Makin Ends Meet----

To try to combat this crazy economy, my hubby and I are doing whatever we can to cut back our expenses. Which isn't easy when you have a family!!

We actually started "trimming the fat" a few years ago and have REALLY SEEN the difference!!

1-Cell Phone/Hell Phone!
we got rid of our 'contract' cell phones and went with the Tracfones....a decision we DON'T regret! What USED to run us almost $60-80/month EACH - is now maybe $30/month TOTAL for BOTH! Even if the economy gets better, we'll still stick w/our Tracfones. Actually getting RID of our 'bigger' cell phone bills enabled us to actually purchase a THIRD phone for my daughter.
(If you want any info on just how Tracfones work as far as expenses and other, don't hesitate to ask! I think I'm an 'unpaid' salesman for them! I've converted 5 of my friends/family to Tracfones and they absolutely LUV them!)

2-Talk, Talk, Talk....do "WE" ever shut up?!
we elimintated almost 1/2 of our total home phone bill amt by cutting back the extras. Who really NEEDS all that stuff anyway?? We signed up for a long distance plan that you ONLY pay for the LD calls you make, no charges/fees for having the abililty of making LD calls. Got rid of call waiting---hey, if you call and the line's busy...if it's THAT important they'll HANG UP AND CALL AGAIN. Three-way?? Now really....sometimes I dont even wanna hear what the ONE person on the other end is telling me! LOL And last, the voice mail...you can get a digital answering machine for a one time charge of what $10 bucks? It's really a shame of how "IN TOUCH" we have come to think we all need to be. If I'm not home, I'm not home...isn't that what all the features/functions of a cell phone is for? Why do we need all that crap on our home phone too??
Hell, I remember when they still sold phones that didn't even have TOUCH TONE capabilities!
And I'm only in my early 30's!!!

3-Frivilous Utility:
We scaled down our "ALL ACCESS" cable that practicly let us watch what happened on the moon to simple, yet sufficient, Basic cable. We usually only really watch the news or our local sporting events, which we can still do. And my daughter still gets mtv and teen disney so she's happy. Plus there's still a movie channel or 2. Normally, when we ALL sit down together to watch anything, it's usually a DVD anyway.
So now our near $120 cable bill (including internet) is now only $53(including internet!)

4-Select your Electric (usage)
-We keep the doors of rooms not being used thru the day closed to cut down on how hard we run the AC. The Bathroom, our bedroom, laundry room, and when my daughter isn't here-her bedroom.
-We put up a clothes line and I no longer use my dryer if it's even the LEAST bit nice outside. If it's rainy and I HAVE to dry clothes, here's a tip to cut down on the 'in the dryer' time. Once your wash has gone thru the spin cycle, move the clothes around to 'loosen' them back up from being smooshed against the sides--then run the spin cycle again. The MORE water you can get out of the load, the less time it'll take in the dryer, therefore saving a bit of usage. ANYTHING that pulls heat uses a LOT of electric. The spin cycle of your washer won't use nearly as much electric as a large dryer load w/heat.

5-Splish Splash
OK, so this one goes without saying...don't run the laundry/dishwasher until you have a full load!
6-Hey, ya gotta eat!
Our most favorite endevour to cutting back is that we put in our own lil garden! We planted some yellow and red onions, roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, red-green-yellow bell peppers, jalepeneos, banana peppers, summer squash, cucumbers, and an herb garden w/parsley, italian basil, chives, cilantro, rosemary.....here's a pic of some of our fist picks!

We also seem to be utilizing the apple trees and berry bushes in our backyard woods too.

Our local "Shop-n-Save" and "Save A Lot" grocery stores have a "5 for $19.99" meat special all the time. They take meats that are nearing the sale dates and place them in one area of the store, you pick ANY 5 pkgs and pay on 19.99....everything from steaks, hamburger, roasts, ribs, chops, sausage, chicken, ham, kielbasa, hot sausages...you name it! I always stock up and get $40 at a time...bring it home, divide it up into dinner size portions, and freeze it right away. I'VE not YET had ANYTHING be bad and it's usually enough to feed us for almost 2 1/2 weeks~

Don't be afraid of 'discount' groceries! Nonperishables that may be found in the "scratch/dent" clearance buggy or discount grocery stores has nothing wrong w/the contents---it's just the packaging! I can stretch $100 worth of groceries to last for 2 weeks for a family of 3. You just have to be creative! Large bags of potatoes/rice can really add some healthy 'bulk' to your pantry...and can be made SO many diff ways, your family won't feel like they're eating the same thing all the time.

Well..........I suppose this should close out this "installment" of my "Makin Ends Meet----" Perhaps as I come up w/new advice/tips/ideas, I'll come back and post them.......

If YOU have any ideas/tips/suggestions, please post them here!~!