How to save money during these tough market situations?

Hey Sudira..

It's quite smart and sensible of you to start this thread. Yes this is a good place to really comminicate and share our experiences.

I came up with these small tips for survival.

1) Check you monthly budget twice and see where u can really slash spending. Like kids toys, games or celebrating b-days at home instead of going out on a treat.

2) Suggest the men to do carpooling. This will save the montly gas bill. If possible use the public transport if permitted.

3) Also check on your cable and mobile plans. Change them to affordable by cutting down on some channels.

4) Cutting down on the resturant and outing bills. Instead of going out every weekend. Lets make it a monthly affair.

5) If you get a chance look for discount coupons for groceries. IL site has a thread that takes care of this point.

6)Be sure not to waste water and electricity. Educate the kids on how imp it is to save the resources. Penny saved is penny earned.

Also in this process let's look for how we can help the men in selecting the alternative sources . Encourage them to try out new domains and not to stick to the same technology. Cause to hold to the jos they need to be versatile.

sudhira ...could you be able to change the topic title and make it more refelecting the economic survival. Coz I feel it's not reflecting the true point. Please don't get offended. It is just a mere suggestion from my side.

 

Hi Sudhira
There were a lot of tips on Oprah on Tuesday...you might check them out.
Money Saving Tips for Thrifty Families

This sounds simplistic, but one thing I do is to never waste. Try and find a use for everything. Back when I was a young newlywed and always broke, my office mates and I used to bring in bags of our clothes we could no longer wear/didn't want and also other items we didn't want and go through the bags and exchange...whoever found something useful took it. This was so helpful.

If you make too much food and are not going to use, give part to some friend or neighbor or needy person. If only in good will, many times we are repaid for this simple gesture.

I also have even now a used shop where I go. I have gotten several virtually new items for $4 each over a number of trips: an electric wok, a portable whirlpool for the bath, a bread machine (dabal roti type western bread). What savings for helpful items.

Don't make shopping a pasttime. Instead go to the library, join a singing group, sew something, take a walk, take a picnic with your family, etc. Make shopping a function of need not an entertainment.

Hope this is helpful.

Tina

 

hi anvimom,

those were really nice thinking. i once checked the top 20 ways to save money thread in money matters (hope am right) it was indeed very helpful.

also about changing about the thread name, is it possible to change i tried once but there was no option.

 

Hey Shree...

Any clues on how chicago is surviving in this crisis. Coz everything is pretty expensive. Right from the Home rents to the tax. Did the govt announce any slashes?

 

hi anvimom,

chicago is also surviving like any other city. same unemployment. s everything is expensive from rice to rent. i think there is no slashes in anything. (am not sure). may be the house prices have come down which is of no use without the job.

 

chicago, NY, Memphis, St. Louis, Miami, Detroit, Cleveland etc., are ranked among top 10 cities suffering in recession according to yahoo on today's featured news. Just FYI

 

Hi tashidelek2002 ,
Can you please list out he used store names? I don't find anything other than Goodwill and Salvation army.

 

Uma:
You have the names of the two well known entities in USA but there are lots of other places to look. Some folks run consignment shops where people bring things to sell (sometimes these are not very cheap) but usually the really cheap places to go would be:

some churches have donation centers where people donate items that are usable...this will be one of hte cheapest places to go but you have no idea what will be available at any time....they are often only open once a week when some volunteer mans the area

flea markets are places where individuals can sell items...there will be a huge variety of things available. these can be located outdoor in good weather, in large buildings, even sometimes there are in drive in theaters during the day....look in your newspaper to see if this is in your area

some private or local charity orgs run shops...the one I go to is in this category...they ahve everything from winter coats to furniture to cookware to housewares....often there are cooking pots available for like $1. I saw one woman loading up on stuff for her daughter who was getting a college apt...not just destitute people go to htese shops

some local govt entities also run shops. in my area there is one that is run jointly with a food pantry...you just go there and take what you want no cost

you might also look for yard sales and garage sales esp in the summer. Many times families will sell used kids clothes...often for deals like $5 for a huge bag of them. You can also find baby furniture or other furniture there or in ads in newspapers

Here is an interesting story (true) for the son of a friend of mine: Her son when he was first married got a job as a garbage man on one of those big trucks. (These are surprisingly high paid jobs.) During the one year he did this job, he collected all the furniture for their home from nice items that people who were moving left out for the trash instead of selling. He even got brand new wall to wall carpet.

Right now with all the foreclosures going on in the USA, huge amounts of stuff is being trashed by the companies who clean out these homes (I have seen a couple news clips on this on the tv) because there is so much of this stuff the clean out companies cannot find any use for it. Some put this stuff out for a day or two so folks can pick through it so they don't have so much to haul away. I thought when I saw that show what a waste it was...too bad someone couldn't collect it and sell it somewhere either here or abroad since getting it was absolutely free.

Let me know if you need more info on this topic.