What are you most proud of doing to survive this economy?

[Anna_Marie]

We downsized our Dish package - we had the 250 channel package and when we actually looked at what we were paying for and not really watching...

DH carpools. We don't go out to eat like we used to. Using coupons. Now instead of going to the movies, we wait until they come out and get them from Redbox. I bring my lunch from home instead of going out for fast food every day. Small things, but it adds up.

One of the best things we ever did, was when we bought our house, we put it on 15 years instead of 30. Now we will have our home paid for in 6 more years!

 

[beansmom]

***Edit***

Please stop bashing the OP. We do not know their situation. Perhaps it was a loss of an income or a death that caused them to default and by settling with the cc company, they were avoiding bankruptcy.
We simply do not know and to jump to conclusions that they are working the CC companies is rude and uncalled for here on this site.

I think the tone of her post belies that theory. She is proud of beating the cc out of money she rightfully owed them and PLANS to do it again in future. That doesn't 'work well' for anyone. She is ruining her credit rating. Placing burden on other customers of that cc...WE all take up the slack for deadbeats. And by bragging about it, she is encouraging other to walk away from their debt and place their burden on the cc and, by default, the rest of the economy.

Gift trip or not...I don't care. Charge every darn thing you buy...but pay your bills like everyone else is supposed to do.

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

Getting DH to finally realize that he needs a weekly allowance! When you have a joint account, those lovely little debit cards are a marriage buster! He has a set amount that he can spend at will, and I have the rest to pay bills. No question anymore about "how much money is really in the bank?" I'm very good at budgeting, but ...well... he is truly not!

With my first H, this was a HUGE issue!! If he went to the ATM and saw the balance $500, he felt he could spend $500 (golf, clothes, going out with friends, whatever). Never mind the fact that there were checks outstanding, groceries that needed to be bought, etc. (This was before online bill pay, so we paid all our bills the "old fashioned" way - writing checks and mailing them in.) Needless to say, it caused A LOT of problems!!

Now I mostly handle the budget, but DH and I always talk about the budget, what is being paid, how much money we have to spend in each "category" until the next payday, etc. Much better communication!!

 

[MapleGirl]

You and your DH are inspiring!! Congratulations!

Thank you! That is very kind of you to say. We are very proud and really looking forward to a bright debt-free future.

 

[punkin]

I think the tone of her post belies that theory. She is proud of beating the cc out of money she rightfully owed them and PLANS to do it again in future. That doesn't 'work well' for anyone. She is ruining her credit rating. Placing burden on other customers of that cc...WE all take up the slack for deadbeats. And by bragging about it, she is encouraging other to walk away from their debt and place their burden on the cc and, by default, the rest of the economy.

Gift trip or not...I don't care. Charge every darn thing you buy...but pay your bills like everyone else is supposed to do.

Then in the future, credit cards will just not be available to her. That's the consequence of her actions. I really see no need to bash her on the boards. Believe me, her actions will have consequences for her. There is no reason for us to take out the pitchforks just because we feel she is getting something for nothing; she's not.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I cancelled my Netflix account, which I really wasn't using, and that was like $15 a month, I also switched to a smaller cell phone plan, since I didn't really use that many minutes, I text more then I talk, and I still get free nights and weekends, and that's when I make most of my phone calls anyway. I also am only taking one short trip to Disney this year.

 

[GinnyEmma]

Then in the future, credit cards will just not be available to her. That's the consequence of her actions. I really see no need to bash her on the boards. Believe me, her actions will have consequences for her. There is no reason for us to take out the pitchforks just because we feel she is getting something for nothing; she's not.

lol, sure she is. Poor thing won't be able to get credit. She still has received at least $10000 of free stuff. That in my book is something for nothing.

The pitchforks came out because she not only bragged about it, but bragged about doing it again. It is a family thing. My personal irritation is that she acts like she is a Christian, and God is important to her, all the while milking the system.

 

[ms.yt]

Then in the future, credit cards will just not be available to her. That's the consequence of her actions. I really see no need to bash her on the boards. Believe me, her actions will have consequences for her. There is no reason for us to take out the pitchforks just because we feel she is getting something for nothing; she's not.

What planet are you living on? Of course she's getting something for nothing. That's why she's so proud of herself. Why are some of you defending people like this? You defenders make me think you've done this yourself. Either that or you're just not smart enough to see how this hurts all of us who do pay our bills. It's wrong, wrong, wrong no matter how some of you try to justify it.

Oh, and I agree, the whole Christian element rubs me the wrong way, too. I'm no Biblical scholar, but I'm pretty sure there's something in there about not stealing????

 

[Nayan]

Not going to F&W at Epcot this year. It's not that we can't afford it, it's just I really don't want to spend it. I have a couple big-ticket thing I have to replace but have been putting off and the money will go to those instead. I cut down my cable bill by a little over $50/month, getting rid of channels we don't watch. Switched to a pay-as-yo-go phone plan so now instead of over $120/month we pay $30. Eating many more meatless meals has cut my grocery bills down quite a bit. I am also selling one of my cars . I hate to do it as I love it more than my Mustang but my insurance rates went up and I can't justify keeping it anymore.

 

[KennesawNemo]

I am proud that we started college saving for DS this year. By the way we contribute, we would be able to save at least 4-year-in-state college tuition and living expense for him. He can then work for anything beyond that level and we would also help with whatever we can.

DH and I have relatively stable and good paying jobs because both our parents and ourselves invested a lot in our education and the trainings and skills we got definitely help us through in hard times.

In my house, education goes before everything excpet bare neccessities.

 

[beansmom]

Then in the future, credit cards will just not be available to her. That's the consequence of her actions. I really see no need to bash her on the boards. Believe me, her actions will have consequences for her. There is no reason for us to take out the pitchforks just because we feel she is getting something for nothing; she's not.

And WHO do you think pays for that?? WE that actually PAY our credit card bills do. In higher interest rates, more fees, higher cost of goods. Are you really that naive?? Business don't 'lose' money, they pass the 'loss' on to the other customers.

It's one thing not to be ABLE to pay your bills...it's another to blatantly PLAN to --yes, STEAL is the proper word---STEAL thousands of dollars from the cc company. THE CC has already paid the merchant...so they lose when they faithfully gave her credit.

 

[elwise1966]

And WHO do you think pays for that?? WE that actually PAY our credit card bills do. In higher interest rates, more fees, higher cost of goods. Are you really that naive?? Business don't 'lose' money, they pass the 'loss' on to the other customers.

It's one thing not to be ABLE to pay your bills...it's another to blatantly PLAN to --yes, STEAL is the proper word---STEAL thousands of dollars from the cc company. THE CC has already paid the merchant...so they lose when they faithfully gave her credit.

Very true.
And I hope she knows that the debt that is forgiven will probably be considered income and she'll receive a 1099 from the cc company.

 

[Colleen27]

I make a conscious effort to shop in my neighborhood stores that I want to see stay open. So there is a grocery store across the street....it has higher prices, but it's a wonderful convenience to have, as the next grocery store is miles away. So because I want to see that family store stay in business, I make sure I shop there for at least part of my grocery shopping.

My home's value is better if there are NOT a lot of empty stores surrounding it.

That's been my biggest adjustment too. We've always lived simply but I focus a lot more now on where the dollars I spend are going because I want to see businesses stay in my community. And sometimes that does mean spending a bit more than if I stopped in at Target when I'm in the city (though never more expensive than making a special trip, given the cost of gas), but it also means more of that spending stays here rather than flowing out up the chain of the national stores.

The accomplishment I'm most proud of is buying our home outright. That opportunity wouldn't have come along if not for the housing crash and it has definitely made life easier, especially now that we sold the old house to the man who had been renting it from us. We wouldn't have gone to Disney once this year, much less twice, if we were still paying a mortgage on our recession-reduced income.

 

[My2Pixies]

We cancelled cable roughly a year ago, and I have had the same cell phone for close to 4 years. I *really* want an iPhone but am waiting to buy a used one from a friend when she upgrades.

I also recently found a part time job working nights and weekends after being a SAHM for several years. We are preparing for dh to retire from the military in a couple of years and trying to put some money aside to buy a house in the mean time. Took me close to 6 months to find something with the hours we needed to keep dd2 from having to go to day care.

 

[AntePrincess]

Now, the things I'm most proud of my family for in this recession...

Well, we always lived modestly because we're still just starting out, but I'm most proud of me for getting baking again. I make all our baked goods with the sole exception of this fancy Italian bread we sometimes get from our favorite pro baker for a picnic, which we do instead of eating out. I used to love baking, but it fell by the wayside when the little ones were born. Now I'm making doughnut muffins, shortbreads, "sunbread" (my daughters' name for Hawaiian sweet bread), sweet potato bread and all our special cakes. I feel so rich every time something homemade comes out of the oven!

Tied in my personal pride department is that I wrote a novel! My husband and I have had so much free fun just from rereading the installments in the story every night before bed (and we're still enjoying it since I'm a chronic reviser). We've made so many dinners inspired by the story and we've made up so many recipes... Even our daughters have started talking about the characters like they're their favorite storybook heroes.

I'm insanely proud of my DH for learning to make cheese at home. Fresh mozzarella has become so expensive and we love it so much, he's shaved upwards of $20 off our weekly budget.

And the girls are proudest of us for saving money by joining the Disney Movie Club...

PS. Phew. Sorry, I'm all for bleeding the credit beast, but not paying your owed debt is despicable.

 

[swkmom]

I don't post often but this thread inspired me to do so. In this economy my husband and I chose for him to work 1,000 miles from home and commute once a month back home to visit. We did this for 2 years in order for him to stay employed after the company he worked for pulled out of the state we lived in.

When he was offered something closer to home and put in his notice the company he works for extended an offer we couldn't refuse. This summer we moved all of us 1,020 miles from where we had always lived. I had to leave a job I loved but it made more sense financially. We have now paid off both car loans, a student loan, and all of our credit cards in full.

 

[budafam]

I'm proud of the fact that I make all of my family's meals instead of going out to eat. My BIL is at McDonalds almost every night for his family. It's either that or ramen noodles. They also smoke cigarettes. I'm so peeved about it because he still owes us money from a loan we made to him back in May (which he said he would pay back within a month... here we are, still not paid off). We do buy a lot of stuff and go on vacations with our kids but I also work my butt off having garage sales twice a year, selling on Craigslist, babysitting, anything I can do to make our life better. I'm so proud of DH and how far he's come compared to the rest of his family. His mom thanks me all the time for turning him into the man he is today

 

[furb & dez]

To be honest, I haven't changed a thing and don't need to.

1. I live within my means.
2. I bought a house I could afford, not a McTajMahal on a postage stamp lot way out in the 'burbs.
3. That house is two miles away from work; I buy gas once every six weeks.
4. I take good care of my cars; they're now both paid off and the money that used to go to the car payment goes to savings.
5. I know the difference between 'want' and 'need'.
6. When I 'need' something, I comparison shop for price and quality (Thank you, Consumer Reports!) for a long time before buying.
7. When I 'want' something, I save up for it, instead of impulsively buying it on credit.
8. I'm signed up for power metering, so I get lower electricity rates by not using major appliances between noon and 7pm on weekdays.

 

[charming23]

We eat out less.
We use the library a lot.
I shop sales at grocery stores instead of running in and grabbing whatever looks good.
I drive as little as possible to save on gas (combining trips, not driving across town to go somewhere when there's something just as good locally.)
I don't buy things "just because I want them".

And this has enabled me, even in this economy, to save up thousands of dollars for our Disney trip next April -and- put money into our emergency fund and savings account -and- contribute to my 401(k). Whenever I want a book or a cd or whatever I ask myself "Do you want this book, or do you want to get it from the library and have money for vacation?" Vacation wins almost every time

We use the library a lot too. It might take a few extra weeks to get the newest release but it is so much better for our budget than just going out and buying something.

I agree with the combining errands and shopping the sales at the grocery store. I use the ads each week to plan out our menus and get what we need. I also use it to stock up on the items we use the most.

One other thing I have done is cut down on our meat consumpition. I still but meat but we use half of what we used to and bulk up the meal with veggies. That alone has helped me lose 40 pounds this year alone.

 

[AntePrincess]

Oh, this is on that might not be for everyone, but I was going protein hungry when I tried to cut meat/dairy/eggs (all very expensive right now) to save money... so I bit the bullet and tried "variety meat."

Not all of it is my cup of tea, I can't stomach tongue and I wouldn't know what to do with tripe, but some of it is wonderful. We love beef heart, and though the package is pretty off-putting in the store, once it's prepped and trimmed at home (in the kitchen so the kids don't see it and turn their noses up at it), it just looks like very tender matchsticked beef. Now that we've tried it and found it isn't poison, I think it will stay in our diet even when the recession is over.