Living on the cheap...

[BroosterB1]

1.Ride motorcycle when ever possible 45 MPG beats 20.

2. Bundled cable with phone and Internet, saved $85 per month.

3. Moved cell phone service to different carrier, saved $75 per month.

4. cut out eating out to once per month (this one was hard for the wife), also share entrée and salad instead of two entrées and dogie bags.

5. RED BOX! $1.00 per movie rather than $4.99 PPV.

6. Make bread, everybody loves it and its better for you!

7. More legumes and rice, less read meat. Take a tip from Asian cooking, use meat for flavor rather than as a center piece (my son dis-likes this one).

8. Read more.

9. Ban the Booze. No mas alcohol, @ 6.00 a six pack and $12 - $25.00 per bottle for the hard stuff, I've spent more than enough on booze. Been 100 days and I don't miss it at all.

10. Cut way back on cigars; along with the increase in price, I have cut back from 2-3 per week, to 1 or 2 per month.

[wvpiper]

. How bout you all? What's your secret to living well on a budget? ith:

I live well below my means, always. My cars are paid off. No need to run off and buy a new one. I pay my credit cards every month, and don't pay interest
I clip coupons.
I drink water when eating out.
I make sure my payroll deductions for taxes are accurate. No sense in letting the government have more than it's fair share, only to pay it back in the middle of the following year.

[vmac3205]

So far no one has mentioned NEVER paying retail. Buy at thrift shops. Many intems are brand new. Buy at liquidators. It's like a treasure hunt, but be sure you need it before you buy it. Before you pay to take something to the dump, set it out at the end of the driveway with a free sign on it. It's amazing how other people think they need my trash, bless them. If it hasn't disappeared in a day or two, then no one wants it.

[Mr. Kilt]

Speaking of treasure hunts...if you have the time and the means, search out good deals at garage & yard sales. A few weeks ago I found an NOS (factory made, never installed) grille section for a '42 Ford pickup at garage sale for $20. A week later I sold it online for $250. There are often good opportunities to make extra cash by scrounging at those types of sales. Auctions are another place.

[dfmacliam]

I do shop at outlet malls... where I can get "designer" clothes for a fraction of the costs.. sale on sale priced items.. Tommy Hilfiger shirts for $10.00.
My girl friend is very frugal... she shops around for sales.. a little research goes a long way.. you dress proper but yet its cost efficient.

[Jerry]

I wish I could get rid of my landline service, but unfortunately, I live in one of those "holes in the universe" where no one's cell phone service works. The only way to get a signal is to drive up the road about half a mile and park in exactly the right spot. Or one other alternative is to head back into the woods, climb up about 12 feet into my tree stand and I have service. All the carriers keep telling me, "We are going to get service in that area, eventually.", but it's been nearly 5 years of hearing the same thing. Our cell phones are used mainly on the road, or to drive up the road and call the power company when we lose power.

[ali8780]

I use recycled fabric to make my children's clothes (recycled from our own closets).

That has actually been pretty fun. I'm going to be blogging a lot more about the process as soon as I get up the will to blog more

[Nick the DSM]

If needing to buy something make sure you're going to get your money's worth. Ex: Lets say a pair o' jeans is $40, divide that by how many days, approximately, you're going to use them.

I also suggest red box.

[Mipi]

We found out we can bake our own bread much cheaper then buying it in store. Using "Bread Machine" with timer enables you to bake bread later in night, so you have fresh bread for your breakfast.

It's really much cheaper and you know for sure what ingredients are in (no additives!).

[pdcorlis]

Here's a few we have been working on here at Plum Cottage...

Ride your bike or walk whenever you can.
If you must drive - combine errands.
Eat at home and brown bag your lunches.
Cut down on prepared foods - cook from scratch.
Grow a small garden - visit a farmers market.
Drink more water - skip the soda pop.
Landline or cell phone - pick only one.
Turn your water heater thermostat down.
NEVER pay full retail - wait for sales and frequent thrift shops.
Pay off the highest interest rate debts first.