October 20, 2009 7:58 PM
Living on less - your suggestions
A mom recently shared that she and her husband had had a similar financial reckoning to the one I've described Tripp and I have gone through - and is enjoying the same spiritual gifts that come with letting go of the material - even when it wasn't by choice :)
She wrote:
It is only recently, though, that I started looking at grocery prices, trying to get the best bang for the buck, and shopping in clothing thrift stores (we switched to public school and now have to have a decent wardrobe!). I never controlled the impulse to buy things, and am embarrassed to think how often I would just buy things without any consideration for necessity. I, too, feel thankful for the "life lesson" and realize it was God's way of telling me to slow it down stop being distracted by the little things and focus on the important things. I am feeling the rewards already ... Anyway, i was wondering if you had ever done any research on the whole cable, internet, phone cost. I am hoping to find info on the Magic Jack or Vonage phone system that hooks in to the computer. We are going to get rid of our cable (i am the only one who enjoys a good cable show every now and then... i'm trying) I would also enjoy other folks suggestions on how to save money on the basics. Thank you for all you do. would you consider putting out a request along those lines??Thank you.
M
Hi M -Thank you for writing. One of the reasons I share my story is that I know a lot of people are going through similar situations. I am so happy though with our simpler less stressful life that I couldn't ask for anything more. I'm glad God allowed all that stuff to fade away.
I don't know about the techonology things. We live out in the country and Vonage is not available to us. I would really like to do something though. I've thought about dropping our land line but our cell phone connection isn't very good out here. So we're stuck. But I'm always looking for ways to cut back.
I will run your question and we can see what readers say.
Also, you might really enjoy Like Merchant Ships
I am anxious to hear what you all have to say too. Anyone?
Posted in Downsizing | Permalink
Comments
I would strongly encourage your readers NOT to get Vonage. My husband got Vonage for work calls because he deals with business people all over the world. He found that the sound quality was often bad. He recently decided to stop using Vonage and has discovered that it is notoriously difficult to close your account. The internet is filled with stories of bad customer service - my husband is now one of those angry customers who is having a terrible time cancelling the service.
Posted by: Amy | October 20, 2009 9:38 PM
Me again :0) I forgot to mention, we stopped paying for television a few years ago but we borrow movies from our library for free. Ours is a small library in a small city, but it has an amazing video selection!
Posted by: Amy | October 20, 2009 9:40 PM
As a young mother with only 2 young kids, I don't feel like the person to give advice to anyone on how to run a household!
That said, I know what has saved us tons of money is making a menu and a grocery list and buying ONLY what is on that list. When we follow this list, our grocery bill can be HALF of what we spend when when we go out with only a rough idea of what we want to make for the week.
Posted by: Lauren | October 20, 2009 9:45 PM
My husband and I have had to cut way back on "wants" as well. However, because of his business needs and mine, we need internet access. Because we live in a suburb of the DFW metroplex, AT&T Uverse is available to us. This is fiber optic internet and television. We bundled our HD tv and high speed internet, and have the bare minimum on our phone line (for emergencies only, such as today when I called 911 because a creepy magazine salesman kept banging on my front door for nearly 5 minutes and scared me half out of my mind). We use our cell phones for regular and long distance calls (our situation is unique in that my MIL covers the cost of our cell phone bill as a gift to us)
It costs about 100 a month but we can't seem to let go of the HDTV...The internet alone is only about 30 a month.
For television/movies, I second Barbara's previous recommendations of Netflix. It's great for movies and television series. Also, Hulu is great for watching newer episodes of shows (within 2 weeks or so of airing).
Posted by: Courageous Grace | October 20, 2009 11:15 PM
We use Skype. It's a free software for the computer and calls to other computers with Skype are free. You can also buy "skype out" minutes for a very reasonable per/minute rate so you can call land lines or cell phones with it.
Posted by: Louise | October 21, 2009 3:20 AM
We have Magic Jack - we also considered Skype but decided that MJ was more cost effective.
The sound quality isn't always superb, but it's decent - completely worth $40/year!
Posted by: Erin | October 21, 2009 8:43 AM
We use MagicJack, and we LOVE it! Dropped the phone line, now we are saving $360 a year, which after ten years is a whopping $3600 - that's two years of community college for my 1 year old!
We have had a few issues it, a few weird dropped calls and times where we couldn't hear the other person, but it's been very very rare. If you are not using it for business, it's an awesome deal. We paid 40 bucks the first year, the next year is 20.
Do you have a written budget that you stick to every month? Listen to Dave Ramsey online or on the radio for motivation. Tune into the debt free friday calls - that's what did it for me (even if you are debt free, it still motivates me to keep on the plan!)
I would, if I were you, get a Roku player (80 bucks) and then subscribe to Netflix. With the Roku player, you can watch anything on their instant watch list on your TV (need a cable running from computer to TV or wireless). We rarely even use the mail in feature of our subscription, because the instant watch has so many shows on it that we rarely watch our DVD!
Oh, I see you are getting rid of cable, well, then getting Netlix isn't going to save you money, but if you wanted to do it to wean yourself off then it's a great way to go!
I could go on and on......saving money is a passion of mine! :D I'll let others chime in!
Posted by: Debra | October 21, 2009 8:45 AM
One more thing, on the grocery thing, only buy meat once you figure out what the rock bottom price is and buy two or more. Buy one to eat with, freeze the others for later. Use cash at the grocery store (leave debit and credit at home). You'll be amazed at how much you'll stick to your list when you are scared of going over at the register! :D
Posted by: Debra | October 21, 2009 8:48 AM
I also wanted to add that according to this study:
walmartstores.com/download/3140.pdf
Shopping at wal-mart saves a little over 13% than the average cost of shopping at other stores.
I don't know about you, but that alone could save our family about 40 dollars/month without changing anything else!
We've usually shop at Target, but after seeing those numbers, we'll be going to wal-mart!
Posted by: Lauren | October 21, 2009 10:03 AM
Of course, the trick with Walmart is sticking to your list! :-) I have so much trouble with buying extra things that I didn't realize we 'needed', that I never shop there anymore. But if you can stick to your list, purchase the store brand and use the comparison shopping prices they post, I agree that you can save money there.
Posted by: April C. | October 21, 2009 12:44 PM
My husband and I are working to pay off our debt. We don't have cable (and really don't miss it). I combine coupons with great sales and stock up when items are at their rock bottom. I rarely step foot into Walmart. I can get better deals by stocking up on grocery store sales (keep a pricebook - not all sales are great or even good). At Walmart, there is too much temptation to buy other stuff.
The biggest thing is to get rid of credit cards! We are following Dave Ramsey's plan for becoming debt-free.
Studies have shown that you spend on average 12% to 18% more when using plastic rather than cash. So use cash!
Budget at the beginning of the month and use cash for groceries and stuff like that. Work with your spouse - give and take. Plan a little blow money for each so that neither feels deprived or controlled. If something comes up that isn't in the budget, then discuss with your spouse whether the budget needs to be amended - remember, it's not written in stone. It is there to tell your money what to do so that you get the most from it.
Another big one is to just stay out of stores. Don't window shop. It sets you up for a case of the "I wants."
Call your phone, insurance, etc companies and ask what their best deals are. Bargain with them. They are usually willing to help. Before calling, check the internet for whatever specials they have for new customers. Many times, they'll extend those to you.
Posted by: Melinda M | October 21, 2009 1:07 PM
I am reading the book Celebrations of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. This week I finished the chapter on Simplicity. It relates to much of what you and your reader have said. It is both an encouragement and challenge to me.
Posted by: Miriam | October 21, 2009 2:30 PM
I recently joined this search engine place to "earn" a few extra bucks. I have earned at least $5 in Amazon gift cards in about 2 weeks. All you have to do is use it as your search engine. So the more you search, the more you earn! Once you get in the habit of bookmarking that page and going right to it...just think it would be super easy to make at least $120 each year to spend on Amazon no problem...and then be sure to link Amazon through Barbara's site so she gets a kick back too! And yes, I do earn an extra buck for everytime someone that signs up under me and actually uses the search. Here is my link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/carolynk616
Thank you in advance!!! And oh, I do not have any extra pop ups or spam associated with it.
Posted by: Carolyn K. | October 21, 2009 2:48 PM
We use VOIP.com for our phone and have never had a problem with it. I have no idea what their customer service is like because I have literally never called except to sign up. The only complaint I have is that I don't have a phone if the power is out.
The problem that I have with shopping at Wal Mart is that you have to check the price per serving. Usually the store brand is less, but you also usually get less food with it. I have not done much research on this, but have found it to be true with some of the staples we buy, flour, oil, salt, and even some crackers. I have to say, though, that I have not been to Wal Mart for almost two years now, so it may have changed.
Posted by: Kellie | October 21, 2009 2:51 PM
I don't know if they're everywhere, but some places have wal-mart neighborhood markets. Those stores are just grocery stores and don't have all the extras that add up.
They don't have them in my area, but I've heard really good things about Aldi. From what I understand, they have the best generics of everything, but only offer one or two options for every item. You also bring your own bags or pay a nickle/bag to use theirs. Has anyone tried them?
Posted by: Lauren | October 21, 2009 3:52 PM
For anyone interested in saving money, buy or find a copy of "The Tightwad Gazette" at your library. I can't recommend it highly enough. A few articles are a little dated, mainly computer related from the early '90's, but still the best $15 you may ever spend.
Posted by: Melanie | October 21, 2009 8:11 PM
We shop at Aldi at least every other week. Their prices consistently beat Wal-Mart and the various wholesale clubs, and the quality of their generic items is top notch (compared to other generic brands). They also carry a few name brand items on occasion, as well as some discontinued items that didn't make it as new products in the other grocery stores. All at very low prices!
Interestingly, we just found out that Aldi also owns Trader Joe's. We thought that generic salsa had a familiar taste!
Posted by: Tina | October 21, 2009 8:28 PM
There is a forum where you can post your budget and get feedback, it's free. www.llnoe.com
Also, I would highly recommend taking Financial Peace University. You can find a church giving it. If you do that, make sure you buy your package from the church, they are usually cheaper than buying from the website. Go to daveramsey.com
And way to go Melissa! Let us know if you call in when you are debt free! :D We've been debt free (except for the house) for two years now, and it's wonderful!
Posted by: Debra | October 22, 2009 9:33 AM
