I don't know how it happend! We went from being comfortable and okay to struggling.. Gas went up , groceries went up,kids started sports. Where does it end?
Ialready make my own laundry soap, hang on the line, reuse ziplocks. My only splurge is bathing instead of showering.. Is being a sahm a thing of the past for me? Is anyone else in my shoes?

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

That is hard... As I recall, you already live on a shoestring. I've been very impressed by how much you are able to spend on groceries in a year -- I believe I read $750 a year in this thread: How cheap are you? Made me do a double-take! You truly are already the resident expert. You have taught US a lot!

So, I'll try to help but haven't felt the squeeze yet myself as we were not living payday to payday before everything went up. Yes, we are blessed.

*Is there any way that you could downsize (ie vehicles -- although I think I read that you traded in for a low gas Honda recently?).
*Buying sports equipment from eBay (my kids don't do sports except the free kind in the driveway and/or in the street with the neighbor kids!).
*Selling on eBay or doing at-home childcare over the Summer (to bring in extra money).

Besides moving to a cheaper area of the country (!), that is all I can think of now. Hopefully others will come up with some ways to help you out.

I don't know that this will help you but it reminded me to tell others of this savings. Recently I called Direct TV and told them they were charging too much and I was considering switching to cable or no "enhanced" TV service. Within 5 minnutes they agreed to take $10.00 off my bill a month with no additional committment for one year. (The rep said a year is as long as they can enter - but after a year I could call and do the same thing again.) Savings = $120.00 yearly (plus tax!).

Thought it might help someone.

Sara :-)

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saraedawson@yahoo.com

Mommy to Jake, Alexis, Abigail and Joshua, Wife to Matt

The cable company just took 20.00 off my bill by doing the same thing...never hurts to ask.

plant you a garden and grow your own veggies . then can or freeze them. you can grow stuff in planters if you you dont have the space for a big one. you will be amazed at what it saves you at the grocery store plus its fresh and right at your finger tips so you dont have to drive to get it.

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«·´¨*·.¸¸. Jo ¸¸.·*¨`·»
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Your second sentence may have summed it up. You went from "being comfortable and okay" : I read this to mean you were able to be a little more free with your money, and not as thrifty as you could/should have been??? Kind of like going on a diet to lose weight, and you lose a few pounds, and things are going great....then you have, oh, just one piece of chocolate, or just one small brownie, etc. Before you know it, BAM, you're right back where you started. Could that be it??

Ok, now, how to tighten things up even more???

*scale down on your ISP, if you have cable, maybe go down to dial up for a while???
*wash everything in COLD, even your whites.
*cut meal portions a little bit.
*go thru all your closets and have a big yard sale. Use that money to pay off credit card or installment debt.
*be sure to ALWAYS put at least a little money in the bank EVERY WEEK, even if it's just a dollar. It adds up.
*make a solar cooker
*turn off your A/C

drastic times call for drastic measures, you could say.

BTW, can you tell me how you make your own laundry soap??

ETA: Check out a copy of The Tightwad Gazette. Some of the ideas are just TOO out there for me, but, I get re-inspired when I read things in that book. It really gets the brain thinking.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Thanks so much for the kind words! I went out and got some planters and started vegetable plants in the house. It is still too cold to start the garden! I got the tightwad gazette and read it front to back and started to reuse the envelopes.. Iloved that idea.. then 2 of my trades didn't show up and I got turned into the bad traders group on rmc.. I'm really discouraged with that right now.. 10 years and ya make one mistake and boom your a bad trader even though I made it right with her.
We sold our Dakota (v8) and are turning in our expedition tonight for something smaller or easier on gas..
What happend was gas finally hit the 3.00 mark in Ohio, the price of eggs doubled, and our goodwill?? it is cheaper to shop on clearance then to shop their anymore. Giant Eagle quit doubling coupons in Stark County.
It is just everything that I was doing frugal isn't so frugal anymore.
We are looking to move to north carolina or even south carolina. dh is looking for jobs. I was thinking a part time job would be great but dh has tow truck every night. if he gets a call the kids would have to go with him..which means witnessing blood and guts in the wrecks.. they are 2 and 4.. a bit too young for that.
I was thinking about doing the work at home agent but don't have a landline.. not sure if it is worth getting one for.. I'm waiting for a reply from someone that works their to get their opninion.

we do have 10% off dh check going into 401k and I do put my rebate checks back and put them towards a credit card.. yard sale season is coming up and I plan on having one with my stockpile to completly pay one off.. I guess I just feel so overwhelmed with everything going up at once I don't know where to begin to cut even more off in our budget.. I'll have to make a call to the cable company.. thanks for that insight!!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

here is my recipe for laundry soap
Recipe #1

3 Pints Water
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha Soap, Grated
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
2 Gallon Bucket
1 Quart Hot Water
Hot Water

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints of water, and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat. Add 1 Quart Hot Water to 2 Gallon Bucket. Add soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket with hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.

I can't find washing soda so I use the free zest that we got from cvs. shred a bar and put in saucepan with 3 pints of water until it dissolves. mix with 1/2 c of borax until it dissolves. I then add hot water to the 2 gallon bucket and add the mixture.. I dump it in my tide bottles and use teh 1/2 c per load..
I use it with cold water and hang my clothes.. I've had no problems.. cost comes roughly to 2 cents per load.
I also save my soap chips from the tub.. works just as well.

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

Homemade Laundry Detergent

this is where I got my laundry soap idea.. few easy recipes for detergent on there.. it sounds difficult but once you have everything it really is fun!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

refundsrus....I sent an e-mail to you...your PM box is full to the brim!

just cleared it out! there were pms from 03 in there!!! lol

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers