Comments on: Cut back or do without http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/ Frugal Living by Sara Noel Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:26:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Anna http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/#comment-31317 Anna Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:05:43 +0000 http://www.frugalvillage.com/?p=2436#comment-31317 We cut $28 per week giving up juice and soda. Most parents have been brainwashed into giving their kids "healthy" juice "instead of soda," but after attending a parent education wellness class at the kids school that taught us they should have no more than 4 oz of juice per day because you're essentially giving them sugar and should water it down considerably (yes, natural fruit-based sugar, but still just a lot of empty calories), we eliminated it completely from our menu. Now, the kids have a choice of milk or water. They drink a bit more milk than they used to (otherwise it would be $38 per week, not $28 in savings), but they've grown to enjoy water. We bought one of those easy-spigot 2-gallon Rubbermaid water containers so the water is always cold and easy for them to get at. Not being one to deprive my kids of something and not myself, I also gave up soda. That accounts for $7.80 of the $28 drop (it would have been more if we drank name-brand soda, but as we were already drinking the generic brand, it was less). Sometimes not everybody cooperates. Hubby still has his Dr. Thunder habit and buys 2-3 bottles per week, but it's a lot less than the gallons and gallons of junk-water we used to lug home and he's started drinking tea for some of his old caffeine fix. If you steep a single teabag in a gallon of hot water the night before (we heat the kettle, then throw the teabag in the kettle to steep overnight) you can get an entire gallon of tea to reheat in the microwave out of a single teabag (this is a trick I learned from thrifty European friends). You can just as easily dump the cooled tea into a glass with ice cubes in the summer for ice tea. We cut $28 per week giving up juice and soda. Most parents have been brainwashed into giving their kids “healthy” juice “instead of soda,” but after attending a parent education wellness class at the kids school that taught us they should have no more than 4 oz of juice per day because you’re essentially giving them sugar and should water it down considerably (yes, natural fruit-based sugar, but still just a lot of empty calories), we eliminated it completely from our menu. Now, the kids have a choice of milk or water. They drink a bit more milk than they used to (otherwise it would be $38 per week, not $28 in savings), but they’ve grown to enjoy water. We bought one of those easy-spigot 2-gallon Rubbermaid water containers so the water is always cold and easy for them to get at.

Not being one to deprive my kids of something and not myself, I also gave up soda. That accounts for $7.80 of the $28 drop (it would have been more if we drank name-brand soda, but as we were already drinking the generic brand, it was less).

Sometimes not everybody cooperates. Hubby still has his Dr. Thunder habit and buys 2-3 bottles per week, but it’s a lot less than the gallons and gallons of junk-water we used to lug home and he’s started drinking tea for some of his old caffeine fix. If you steep a single teabag in a gallon of hot water the night before (we heat the kettle, then throw the teabag in the kettle to steep overnight) you can get an entire gallon of tea to reheat in the microwave out of a single teabag (this is a trick I learned from thrifty European friends). You can just as easily dump the cooled tea into a glass with ice cubes in the summer for ice tea.

]]> By: Elizabeth http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/#comment-31304 Elizabeth Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:26:52 +0000 http://www.frugalvillage.com/?p=2436#comment-31304 By the way, I actually work out when I go to the gym. On mornings that I really don't want to go, I tell myself that I could go and just shower and get dressed (my work clothes are already packed) -- but by the time I sign in, I always give and and do at least a short workout. By the way, I actually work out when I go to the gym. On mornings that I really don’t want to go, I tell myself that I could go and just shower and get dressed (my work clothes are already packed) — but by the time I sign in, I always give and and do at least a short workout.

]]> By: Elizabeth http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/#comment-31303 Elizabeth Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:24:42 +0000 http://www.frugalvillage.com/?p=2436#comment-31303 Your list is a good way to start thinking about things we forget cost us more money than they should. Sometimes tweaking the way we use items can save us money, too. We've discussed that when one of our vans can't be repaired reasonably any longer, we would just keep one because our kids are getting old enough to take public transportation on their own and we also have the option of getting a ZipCar/FlexCar membership for when we would need more vehicle capacity 1 day at a time. I've actually saved money with my gym membership. Instead of turning the heat up when I awake ('cause it's turned LOW during the night) I can take my prepacked bag straight to the gym at the Y. I use the showers there and dry my hair then head to work. We have a microwave and coffee pot so I have my oatmeal and coffee there. Doing this several days every week cuts the actual cost of my gym memberships by quite a bit. It's just a few blocks from my workplace so the additional cost of transportation is minute. I save less in warmer weather, but I figure that it all works out in health and social benefits :) Your list is a good way to start thinking about things we forget cost us more money than they should. Sometimes tweaking the way we use items can save us money, too. We’ve discussed that when one of our vans can’t be repaired reasonably any longer, we would just keep one because our kids are getting old enough to take public transportation on their own and we also have the option of getting a ZipCar/FlexCar membership for when we would need more vehicle capacity 1 day at a time.

I’ve actually saved money with my gym membership. Instead of turning the heat up when I awake (’cause it’s turned LOW during the night) I can take my prepacked bag straight to the gym at the Y. I use the showers there and dry my hair then head to work. We have a microwave and coffee pot so I have my oatmeal and coffee there. Doing this several days every week cuts the actual cost of my gym memberships by quite a bit. It’s just a few blocks from my workplace so the additional cost of transportation is minute. I save less in warmer weather, but I figure that it all works out in health and social benefits :)

]]> By: Monroe on a Budget http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/#comment-31295 Monroe on a Budget Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:04:26 +0000 http://www.frugalvillage.com/?p=2436#comment-31295 My husband and I can't be a one-car family because the work and family schedules are a little unpredictable. But our money-saving trick is to have one newer car and one older / paid-off car. One car payment, instead of two, is really nice when you have other bills to pay. .-= Monroe on a Budget´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.blogsmonroe.com/budget/2010/02/daily-worth-dealing-with-the-kid-tantrums-on-money/" rel="nofollow">Daily Worth: Dealing with the kid tantrums on money</a> =-. My husband and I can’t be a one-car family because the work and family schedules are a little unpredictable. But our money-saving trick is to have one newer car and one older / paid-off car. One car payment, instead of two, is really nice when you have other bills to pay.
.-= Monroe on a Budget´s last blog ..Daily Worth: Dealing with the kid tantrums on money =-.

]]> By: Forest http://www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/26/cut-back-or-do-without/#comment-31281 Forest Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:59:24 +0000 http://www.frugalvillage.com/?p=2436#comment-31281 Like you say there are always more corners to cut. You could give up television completely and just start reading. The library is free and books can be very cheap to buy (used). Food could be cut down to barebone healthy basics. No meat, just lightly steamed and baked veggies, some beans for protein etc etc... It would be an interesting experiment to cut down to the complete bare essentials. Thanks, Forest. http://frugalzeitgeist.com .-= Forest´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Frugalzeitgeistcom/~3/gz5hAeObt0Y/" rel="nofollow">Save Money On Printing</a> =-. Like you say there are always more corners to cut.

You could give up television completely and just start reading. The library is free and books can be very cheap to buy (used).

Food could be cut down to barebone healthy basics. No meat, just lightly steamed and baked veggies, some beans for protein etc etc… It would be an interesting experiment to cut down to the complete bare essentials.

Thanks,
Forest.
http://frugalzeitgeist.com
.-= Forest´s last blog ..Save Money On Printing =-.

]]>