Confession time...

[ilovecraigandcooper]

we all know what we SHOULD do to save money and cut costs but does anyone else have any DEEP DARK SECRETS about what they do to waste money?!

I'll be first:
every week i spend $4.00 on a new litter pan and i just toss the whole old one in the trash so i dont have to clean it... before anyone tells me i know, thats over $200 a year...but its so much easier!!!

NEXT...

 

[newtodis]

Mine is buying Coke from our pop machine at work. I don't drink it often and my "justification" is that the "profit" from the machine comes back to our fire station (I know we get a check - I've seen it so I believe it ). I know it's cheaper to 1 -not drink pop and 2 - buy a two liter or cans and keep it here in the fridge. I always throw the tops in my purse for DH to enter for the Coke reward point thingys. I know it's been awhile since I've done it because I've got lots of pop tops floating around in my purse right now I try to only put a couple on DH's dresser at a time so he doesn't freak out

My kids are my other "downfall". I will not buy myself, well, anything. I can't tell you the last time I bought a thing for myself. Probably about six months ago when I needed a new pair of shoes. If it's for DH or the kids though, I don't have a second thought. Just today I ran into the consignment store by Target and walked out $11 lighter because I bought a Cars lamp DS4 would just love. Does he need another Cars lamp? No, not so much. Will he love it? Yeah probably. Could he have lived without it? Sure. But I have lots of Mommy guilt so I'll probably keep doing it until the "little treats" turn into more expensive treats.

Thank God for coupons, great sales and clearance or I wouldn't be able to do either of my "dirty secrets".

 

[Praying Colonel]

We eat out way too much. That's a huge, yawning chasm in our budget. Our justification right now is that our kitchen is torn apart as we remodel, but we've struggled with it for long before that. 2 people working, it's just really hard to get it together and cook every single day. We keep working on it.

 

[derocas]

My kids are my budget buster. Whenever they have a book sale at school, plant sale, Holiday sale, etc. I cave in.

I know that I can purchase the books from places like garage sales but I don't want my child to be excluded.

Same goes for the plant sale and holiday sale. The holiday sale REALLY annoys me because he'll buy a $4 magnet that I could have bought for $1 at The Dollar Tree.

My one son's school also have individual pictures takes TWICE/year. Every year I buy both sets of pictures. Not because he looks much different in March than October but because I can never just send them back knowing that they would be destroyed. So I purchase them and instead I have a bunch of extra pictures in a drawer in my house.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Fish Fry Friday at Cracker Barrel for our family of 5. Even without ordering DS2 his own meal it is over $50 with drinks and tip. $2600 a year for our weekly food splurge but we really look forward to it every week and it is usually the only meal we eat out all week.

I'm also guilty of buying the single bottles of Pepsi. I know it is much cheaper to buy the 2 liter or a 12 pack of cans but they honestly taste different than the 20 oz size bottles in the coolers by the cash registers. I usually have 1 a day so that is another $550 or so a year.

Hmmm.... just doing that math made me realize that if we cut out those 2 things that is an extra Disney trip with DDP.

 

[minnie1928]

My kids and their educational stuff...DS is enrolled in a math program, both kids are enrolled in an online educational program, books, maps, etc.

Did I mention they already get all A's & high B's?

 

[ilovecraigandcooper]

oh my gosh, eating out is a big one for us! we unfortunely spend tons of money doing that...i dont mind the dinners so much but what bugs me is when my hubby will spend $4 for breakfast and then turn around and spend 7 or 8 for lunch on the same day!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I buy myself a Starbucks once a week.

Going to an occasional movie, matinee only of course. It will be more than occasional this summer because there seem to be a lot of must see movies coming out.

We eat out about 2 nights per week, I justify it by telling myself that neither of us ever eat out for breakfast or lunch so I guess 2 nights a week is reasonable. And when we do eat out it's relatively cheap.

The big one used to be fake nails, I LOVED them and miss them so much! But, they were a $45/month habit that I just had to break.

 

[Accentuate+]

every week i spend $4.00 on a new litter pan and i just toss the whole old one in the trash so i dont have to clean it....

I generally consider socks disposable, especially if I'm traveling. I've astonished more than one traveling companion when I took my socks off at the end of a day and tossed them in the trash. I only wear socks like ten times a year, so it's not that big a deal (and I buy cheap socks).

I figure I'll lose them before I wear them again and I don't want to pack dirty socks up to take them home.

 

[Ava]

There is a little convenience store/news stand on the first floor of my office building and I have a really hard time not going down there for a snack in the afternoons. And he overcharges for everything. My big weakness is that he sells the little miniature candies (Snickers, Reese's, etc.) individually for $0.25 each. I know I could buy a whole bag of them at Target for a few bucks, but I am afraid if I do that and keep the whole bag in my desk I will eat way too many of them. So I go downstairs and spend $1.00 for four of them. Such a waste. If I do that every day, it's over $200 a year. And sometimes I buy chips or a soda instead, or in addition, for which he also overcharges. I'm trying really hard to break the habit, but most of the time it's not even about the candy, it's about getting out of the office for 10 minutes and gabbing with my co-worker/friend.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

I generally consider socks disposable, especially if I'm traveling. I've astonished more than one traveling companion when I took my socks off at the end of a day and tossed them in the trash. I only wear socks like ten times a year, so it's not that big a deal (and I buy cheap socks).

I figure I'll lose them before I wear them again and I don't want to pack dirty socks up to take them home.

I thought I was the only one that did this. Although I go a step further. I toss socks and underwear away on a trip. I do this for everyone in the family. I know it is a waste but the thought of packing up a family of 5's dirty socks and underwear just grosses me out. And vacations are the only time I get off from laundry duty.

 

[Amii]

we all know what we SHOULD do to save money and cut costs but does anyone else have any DEEP DARK SECRETS about what they do to waste money?!

I'll be first:
every week i spend $4.00 on a new litter pan and i just toss the whole old one in the trash so i dont have to clean it... before anyone tells me i know, thats over $200 a year...but its so much easier!!!

NEXT...

I put the the litter pan in a garbage bag, fold the extra garbage bag under the litter pan and fill it up. When it's time to change the litter I just take the bag off and throw it away. Not as cheap as using no bag, but cheaper that buying a new pan.

We are going on vacation to Florida this year even though we should be putting the money in a savings account. I have a family and my brother and I take care of my disabled mother 24/7. I am so burned out I don't even care anymore. I do have a free hotel from LMT and we have Universal Tickets that we purchased last year. I wish we could spend more time at Disney but I have to be a little responsible about the trip and tickets are expensive.

 

[Accentuate+]

I thought I was the only one that did this. Although I go a step further. I toss socks and underwear away on a trip. I do this for everyone in the family. I know it is a waste but the thought of packing up a family of 5's dirty socks and underwear just grosses me out. And vacations are the only time I get off from laundry duty.

hallelujah, next time my friends tease me about it I can claim that not only am I not alone some take it a step further.

Good idea, though. I need to find some cheap underwear before my next vacation, that'll wreck their nerves!

 

[ilovecraigandcooper]

oooohhhh baby socks! i always, always loose them after cooper wears them once so i end up just buying new...

 

[Princess April]

Oh the horror:
We go out to eat far to often, I have a maid (only once a month), and we splurge on vacations. In this economic time when everyone is canceling and downgrading... we went the opposite route: We upgraded to Club level! I know people will think that we are totally nuts (and maybe we are .... just a little) but it's quality time with the family and the memories: PRICELESS!!!!!

 

[momma2minnie]

For sure eating out is our budget buster!
Our justification is that DH and I work opposite shifts and don't want to spend the together time in the kitchen.
Our weakness is a great little Greek/Lebanese spot that is about $30 for the two of us for lunch, more now that school is out for the summer and DD tags along too!
Did I mention we do it at least twice a week?
Not counting other "eat outings" (how's that for a phrase?), cutting out that alone would fund a rather nice WDW trip!

However, I must also confess that I wear my socks until they have at least one hole in them.
HHHMMMMM, maybe what I don't spend on socks counteracts what we do spend on eating out! How's that for justification?

 

[secretpantssam]

Don't give me any ideas about throwing out the litter pans! That sounds so much easier than cleaning it!!



I eat fast food way too much. All those little meals sure do add up!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I buy books. Lots of books.

I know, I could borrow them from the library - and I do. I go to the library every week and come home with a large bagful of books. But I still buy a lot as well. The truth is you can't get every book at the library (I've had "holds" on some books for over a year!) and there are many I like to read over and over.

Some of this I think is a reaction to my marriage. My ex-husband would NOT allow me to buy books - as he said, I could get them from the library. Once I was divorced, I took great pleasure in being able to buy books. And I still do. I never go anywhere without a book or two (hey, you never know when you'll get stuck in an elevator or in a long line-up somewhere) and I enjoy looking around at my nice, full bookshelves.

Teresa

 

[MaryKLady]

I generally consider socks disposable, especially if I'm traveling. I've astonished more than one traveling companion when I took my socks off at the end of a day and tossed them in the trash. I only wear socks like ten times a year, so it's not that big a deal (and I buy cheap socks).

I figure I'll lose them before I wear them again and I don't want to pack dirty socks up to take them home.

I laugh because I pack my old socks and undies when we travel...they only get a one way ticket!...and all this time I thought I was the only one.

My budget busters are vacations. We go away a few times a year and usually it's pretty reasonable because we timeshare. But I booked a DCL cruise for Jan. and my "little" cruise is beginning to take on a life of it's own!

 

[pixiewings71]

My weaknesses are much the same as many others. Books are a big one, I had told myself I wasn't going to buy more and then I realized that one of my favorite authors had a GREAT Vampire series that I just had to have so I caved and bought the ones I didn't have. Eating out is another one, I work full time and commute an hour each way before and after work, then after I get home I have to work out and spend time with the kids, do chores and make dinner....it's a bit much sometimes so yes, I'm trying really hard to stop eating out as much. My last one is getting things for the kids, When I see something they might like I tend to buy it...oh and Disney pins are a HUGE budget buster for me......I just love those little shiny pieces of metal!