Ways to save Money in Poor Economy

I am in the process of starting a blog on this very subject! Unfortunately, it's not up and running, and I don't want to give away too many of my ideas, but here are a couple:

You specifically asked how to still have fun. You have to turn to the simple joys. Pack picnic lunches and find beautiful spots to take them. There are so many gorgeous parks and beaches. Remember that small children don't have a clue how much money you're spending, they just want your time. Buy some bubbles (so cheap!) and spend an hour blowing them in the backyard. See how happy that child is.

I saw someone mention they are doing Netflix and dropped cable. We sort of did that too, but we dropped just the premium (movie) channels and kept Netflix. And while we're on the subject of movies...don't buy videos for your kids, rent them! With Netflix you can keep them forever so your child can watch the favorites over and over again until they get tired of it. Or even go to the library for movies, although the selection is usually hit and miss.

Most communities offer a plethora of free or very low-cost classes and activities like movies in the park. Check your local rec dept or community college/adult ed.

Other than that, my best advice is it's a constant job juggling expenses. No matter how much you're saving, you can probably save more. Once you start, you can usually find more ways by being creative. Well...I can't say too much more but if I get my blog up soon I'll post the link here!

It isn't easy, is it? Here are some things we've been doing to save money:

- We got on my in-laws family phone plan and only have to pay the extra portion each month (which is $15 per extra phone)
- I first stopped coloring my hair. Then as my hair grew longer I stopped getting it cut professionally. My husband just trims it for me. Yes, it's a sacrifice, but really I hardly have time or reason to primp my hair that much anyway so it seems silly to shell out over $50 for a trim. My mother-in-law has been cutting my husband's hair since he was a kid (she's not a professional, just self-taught) and now she cuts my son's hair, too.
- I plan our meals weekly so that I buy only what we really need.
- I buy our bread, tortillas, cereals, etc. at Target or Wal Mart. I also started shopping more at Trader Joe's. Sounds like it would cost more, right? Well, the organic vegetables and fruits, yogurts, rice milk, etc. are usually better quality and cheaper than at regular stores and I've found that I do a lot less impulse buying there (e.g. ice cream, snacks, or two for whatever deals that go on at other stores). If I do my shopping at Trader Joe's, I usually leave there spending somewhere in the $80 range. At other stores, it's usually between $100 and $130. Costco is great for bulk items that will last a long time, but it's easy to go overboard unnecessarily. It can often still be cheaper to buy a store brand at like Target or something than to buy a name brand in bulk at Costco.
- We try to plan our eating out around the coupons we have as opposed to what we feel like eating. ;)
- We use Netflix instead of Cable (but we bought a nice $75 antennae so we still get some digital channels) so we still get movie nights.
- My husband's truck uses more gas mileage than my car, so his truck is mostly just to get him back and forth to work. On the weekends, we only use my car.
- I shop at places like Children's Orchard for slightly used clothing/books, etc. for my son.

As far as entertainment goes - our son is too young for this just yet, but we eventually plan to have a family game night. Free and fun entertainment without leaving the house! We still go to the mall, but not to shop! We play in the kids area, visit the animal store, etc. Still fun without spending any money. We also go to parks, libraries, visit family and neighbors, and then there's always the beach!

Hello J.,
I suggest you speak to Andrea J who posted a similar concern on 11/14, however she has moved from San Diego to LV. She should have a lot of inexpensive family things to do in San Diego for you.

We've cut back on grocery items by buying bulk when possible, using more coupons and other things. For fun, we mainly do free/low cost outdoor activities like parks, festivals, Traveltown Museum in Griffith park, etc... We pack a picnic so that there's no additional expense eating out.

have you heard of upromise.com? been around forever check it out.

In addition to "saving"... we regularly sell things on "Craig's List"....anything we don't need or the kids have outgrown are sold. Then any money we make from it... goes into our savings accounts... or, for things that are needed for the family... or even basics.

J.,

Just want to share with you that aside from saving money another option is to make money from home.

I have a home based business that I have been doing for 5 years. It has allowed us to help people to improve their health and to make $500, $1000 or more per month.

After 2 years of working in the San Francisco Bay area, we were able to buy 2 homes here in Las Vegas. My son and daughter also moved here and we enjoy working together. We also have 3 grandchildren who we see every day.

Please check out the following:
www.marlenebalingit.com
www.mangosteenmd.com
www.pubmed.com type mangosteen in search area

If you are interested, email me at ____@____.com
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