What have you cut back on?

[dooley_womack1]

Have cut back on going out for a beer or two after work. Have been bringing lunches to work more the last couple of years. Saved a decent amount of money by finally getting around to canceling a few things that would have small recurring payments a month. Moved into a less expensive apartment that's more energy efficient, and finally got a reliable car. Have cut back on eating out, and no longer have a land line.

 

[Diabeetus]

Cocaine.

 

[BYH]

Writing for money.

 

[zebracoy]

I've started sharing needles.

It's a rare occasion that I actually burst out laughing, but I did after reading everyone else's tales and then getting to this. Well done.

I haven't actually cut back on much, but I should have. In fact, this summer alone I've started golfing more, picked up a few other magazine subscriptions and gone out to dinner with the lady more. But I cut the phone bill a bit, and I'm looking on picking up other work this fall.

 

[sportschick]

I forgot to add. I've laid off purchasing shoes, or at least I've exchanged my Betsey Johnson's for Unlisted. Not nearly as much fun, let me tell you what.

 

[BYH]

I've been shaving daily since I was in sixth grade.

Mizzou, above, at a senior year kegger. :D

 

[MacDaddy]

My family, like probably just about everyone on here, has taken a huge financial hit over the last year. I'm not complaining, because we're still better off than most, but between college funds, day care and all that, we've had to cut considerably.

We cut our satellite package in half. We don't get HBO, Showtime anymore. I just download Weeds, Nurse Jackie and Entourage off the Internet and we watch it on Apple TV, which is one of the best investments I made a few years ago. It probably saves $50-$60 a month.

I stopped buying shaving cream. I use soap or shampoo. That saves $20 a month. I truly believe that shampoo works better than shaving cream and I have a really thick beard.

We stopped going out to dinner almost at all. We used to probably go out twice a week, now other than a run to the dollar menu, we go out for birthdays and special occasions and that's it. That saves us a ton of money. I go to the movies very rarely. I usually wait until I can download it, which lately hasn't been that long.

No vacation this year. That saves a couple grand.

Curious what other people are doing.

So part of the reason many of the people on this site are struggling is because other people don't respect copyrights. And yet you have no problem disrespecting others' copyrights so that you can download free movies.

He didn't say anything about downloading movies for free.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I've been shaving daily since I was in sixth grade.

Mizzou, above, at a senior year kegger. :D

Me in a few more days ...

-----

I've cut back on just about everything the last couple of years. Rarely eat out, brown-bag as often as possible, buy very few tickets to games and concerts and unloaded a lot of stuff. I was doing this before the economy started swirling the bowl, though.

Need the occasional trip outta here, though. It costs, but sanity shouldn't have a price tag.

 

[BYH]

Need the occasional trip outta here, though. It costs, but sanity shouldn't have a price tag.

Agreed. I was really bare-bones upon losing my job last spring. I've been a lot less conservative the last few months, but **** it. I deserve it after the year from ****ing hell, and I dare anyone to suggest otherwise (not aimed at Sam at all, just to be clear).

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Smaller tips for the hookers.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Word gets out, and you'll get cut down to 55 minutes.

 

[sportsguydave]

Cut my cell phone plan to bare minimum (400 minutes a month). Night minutes start at 7, and I've conditioned myself to call coaches with night or weekend minutes. Saved $60 a month.

Got rid of the landline - $50 a month.

Got rid of Napster - $19.95 a month. You can listen to almost anything Napster has for free on imeem.com.

Some of the others previously mentioned: Cutting back on eating out, movies (very few good movies anyway these days), other leisure activities. Playing golf less, but started buying used golf balls and looking in the rough/woods for abandoned balls when I do play.

With 10 percent salary cut, had to trim my 401K contribution to bare minumum ($5 a month). That absorbed $80 of the $200 monthly I lost right there.

 

[spnited]

Happily, I haven't had to cut anything. No slaery cuts or furloughs at my place.
No raises, either, but nothing has changed about my living habits.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

Most of the ones mentioned, I do.

I cut Blockbuster out of my life. If I do rent a movie, it's from Redbox.

I no longer pay for haircuts. Either do it myself or have a friend do it.

I date less; drink less when I do go out and smoke less.

 

[forever_town]

Sex with strippers.

 

[Rumpleforeskin]

Condoms.

Yet, my payments for child support has gone up.

[/hoping blue font isn't needed]

 

[dooley_womack1]

****, I think you're making Trojan's stock price fall. :o

 

[Dirk Legume]

I have a question for those of you who have cut dish/cable. When you watch stuff online, don't you miss the bigger screen and the couch and stuff? I can't imagine my wife and daughter and I sitting around the computer monitor.

In our house, we really see a difference with the eating out. My wife works in an office and that makes it harder for her to always say "naw, I'm staying in today", although she often does. I, on the other hand, work at a radio station as the morning man and I eat my lunch, packed from home, at like 10 AM. So I don't really run into the "come to lunch with us" crowd.

We are considering getting rid of our lawn service, which is 80 dollars a month. There are a couple of reasons that we hesitate. I have a skin disease that effectively make me allergic to the sun so it would be difficult for me to cut the lawn. And two, I am a fat lazy S-O-B that doesn't want to cut the lawn.

We have cut our magazine subs down to Consumer Reports (my daughter gets Star for reasons that surpass understanding. She is pretty intelligent otherwise).

I will say this, my kid is 20 and while she is still going to school and living at home, she has assumed some of her financial responsibilities. That has made a big difference.

 

[KevinmH9]

Everything. Social life has definitely taken a moderate hit.

 

[Buck]

I've reduced my cocaine use to weekends only.