Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Cutting-Costs Gameplan -- Proven Method

I am doing a little Facebook poll to see how everyone has cut costs in this recessionary economy; the ideas are all in a similar vein worldwide, and there are some good suggestions I have heard. Here is a synopsis of some of my changes. Feel free to also leave your "cut backs" in the Comment area of this blog post! Thanks! We're all in this together! ;-)

My appoinments I have held constant to for well over a decade changed accordingly>
Haircuts and foiling from every 6 weeks to every 7/8 weeks
Dogs' groomings/spa baths from every 2 weeks to every 5/6 weeks
Silk wrap nails and pedicures from every 2 weeks to DIY at home and maybe the salon every 6/8 weeks
Brazilians no more from a regular schedule (ugh!)
Brow waxing and tint from every 4 weeks to 8 weeks
Dining out at best once a quarter compared to several days/nights a week forever -- loveee cooking at home so this is fine with me! Make lots so have leftovers for days
Drinks out with friends -- same as above; Trader Joe's $3.99 Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio is a treasure find!
Shopping -- haven't stepped foot in a mall in Charlotte since March 2009 (shop in my closet and happy with "new" finds>see blog entry re this), plus if you never go out, who needs clothes?! ;-) ***How do I recall the date?! Because my ex-boyfriend Zack had a high-maintenance female friend visit us from Germany who spent all her money shopping while we shelled out $1,000 to feed and water her for the week so she could shop. He proposed having her visit and us doing the same thing in 2010;
not on my dime or time again. Thus he is my ex! ;-)***
Socializing -- FB is a gem for this outlet! As is Skype and unlimited mobile-phone minutes, which Verizon finally got onboard with recently
Gas for car -- thank God for working at home. I need virtually no gas to speak of...
Entertainment -- Netflix always, and dogs at home! ;-)
Home heating costs -- a winter with an inside temp of 67F degrees compared to a usual 72-74F degrees, and sporadic gas fireplace use only on snow days

The Takeaway Here
When the $$$$$$$ rolls in again, and it is and will for all, trying to maintain some of these habits will bode well for us all! Yes? Carry on...

1 comment:

  1. Just musing>
    I have always wondered, due to the banking/mortgage loaning debacle (and that is being polite), what would happen if everyone united to not pay their mortgages akin to how everyone tried to not buy Exxon gas after the Valdez spill? Are they gonna foreclose on every home in America with a mortgage?! Same goes for credit-card companies across the board: What if everyone bonded together to stop paying, period? Before anyone gets on a soapbox re what this would do to the "economy," I want to point out>look at the economy for the past 3.5 years. It doesn't GET any worse.

    I was already thinking about the mortgage scenario, then saw Elizabeth Salz Leonelli's post here re credit cards and realized the insanity of this madness they call a method>
    Gotta love fucking CREDIT CARD COMPANIES. I missed my payment by ONE DAY, so they send me my next bill with interest which amounted to 4 CENTS!! So I called them, & asked them if I could break it down into 2 payments, 3 cents this month, 1 cent next month...or 2 cents now, 2 cents next month, etc. There was no "minimum" payment so I was confused...

    Just thinking aloud...it really gives the power back to the masses = people, yes? Where it should be, yes?

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