I want to know...

what are you doing in this economy to save $? Tell me!

Truth is: my eyes are sometimes bigger than my bank account, this Europe trip is happening in three weeks(!), dating can get expensive (men like to eat A LOT), and this economy just plain sucks (I cringed when I saw my last retirement account statement). It's Thursday and once again I'm planning to forego dinner with the running group to save $10, but miss out on a few hours of chatting with the group. My logic is I already went out to dinner (with the girls, all of whom are in the running group) once this week AND bought thai takeout on Sun night with the man friend.

Other ways I've been attempting to save include:

-skipping the occasional Americano/latte from Starbucks
-attempting to bring my lunch every day to work
-not buying alcohol at dinner ($4 beer or $7 glasses of wine add up. Plus, I could get an entire six pack or bottle of wine for that amount.)
-not renewing my gym membership this term and becoming a little more creative by hopping on the bike, going for long hilly walks (b/c my bum knee won't let me run), and using my on demand exerciseTV workouts
-avoiding Target at all costs
-forcing myself to only buy items on my grocery list (usually fruits, veggies and protein)

Tell me, what are YOU doing to save $? And Glamour just started a new blog, Little Miss Fortune about living big on a small budget!

Comments

Anonymous said…
hahaha "avoiding Target at all costs" - IF only I could do that, wow I would save sooo much!! But, in my defense, I almost Never go out to eat. Maaaybe once or twice a month. Thats where it's really easy for me to cut down. and also rarely order drinks with dinner (seriously, buy a bottle of white for $7 vs one glass?! easy easy).

I made a budget for myself this year (for the first time) in Excel, and wow. Can't even begin to say how much that has helped. I go over on this or that each month, but just keep it "under" in other places. If nothing else, it Really shows you where you're over spending.

seriously though. Target. ughhhh
Amber said…
Well we didn't have a vehicle for the last 6 months, which saves an amazing amount of money. Not only gas and insurance, but you don't shop as much either and you buy less at the grocery store when you know you'll have to carry it. Now that we have a vehicle again we have been spending a lot more, but we just try to cook at home as much as possible and shop thrifty, I guess. I'd have to say I haven't made any major spending changes.
Shoshanah said…
My boyfriend and I go to at least one movie a weekend. But what we've been doing lately is going to matinees instead of the evening shows. Between the two of us it saves around $5 per movie. Not bad at all considering the amount of movies we see.
T-Dizzle said…
Well, you know how I love my expensive eye creams and face washes and makeups? (i.e., All About Eyes by Clinique, Clarins face wash, Clinique undereye brightener, etc.) Well, no more. I've been using Cetaphil face wash, pure Witch Hazel astringent (super cheap for a huge bottle), Cetaphil lotion, and...wait for it...vaseline for my eyes and "wrinkles". I know it seems weird, but after I saw that thing about Tyra Banks and her "eye and everything cream" being vaseline, I decided to try it. And it works amazing! My skin hasn't been this consistently clear in a long time. And my eyes don't look all tired and stuff and my dark circles aren't that bad either. At least the results are comparable to the other stuff I've tried. And a HUGE thing of vaseline is only few bucks as opposed to $35 for 2 ounces!
Britni said…
I'm with you on saving money for the Europe trip. I've started using coupons and saving tons of money on groceries that way. And when I do go out to eat, I only eat half so that I can take leftovers for lunch the next day. It's amazing how much you can spend on eating out so that really is a big one.
Way to go you savvy spenders you!

heather-so impressed with the budget, seriously. i would never last.

amber-i'd love to have the challenge of buying only what i was willing to carry from the grocery store. Sometimes i just get caught up in thinking oh and i can get this to make that and that and that...

shoshanah-good idea!

T-Dizzle-I'm impressed! I saw an oprah a while back about some lady who uses something like vaseline and she's 60+ but looks much younger.

Playful Prof-yes, i like taking leftovers for a second meal the next day. not only does it save money, but it makes lunch that day a bit more exciting!
Teresa said…
I stopped getting my nails done. Does that count? I couldn't justify spending the money on it. I just didn't care what my fingernails looked like that much. I've also put a much more conscientious effort into not eating out so much. That one's tough for me since I hate cooking.

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