Budget board sure has changed

[peyjax]

Boy are you right! It has changed a lot. I used to read it for pure entertainment value.

There were so many doozies. Things that would make you go The community towels and reusable unmentionable were just I aways got a kick on the one on how to feed the family of 6 on $150 a month. They used some type of paste or food that was debatable as to whether it was actually considered food or not. (can not remember what that stuff was) Then they would use powdered milk etc. All I remember thinking was if you are that tight how are you on the internet?

There were some helpful ones I miss. Like the CVS lady. I did use her at times and got some good deals, however it did get tiresome trying to get the deals.

 

[Colleen27]

Not really. I think like many "fads" they tend to fade after a while.

I think there are a few things that contributed to his relative decline in popularity. First of all, quite a bit of the information in Total Money Makeover is outdated even in the new edition, which left me with the impression that he's deliberately left in inaccurate info to strengthen his point. It was most apparent in the new car/used car discussion - used car prices are higher than they've ever been, and the old saw about the car losing half its value the minute you drive it off the lot is terribly outdated. We looked at 2 & 3yo cars that were only 10-15% less expensive than brand new, and even a 5 year old car in good shape seems to go for around 50-60% of new prices.

Second, I think the costs of an anti-credit mindset are increasing across the board. I'm pretty anti-credit myself and for a long time I didn't see any reason to worry about credit rating since we own our home outright and don't finance or borrow for any reason. Then our insurance premiums jumped by 10% because our scores dropped below the good credit discount threshold from inactivity (no CCs, no mortgage, no negatives, just nothing reporting at all for years). Between the two policies, refusing to maintain our credit score cost us around $300/year so I did reluctantly open a CC account that we only use to autopay our fixed-cost bills (cell phones and internet) and pay off every month in hopes that we'll get the discount back by our next renewal. And with more and more employers using credit scoring as a way of filtering through a glut of applications, neglecting one's score long enough can even limit earning potential.

 

[Colleen27]

Yeah, the "family cloth" thing wasn't for me - and frankly, I think it was more for something for people to point at and few people did it.

But I do wash sponges as well - my husband tosses them the moment they get stinky, I throw them in the microwave in a little bleach water.

And I still love my reusable grocery bags

My mom knits scrubbers that I've switched to almost completely. I keep a sponge around for little things but her double sided knit scrubbers are the best, machine washable, more durable than sponges, and tough enough to clean up burnt-on gunk without being course enough to scratch.

I love my reusable grocery bags too. After finding the store bought ones to be rather less durable and washable than I wanted I started making my own out of old jeans or t-shirts and they're just great - tough enough to really load and made of fabrics that can just be tossed in the wash when they get dirty.

 

[Marionnette]

For me, "budget" is way more than taking value vacations.

For me "budget" is how to get the most value for my hard earned dollars.

for example you mentioned deluxe resorts. Now for my family value resorts are too small and we don't like them. So for me staying at a value is a huge waste of money. So if some one can inform me of a deal at a deluxe, well then that's a good "budget" tip.

No matter what my income level is, I want to spend the least amount, get good quality and save a buck or two.

ITA!

Somewhere along the line, some people got the impression that budget = cheapskate. Or that having a budget means vacationing on a shoestring.

I think more like you do, Eliza. It's not about doing your trip for the very least amount of money possible. It's about getting as much value from the dollars that you spend. To that end, I would much rather get the kind of vacation I want for as little money as possible. The thought of taking extreme measures 51 weeks out of the year in order to afford 7 days in Disney make me shake my head in wonder.

 

[poohfriend]

A thread on how to save money on meals. Finally someone piped up with taking MREs (from a military surpluss) into the park and heating them on the concrete with a maginfying glass.

I laughed for days.

And I think they may have been serious. Or maybe it was all tongue in cheek.

Love the budget board ..... then and now. But I do believe it's changed.

 

[buckeev]

When it comes to saving/preparing for our vacations...ESPECIALLY our Orlando vacations, we do get a bit aggressive about taking advantage of discounts almost anyway we can. Sometimes it does become a distraction, but the whole family rarely complains. Just a quick mention of Le Cellier, Teppan Edo...etc...will get them back "on board" with the program pretty promptly.

(we do draw the line-albeit a thin line)-at skimping on toilet paper and the like!

 

[SamSam]

My mom knits scrubbers that I've switched to almost completely. I keep a sponge around for little things but her double sided knit scrubbers are the best, machine washable, more durable than sponges, and tough enough to clean up burnt-on gunk without being course enough to scratch.

I love my reusable grocery bags too. After finding the store bought ones to be rather less durable and washable than I wanted I started making my own out of old jeans or t-shirts and they're just great - tough enough to really load and made of fabrics that can just be tossed in the wash when they get dirty.

The knit scrubbers sounds great (I'm a knitter), I'll have to see if I can find a pattern. I also like the idea of making your own reusable grocery bags, as you said the ones you buy aren't very durable and usually not washable.

 

[scheddj]

My faves were the ones explaining how to make grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, etc., using the irons in hotel rooms! Gross.

 

[disneychrista]

Awe...the good 'ol days.

 

[IDoDis]

Awe...the good 'ol days.

Yeah, like the infamous Diva Cup thread. Those were the days...

 

[JessB320]

My faves were the ones explaining how to make grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, etc., using the irons in hotel rooms! Gross.

Would you like extra starch on your grilled cheese?!?!? Ewwwww

 

[Colleen27]

The knit scrubbers sounds great (I'm a knitter), I'll have to see if I can find a pattern. I also like the idea of making your own reusable grocery bags, as you said the ones you buy aren't very durable and usually not washable.

I'm not sure if my mom used a pattern for the scrubbers or if she did where it came from. It started out as a gag gift - DH doesn't want a dishwasher when we remodel the kitchen so she put a handmade scrubber in his Christmas stocking a couple years ago, and we ended up liking it so well that we ended up asking her to make more.

This is my favorite super-simple bag pattern: http://www.moredesignplease.com/moredesignplease/2010/6/6/diy-recycled-t-shirt-tote-bag.html Because it uses t-shirts I can hit Goodwill to find cool designs, Disney or otherwise, to turn into bags and they're tougher than the cheapie store-bought ones for about the same cost.

 

[dreamalittledream]

I've been reading these boards for yrs and don't remember that! I must confess reading these threads have cost me $$$ buying all the great deals that I have to have and didn't know I needed!!!
My best ever deal was the Mickey TV from Sears that cost like $25, DD is still using it!

We have that tv too! LOL

 

[valee]

I started reading the budget forum thinking it would cover getting Disney items at reduced cost or saving money during Disney vacations. There are a few such postings, but most of the content is on general cost cutting, budget tips, and couponing advice. I wind up going to Mousesavers or a similar website to get Disney specific info.
I wish the dis boards had a General Budget Forum, and a separate Disney Budget Forum.

 

[Miss Ang]

If I'm scrounging up old soap and wiping my behind on washcloths I don't have the cash for a phone or Internet, let alone even thinking of planning a Disney trip. Please Budget Board friends, if those days ever come, tell me to spend my cash on something more worthwhile.

 

[JB2K]

I wish the dis boards had a General Budget Forum, and a separate Disney Budget Forum.

A similar question was posed to the BB (as a "sticky") by the board administrators -- unfortuntely, we never heard anything further...

 

[beaucoup]

I have never purchased most of the things mentioned in thread titles on this board. I call it the Spending Board. It is sure not what I think of when I think of a Budget Board. I see very little actual financial info or tips here. Its all about shopping, sales & discount codes. Not info I need.

I'm not about extreme measures to be able to save up for a trip. We have a budget we have followed for years. We know how to live within our income. We know that saving money in the bank & retirement is more important than material things & trips. When he had debt & a mortgage, we knew that paying those items off first was our priority. We are very pleased with all that we have accomplished at our age, what we have saved, and the trips around the USA we have taken. We enjoy our hobbies also.

And on 1 income - military salary - we sure are not racking in the big bucks like a lot of people on the DIS.

 

[fuzzy164]

My faves were the ones explaining how to make grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, etc., using the irons in hotel rooms! Gross.

The other one was making tomato soup with catsup packages and the in room coffee maker to go with the grilled cheese....

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I started reading the budget forum thinking it would cover getting Disney items at reduced cost or saving money during Disney vacations. There are a few such postings, but most of the content is on general cost cutting, budget tips, and couponing advice. I wind up going to Mousesavers or a similar website to get Disney specific info.
I wish the dis boards had a General Budget Forum, and a separate Disney Budget Forum.

The fact of the matter is there just aren't that many new ways to save, that would be a pretty inactive board. If you have specific questions about ways to save, like on meals for example, ask and you will get plenty of tips. Or you could use the search because those topics have been covered repeatedly and there's just not any new info to add.

 

[davedmaine]

I started reading the budget forum thinking it would cover getting Disney items at reduced cost or saving money during Disney vacations. There are a few such postings, but most of the content is on general cost cutting, budget tips, and couponing advice. I wind up going to Mousesavers or a similar website to get Disney specific info.
I wish the dis boards had a General Budget Forum, and a separate Disney Budget Forum.

It's the same, isn't it? Saving money, I mean? How is saving for Disney different than saving for anything else? Whatever money you save, apply it to Disney.. Now you can keep using this board..