JFF: What Are You Not Willing to "Cut Out"

Starbucks! (In fact, I'm drinking a pumpkin spice latte as I type this :). Normally I just order coffee though.)
Cell phone
Internet
Pest Control Services (I HATE spiders!!!)
Quality gas for the car (no cheap gas)

At the end of the day, if I had to, I could probably give up anything. But in the spirit of the question:

Date Night
Cell Phone (though I could get rid of my smartphone and get a regular one)
TV (great escape with 3 kids)
Car

Internet. It's necessary for me to work, and look for work. I would consider a different option but not cut it out altogether.

I'm NOT willing to give up:
-My DVR
-My cellphone
-getting my hair highlighted
-pedicures (I could spread them out though)

My cleaning lady every two weeks! She's a godsend! :)

Vacations. Getting away together as a family and having a change of scenery is priceless. We are fortunate that we have been able to visit many interesting places with our son, both in the United States and overseas, but if that changed I would still do as much as I could to make family trips - whatever form they might take - happen.

$663/mo for a reliable minivan - VW Routan - we're halfway thru the payments, and then I will drive it until it for as many years as I can before we get another reliable car.

$348/mo for Catholic school for our 1 school age child. I just could never do public school, having been raised in Catholic school for K-12, and then 5 years at Catholic universities, and teaching in both Catholic and public schools.

Coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables, cell phone (I travel for work).

Internet - I am taking online classes so internet is a necessity... Plus, how would I cope without my mamapedia addiction? :P

Cell Phone - We don't have a land line and I need someway to keep in touch with my husband, both my employers, my family, and my friends.

TV - We do not have cable at the moment, and just have netflix. I am already going crazy since I am unable to watch my normal TV shows, but if I didn't have any TV at all? I'd be committed to the loony bin.

My Car - I'm still making payments to the bank anyway, so I don't see a point in getting rid of it. Plus, I need it to get to work and appointments since my husband has his car at work all day. Since he works so far away it is not possible for me to drive him to work and pick him up each day.

Hi K.,

I can think of a few things:

*Coffee out a few times a month
*Internet -to click the box on animalrescuesite.com, etc...every day
*organic meats, etc...
*gym membership

Internet and organic foods.

During the school year: Internet
*Every summer we turn off internet & cable b/c we are so busy, it is just a wasted expense that we are not home enough to make it worth paying for.

Every year my 2 youngest boys play on a Pony league baseball team. It is UBER expensive $$$ but they only play 1 sport a year and we are unwilling to cut it out, regardless of price.

Other than that I can't think of anything...I don't have anything that I personally am unwilling to live without...which now that I think about it, it's pretty cool!!

Great post!

For me...along with the first two answers which just seem to be necessities these days (cars, internet, house, etc.) I take a dance class every week and love it and do not wish to stop anytime soon :)

Internet for sure.....and probably my cell phone.

Another internet response here. We use it to check news, communicate with my parents, for online classes, general research, gaming and for our Netflix and Hulu accounts.

Another things...pets. I wouldn't get rid of them to save money.

Cable and internet. Why? I earn retirement income in the stockmarket and I get tips off cable (CNBC) and use the computer to trade via the internet.

Good luck to you and yours.

My cell phone -- because my kids need to be able to find me.
Healthy, quality foods.
Beyond that, I could give up a whole lot of luxuries -- don't need tv, don't need electronics beyond my phone, don't need self indulgences or new clothes.

Internet.
It's how I keep track of my kiddos school grades. They are all posted online weekly. Every class. And of course, I would have to give up THIS site, if I didn't have internet either, lol.

But, we also use it to access streaming Netflix... so there is that, too. And just general being able to google anything at any time. And online shopping. Just today I saves myself $45 on one part for the chlorinator, by shopping online before going into the brick/mortar store. Online, the cap I needed was $42, in the store it was $69. But when I told them I could get it online, they were able to find me a gently used one for just $25. :)
And they weren't able to do anything about the collection bag for the Polaris that got a hole in it and needs replacing.... but online I was able to order 2 for LESS than the cost of ONE from the local pool store.

Organic milk and meat.

Good makeup/skin care products

Hair - I get it done every ten weeks, so I stretch it. I just won't eliminate it!

My cleaning lady

My brooks running shoes

I know this list seems long, but I really have cut a LOT! =)

@ K1 - Oh God how I miss pedicures! I get about 2 per year now and the rest is up to me! Horrible!

My Shaklee vitamins and skin care.

a car (and car insurance) for me and hubby. we don't live in a big city so to get anywhere even the park i need to be able todrive.

Internet - I would gladly go without a landline or cell phone and cable but need my web for work and everything else.

Real Diet Coke. The generic is NOT the same.

A pair of Asics running shoes every two years.

Hockey for my kids. We're up to about $2K a year with one playing a full season and the other two at half seasons, plus equipment. I literally work a second job to pay for this and it's worth every penny.

Spending money on my hair. I know - vanity.

Of course I would cut that out if I needed to, but it would be the last thing to go. I rarely buy clothes (or anything else) for myself, and I don't care about watching TV. I don't care at all about food or alcohol. My kids are a lot like me, and are quite happy with very little, so we could/have cut many things without even feeling it. My hair (straightening/coloring/highlighting) is my one indulgence.

My husband would not be willing to cut satellite TV. :)

For me books. For my husband his smart phone.

Internet, cable, PVR, van, Y membership, zoo membership...

Cable TV. Satellite sucks in ways that can't be imagined. When the weather is bad it goes out, it it's cloudy you're lucky to get reception. If is sprinkles the satellite has interference. It stinks. My FIL has had every brand of it you can find and they all work the same.

Cable, on the other hand, works all the time. It has no interference issues other than something that might be going on in your home or with the connection itself.

We had a huge ice storm that basically shut down my area. We had the computer and the TV on a surge protector with battery backup. We had TV and internet access due to the cable not going off at all.

We could just put new batteries in the surge protector and watch another few hours or be online a while longer.

I live in tornado alley and there is absolutely no way I'd live without that assurance I could watch the KOKC weather team to know what's coming at me.

* Eating out once a week
* Internet
* Kids' sports
* Our tithe--probably the only one I would NOT cut out for anything. The rest I would just hold on to as long as I could, but if absolutely necessary would cut.

Internet, eating out.