What positive changes have you made in this economy?

[StephMK]

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110275/but-will-it-make-you-happy

I read this article today & have been thinking about this lately. While the current economy has been difficult and challenging for most, has anyone else made positive changes as a result? Could you pare down as much as the couple in the article?

I don't think we could reduce down to the 100 item level but we could definitely get rid of more stuff. We have talked about downsizing the house just because it would be nice to have that much extra $ a month. We have not decided if it's worth fixing up this place now to do that yet though.

Whether your reduced spending was forced (job loss, etc) or not, do you think you'll keep any of the changes you've made once things get better?

 

[hjohnson6]

We bought a pellet stove and that has cut our heating costs. We spend less now to heat up the house. Propane is so expensive!

 

[StephMK]

As stressful as it's been, it has also made us re-think a lot about how we spent money. DH & I are now much more likely to fix things rather than immediately replace them, see if we can do without it or re-purpose other things.

The kids' bathroom started falling apart in June - diverter broke on the shower and the sink faucet leaked. This past weekend, we replaced the diverter and changed out the faucet - our first time for both repairs. It feels really good to see that new faucet & know we figured it out. We could have kept living without it but it was a convenience factor to fix it.

We also cut our cable cost in half and lost some channels. We found we survived & not sure we'll add them back ever. I like the $35 a month bill much better.

We've made many other small changes and I think most of them will continue once things get better. I think being forced to cut back has made us realize how much farther we can stretch our finances and pay more attention to our spending habits.

 

[budbeerlady]

Interesting, 100 personal things. It could be a goal, I keep complaining about having too much stuff.

We have put much more into experiences than stuff the last couple of years. Our friends are buying new furniture, new cars, etc. We go to Disney and on cruises, long weekends away.

 

[eliza61]

1) I've started to "shop my closet". I was (and still learning this art)famous for picking up stuff at the store instead of seeing what I really needed.

2) I'm a "better" shopper. The summer of '09 I berated my dh because he picked up some summer tee-shirts from lands end for 20 bucks a piece. well I swore I could get them cheaper at Kohls. well wouldn't you know it, the kohls versions fell apart and looked horrible after 2 washes and believe me I know how to wash clothes properly. the 2 shirts dh brought from lands end, still look and feel absolutely great. didn't shrink, didn't fade. Morale of the story...some times the real bargain is not the cheapest price.

3) Making a point to learn about investments, not just depend on my job to pick my 401K choices.

4) THE BIGGIE. Learning I rather "do" things as opposed to more stuff.

 

[Pastamom]

I know that we have "slowed down" In the beginning it was to save money, but know I notice that we are doing more family things. We play more games together (our latest craze is quadruple solitare

We also think before we buy - instead of impulse buy. I've become a better shopper - thanks budget board We've also realized that DS's don't care about stuff as much as we did...and know they help us save money - looking for savings and coupons.

I do miss our traveling - that I will resume when DH gets a job, but most of the other things will still the same...

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I started planning meals out better and buying store brand (with the exception of a few items) to cut back our grocery bill.

We also bought a used car and got rid of DH's truck - but he really misses it. We refinanced our house and shopped around for better insurance rates. We are saving a ton of money right now so we can still do the fun stuff when we'd like to.

 

[wdwfan16]

Since I was not so materialistic as the couple, 24 setting of china with an income of $40K was such a waste, I did not have to get rid of so much.

Getting down to 100 items will not happen here.

We get rid of stuff as soon as we don't need it anymore. We figure others can use it so we give it to charity. I love a clean, organized and not cluttered house. That is how we keep it. The house can get messy when we are playing, sewing, scrapbooking or the like but as soon as we are done the stuff goes back in its place.

We have not changed much since this economy since we were always away of the cost of stuff, used the envelope system years ago and did not just collect stuff and fill up the house. DH and I always joke that if we took everything, except furniture we could never clutter one room like people clutter their homes on the hoarder shows.

I have always been a good shopper. I shop sales (both food and goods), use coupons and use a reasonable approach to repair vs. replace for items.


On House Hunters International there was a women who will not wear her perfume two days in a row. She showed all she has and I am not kidding when it seemed like she has 100 bottles. She will never live long enough to empty a bottle only using 3-4 times a year! I guess she could vow never to buy perfume again!

 

[alwaysmom]

We are canceling our land line phone and sticking with basic cable.

Had our annual garage sale and weeded out a lot of junk (not enough as far as I'm concerned) Considering another in mid September.

No vacation this summer just some fun day trips with the kids (coupons, free tickets, etc.). This weekend is the zoo & museum in Rochester.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Not necessarily the economy, but our basement flooded 3 weeks ago and we lost A LOT of stuff -- TVs, furniture, video game systems, photo albums, toys, clothes, toiletries, etc. We cleared most everything out (stuff that got wet was tossed in the trash, stuff that didn't was temporarily put in the garage), and realized that we like it better when it isn't stuffed to the gills. So, we're going to have a flood control system put in this Fall, and then we're going to carefully evaluate what we bring back into the house from the garage. The rest we'll donate. I'd always complained that we had too much "stuff" in our house but could never convince my family to "pare things down". I guess Mother Nature took care of that for us.

We completely canceled DirecTV a few months ago and have temporarily canceled our DSL because AT&T couldn't get it fixed after the storm (and they refused to send a tech out to correct the problem). Our girls have spent so much time at the library in the past three weeks that they now know them by name. We'll get the DSL issue resolved once we get back from vacation. I do miss the DSL at home, but until it's fixed, I can't wait to get to work . Definitely don't miss the DirecTV $84 a month bill.

Another thing I do miss and will probably replace is our extra refrigerator which was destroyed by the flood. We have a large family and usually buy 2-3 gallons of milk per week, but we have to rethink that with only 1 refrigerator. Same goes with any other perishables. In fact, we've been grocery shopping more than usual because we run out of something and don't have a back-up downstairs like we used to.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I think I have just become more aware of where the money is going and tried to plug up the holes in a leaky budget.

I am also getting back into couponing.

 

[JDUCKY]

Dropped cable TV
Going out to eat less
Going to movies less
Changed Disney AP to a Seasonal one
Bought an electric lawnmower and will soon get the solar recharging device.

But, uh, the new house is much more than my old rent but, hey, it's a house not an apartment so I don't mind.


My gf is the smart shopper of the family so I leave a lot of monthly stuff up to her. She amazes me with some of her deal finding abilities!

 

[abmitch01]

upped my 403 B contributions even though we were already feeling the pain

 

[Karenj2]

Due to layoffs & a bout with long term disability (DH had depression) a few years ago, I'd like to think that we were well positioned before the economy went in the tank...

I've still learned:
- That I'd rather buy quality over quantity. (That goes for food, clothing, etc.)
- I'd rather delay gratification (instead of impulse buying) so that we don't have a loan. (i.e., we're going to put money away for a new car for me, so that when we DO get it, we'll have a smaller loan if at all.)
- I need to stay out of stores if I don't want to buy stuff. I've never been a big shopper (hate malls), but now that I have my baby girl, I HAVE to stay out of kid's clothing stores! (She has a closet FULL of clothes in all kinds of sizes - she doesn't NEED any more.)

If I had my way, I'd have a garage sale and get rid of all kinds of CRAP that's in our basement right now, but DH (for some odd reason) is against garage sales and won't help me. I had been doing Freecycle to just get rid of it, but it got to be too much work (and I found out that one of the local people was collecting stuff and having a garage sale for themselves every weekend!)

 

[AndreaDM]

Since I was not so materialistic as the couple, 24 setting of china with an income of $40K was such a waste, I did not have to get rid of so much.

It said it was wedding china so I'm assuming it was wedding gifts. It doesn't appear they were overly materialistic to begin with either, but have really tightened things up even more. I personally could probably feed 100 with all the different china I have. Am I materialistic? Not even close! I just really, really happen to love china and have been fortunate to have inherited some nice stuff which I USE. There's a difference between having stuff just to have it, or having it to use. I decided a long time ago the queen was never coming for dinner and that my husband and kids are the most important people that will ever eat at my dinner table, so it's not unusual at all for us to use fine china and crystal for dinner once in a while. My daughter loves it, even dresses up and speaks in a British accent and for that hour or two, she feels very special and important. So sometimes, posessions can also be experiences. Now clothes on the otherhand (for our family) if they're not being worn, out they go! I don't have a lot of decorating knick knacks either, I like the modern, minimalistic look myself, but dangit, I'm not getting rid of my china!

 

[crazelion]

I learn what need is a want is. I am eating at home more now. I eat home alot and I happy about. The only time I eat out now is special occasions, travelling, or when I get home late night and don't feel like cooking.

I have made changes for the better. The number one thing is I don't implusive shop anymore. I have declutter my house. I still working on that one but it feels good.

 

[arminnie]

We are having an estate sale this month at my dad's house. I lived with him for the past decade after my mother died. Oh my gosh! I just sent 109 boxes to storage (things I am keeping). But the house is still SO full. Who knows how many china settings there are?

Now I only have to pack up my condo which won't be much as I moved very little in here - 4 plates, 4 glasses a couple of pans and some clothes. My condo is going to be gutted to the studs which I why I am moving out.

I'm going to New Orleans for 2-3 months. Yes I know it is a luxury to have two homes, but both are very small. My father died in December so my expenses (his retirement home , medical, car, ins., etc) have drastically been reduced. I'd rather still have my dad though.

 

[TomAndLori]

We found Dave Ramsey in March. Best thing that has ever happened to us in our marriage. Finances have always been tough, and we finally realised why once we started taking the class at our church. Our parents never taught us how to budget and somehow we never learned. I look at my siblings and there are 3 bankruptcies among 7 kids, with two (I am one) that have high CC debt. Dave Ramsey changed that. We have not used a CC card since Feb. The debt snowball is rolling and I have a budget and a plan for the first time in my life. Feels great, the only regret is I wish I would have known this 5 years ago.

So that is the biggest change, but putting ALL your energy into becoming debtfree changes your entire lifestyle in our case. No Disney trip for a few years

 

[mrsheppo]

I cut our satellite down to the most basic package. With wireless internet, I negotiated our bill to what they were offering new customers. We rarely eat out, maybe once a month. Craigslist has been great for us. We have over the last 3-4 years purchased furnishings and appliances off of there. Most of my home has been furnished by buying on Craigslist. We have also sold many things including DH's truck that was expensive to run.

We only use 1 credit card (Southwest) which I use like a debit card. I deduct what I spend out of my checkbook and pay online once a week. With using it for everything, I have earned free flights for when we go on vacation.

 

[MomToOne]

My father died in December so my expenses (his retirement home , medical, car, ins., etc) have drastically been reduced. I'd rather still have my dad though.

x 100

My father died in May. I find it's harder now for me than it was when it first happened - I'm missing him more and more the longer I go without him. I find myself doing something and saying to myself "Oh, I used to do this with Dad" or "Dad taught me this" or "Dad would have liked to have heard about this". Then I miss him even more

As far as changes from the economy go, mostly I'm just trying to save my butt off. My saving was kicked into high gear because of the fear of losing my job (which thankfully didn't happen). Now I'm just transferring the fear to my retirement, so that will keep me going. My saving rate isn't where I want it, but it's getting better. There's a rumor going around work that they are going to give some sort of perk to everyone because our numbers are so much better than they were this time last year. Most people are hoping for a bonus, I'm hoping they are going to restore our 401K match!!!