large space to put it in, I got a big one, and it is still working, so I am able to buy up offers on food, freeze them and still have enough room for the everyday things, so I don't have to use up the bargains quickly.

I can layer the lower part with reduced price meat, fish, bread, butter and cheese, put leftovers in there so they don't spoil before anyone feels like eating them, take advantage of large size joints or packs of chops etc. sold at a lower price per Kg than the smaller ones, then cut them into smaller joints or separate them into packs of 3 or 4 portions and keep them for later in the month.

The kids made ice lollies each Summer, and I froze fruit from the garden.

I even kept the coffee beans in there so I could buy larger packs and keep them fresh until needed.

It might not seem to be much of a saving per meal, but over something like 20 years it all adds up.

Plus if you suddenly find there is no job and no salary in the bank either, you do at least have something to eat for quite some time.

There is the cost of the power to keep it cold, but the running costs don't seem to be any more than a smaller freezer as long as it is kept filled or the empty space enclosed, so the cold can't escape.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Old Hippie]

We've got land, so we're putting more of it in cultivation. Last summer we dug a 20-foot shipping container into the hillside behind the house, so now we have a nice little root cellar. We are still eating potatoes that we grew last summer, and should run out just before this year's harvest.

Learn to can and preserve food. It's not hard. You just have to have a bit of knowledge. Harvest wild foods in moderation (animals depend on them, too). We get wild chokecherries and Saskatoon berries on our land, as well as commercial Saskatoon bushes in the orchard. We didn't can enough tomatoes last year. We've got two big gardens going, and will have surplus to trade with the neighbours for things we don't have.

The best advice I ever got was to bite the bullet and buy the best quality kitchen and gardening gear I could find. When you're doing a lot of canning you need big pots and a big pressure cooker. It's not cheap, but it'll pay for itself within two years AND you'll know what you're eating.

If you don't have space or inclination to grow some of your own food, go to farmer's markets and make some new friends. Even just buying a flat of fresh strawberries and making a batch of freezer jam can save you money all winter.

Grow it, brew it, make it yourself. I find that I can bake three batches of bread on a Sunday and still get other things done. (and I'm no paragon of domesticity, I assure you.)

[Lady M]

Topic removed.

[Clan McKinnon]

This is a low-cost thread. Well, this is a thread for all of us! I'd like to know what are YOUR top ways to live a little more cheaply?

I can drink just one drink slowly and order only an appetizer or a dessert instead of springing for a full meal with alcohol (that can be $50 easily here in Japan).

Great thread!! Excellent insight by all, thank you.

CDN, what are you doing in Japan and what part are you in?