A 10-Week Plan to Cut $1,000 a Month from Your Budget: Ready for the Challenge?

**Contrary Housewife** · 01-07-2014, 11:51 PM

A 10-Week Plan to Cut $1,000 a Month from Your Budget: Ready for the Challenge? - DailyFinance

"Every Tuesday for the next 10 weeks, we'll comb through your biggest monthly bills, carve out ways to save right now, and make your resolution a reality."

**mauimagic** · 01-08-2014, 12:51 AM

Think I will follow this one - like his style!

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-08-2014, 01:25 AM

well after Ds left for the army and bought a new fridge and shut the stand up freezer down resulting a $100. a month drop in our DTE bill for a $1200. savings

DD has to pay rent this yr at $150-$200. a month so there's $1800 plus

We paid off the mortgage just a bit early and the 2nd too last yr. so $200. a month = $2400.

We are changing a $10,000 CC at 18% to a 0% 18 mo card so that should save $150x12=$1800.

We quit eating out at $200. a month so another $2400.
Because our youngest moved out we save at least $200. amonth on clothes,car ins.,extra food,gas etc. so $2400.
2 cats passed last yr and i figure they cost us $200. each a year in food,litter and shots so $400.

DD will now pay for her own stuff w/ her part time job so no clothes,haircuts,and treats so at least $100x12=$1200.

No more college so $5000. saved over last year and more from the past. plus savings on gas from driving te route 2-3x a week all year. and of course no books.

That more than covers the $12,000. I read his book I got at a G.sale. Great thread. And believe me I am not done trimming. Or talking myself out of things.

**nuisance26** · 01-08-2014, 12:54 PM

~Does anyone want to do this as a challenge? Because I'd be in!~

**imagine** · 01-08-2014, 01:37 PM

I would love to but I can not see anyway we could cut $1,000 a month. That is a huge chunk of change

**nuisance26** · 01-08-2014, 02:14 PM

~Well, Imagine, I was just going to follow his suggested areas to cut every week. Many of these I'd planned to do anyway, but you know how plans can be.
For example, this week's challenge was to scour any automatic payments/memberships/subscriptions and cut the fat. So I did that immediately after reading the article and now those items are off my to-do list. I only only had three items to tackle but they add up to a $550 savings over this year now that they are cancelled.
I'm not aiming for $1000 a month, I'm aiming to save in every challenge category he lists, if I can that is.

**pinetree** · 01-08-2014, 02:36 PM

I'd like to do it, I'm sure I can't find $1000, but any dollar amount I save is worth it.

I have no money saved on this weeks challenge, maybe I can cut something on next weeks. At least it has me looking at areas that I moght have overlooked.

**imagine** · 01-08-2014, 02:37 PM

Okay that makes sense. I hope next weeks is better I looked through our "junk" drawer came out with $0. What was some of the fat you cut to make $550 a year.

**nuisance26** · 01-08-2014, 04:32 PM

~One was a steady charitable donation. I had "pledged" only a year on them and ended up going almost three years because I kept forgetting to cancel. Good causes and all, but we had chosen other causes to support after the year was up even though I hadn't canceled the donation...you know how it goes. Another was my pay-as-you-go cell. I never use it. The last call or text I got was in September. Everyone I know sends me online messages. It used to only be $5 a month but last year they raised the cost to $7.50 a month. For something that is for emergencies only, I don't need it $7.50 a month worth.~

**mauimagic** · 01-08-2014, 04:37 PM

Glad to see the energy and ideas here - anything and everything saved is a bonus!

**wunsagin** · 01-08-2014, 06:05 PM

dh manages the money but I'm sure there are still things I can do to cut back. I haven't read the article but I did cancel my online weight watchers @18.95 per month so a total savings of $227.40 for the year. I hadn't even logged in since Sept.

**CPA-Kim** · 01-08-2014, 08:09 PM

After reading this article, I cut my Netflix to streaming only and saved $19.99 a month. I've already cut my grocery bill on 2014 budget by $400 a month. This will be hard because I love buying and cooking food for others but I really can't afford it if I want to retire. I've decided to make cheaper things for them like whole wheat pumpkin bread and stew. I've made a challenge to not spend any money on clothes for ALL OF 2014. That won't be hard at all....the food is my weakness because I eat all organic and like food

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-09-2014, 01:42 AM

I still need to cut more.
-cell phone I am cutting DD off and looking into a no service phone. I pay $91. right now.
-I need to dump $10,000. unsecured debt at 18%
and am looking at Feb. for a C.u. loan 6%
-I did not renew the magazines for a $150. savings
-I did not renew our club membership at the gun club-$225. saved plus another $30. for a keycard

Will still be searching for more ways but another $10-12,000 will be rough.

**TheRootedNomad** · 01-09-2014, 08:50 AM

I read all your posts and just did a VERY quick skim of the article and plan on going back to it on my lunch. It looks to be right in line with what I need at the moment to help me actually "take care of it."

The big financial plan for us this year is to attempt to live on DHs take home pay (minus overtime).Thankfully this is not a "have to" it's a goal so we can invest as much as we can over the next couple of years . This is going to be a struggle and completely impossible just by tightening up a bit. We need a corset with someone's foot in our back so I'll definitely be following.