Thursday, March 5, 2009

What Are You Doing To Save Money During the Recession?

Callers this morning told us they were making their own coffee at home and not spending anything on their credit cards.

Here are a few other ideas:

#1.) YOUR HOME PHONE. Cell phones have become indispensable, and it won't be long before landline phones are as dead as the telegraph. For most people, a home phone is actually a LUXURY ITEM, which is why it's an obvious expense to cut immediately.

#2.) iTUNES. Buying music and movies is extremely easy now. But instant gratification is always a recipe for overspending. If you buy two albums a month, that's $20 you could have spent on something you NEED. (--also, two words: illegal downloading).

#3.) NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES. Reading news on the Internet isn't the same as reading the paper . . . but it's close. And it's a lot cheaper. Online news is the way of the future, so you might as well get used to it . . . and save some money.

#4.) BLAZINGLY FAST INTERNET. ..downgrading could save your upwards of $40 a month.


#5.) THE INTERNET ON YOUR PHONE. If you need it for work, that's one thing. But if you're paying $50 a month just so you can check sports scores, it's probably time to reprioritize your monthly spending.

#6.) DIGITAL CABLE. If you're staying in and trying to spend less, then DON'T cancel your cable. You'll need SOMETHING to keep you from going crazy. But getting rid of premium channels and downgrading your cable package might be a good idea.

#7.) EXPENSIVE LUNCHES. Bringing a brown-bag lunch to work is something we think about doing . . . but never do. But if you're spending five dollars a day on lunch, five days a week, that's $100 a month.


What are you doing?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

i you'se allot of grocery coupons you'd be surpried how much you can save with coupons.
bev from dartmouth

Anonymous said...

We started preparing a two week meal schedule and we base our grocery order on this which saves us close to $75/week as we are not always stopping at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner. Plus the kids like it because they always know what we are having for dinner.

Anonymous said...

I use a lot of coupons, and have joined Smart Canucks recently where people post where the deals are, trade coupons, etc.

(http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/index.php?referrerid=36190)

Also, I try to win those C100 contests any time I can. I won Songwriter's Circle tickets a few weeks ago, yay! :)

Anonymous said...

#1 - LAN Line. Old technology! Ditch the wires and stick to your cell phone. Also, you can negotiate your cell phone plan at renewal...keep in mind, NOTHING is set in stone when it comes to retail!

#2 - I love it...the "illegal downloading." Umm I know it has saved some people hundreds of $$$.

#3 - Stop killing trees! Reading online is just as easy.

#4 - Fast internet...or "leech" off unsecured networks! Worked for me.

#6 - digital cable...you can also download most of your favorite shows online and watch them at your leisure. New PCs can be connected directly into your HDTV through HDMI cables! Best thing...no commercials!

#7 - thank whoever invented Tupperware...when cooking, just double recipes and freeze the extra in lunch-size portions.

#8 - create a budget and try to stick to it. You'll be able to see where your money goes each month and adjust different categories to see huge savings! I bank one full paycheck a month now because of budgeting!

#9 - coupons - save.ca and couponnetwork.ca Use your coupons during sales to save even more!

Anonymous said...

I'm saving money on interest payments. Rather than puttig extra money into savings or investments, I'm using this time to pay down our debt as much as possible. We have a loan that has a floating interest rate, so almost everything I'm paying in right now is going on the principal rather than interest. Even on fixed interest loans, at least you know you're getting a higher return on your money then you would in your savings.

Anonymous said...

#1. I brown bag my lunches.
#2. Park on the street and walk the 10 mins. from there to work instead of the $10/day at work.
#3. Always make our coffee at home every morning.
#4. Shop less/ cutting out unnecessary spending.
#5. Sell items I'm not using anymore on Kijiji for a little extra cash.
#6. Return refundable bottles for $ and give to my kids.
#7. Don't have a cell phone, even though I would really like to.
#8. Don't subscribe to newspaper/read on-line or at work.
#9. Borrow books at the library as much as possible.
#10. Buying less CD's and from a 'used' store (therefore at a discount)if I do. Download most from the internet/ I know that's not always fair but everyone does it.

Anonymous said...

I am saving money by making my way to the bottom of the freezer and finally using up all the frozen food that needs to be consumed before it is no longer edible. I am killing two birds with one stone........cleaning out my freezer and saving on my grocery bill.

Anonymous said...

Decrease your power bill by:
- turning off lights when you're not in the room
- turn off the TV when you're not watching it
- turn off the computer over night
- unplug the basement freezer and beer fridge not in use
- switch out your light bulbs to CFLs
- use LED Christmas lights
- unplug appliances/electronics when not in use
- wash your clothes in cold water
- install programmable thermostats
- decrease the temperature in your house by 2 degrees

Not only will you save money, you're helping the environment as well!!

Anonymous said...

Borrow movies from the library. It's free!