Saving Money in Tough Times

Here are ten ideas that we’ve come up with realizing they are not all encompassing. You are welcome to comment and add to the list. We have more that we will share with you in a later post. This is an ongoing process!

1. Conserve energy by turning off the lights and keeping the heat down.

2. Scale down to one automobile. We did and several other couples in our neighborhood did and without any serious drawbacks. If you need an additional vehicle for a short time – go rent one.

3. Eat in and not out. If you do eat out, look for early bird specials and other deals.

4. Prepare a detailed budget and carefully review all line items for possible savings.

5. Maintain your car by changing the oil and rotating the tires.

6. Cut down on magazine subscriptions and use the internet more frequently, besides you’ll get more data faster and more currently.

7. Reduce your travel by taking day trips and enjoying what’s near you.

8. If you do take trips and stay in hotels, plan carefully and try to utilize your points for free nights.

9. When traveling by automobile take a cooler and pack food. Then ask your hotel for a room with a microwave and refrigerator to cut down on eating at restaurants.

10. Just plain do without and scale back.

My wife Jessica commented after editing this post – “pretty stark” – but you do what you have to do when times are tough. Maybe we should send this list to the Wall Street bankers taking big bonuses.