Good Bye HBO, Bud Light, Marlboro Lights, Restaurants, Blockbuster and more.

Even being a prepared person, I never understood what it meant to live simply until our little island was smacked by Hurricanee Paloma; it was like returning to a lifestyle of my youth. It was not uncomfortable. 64 days without conventional power. Just got internet back yesterday, after 4 months. So it goes. Can't complain.

We have a moderate amount of solar powered devices, which we saved up for and managed to uninstall and protect during the storm.

When all of your normal accoutrements that ease you through the day are removed or severely hampered, if you haven't made provisions for simpler means, then you suffer until you choose to adapt. We gave up a lot of things, and you know what? Some of them we didn't take back up again. I don't mind admitting it was a greater day in our household when I fixed the satellite dish and manually tuned in TV than when we got power back in the house.

We're growing more food than ever before. All manner of planters and pots and have made homemade solar collectors out of hardware store jetsam. This is an amazing time to be alive, no?

Cheers to the OP for clear choices and the sand to state them.

I guess in many ways I'm very lucky to have already been considered in the lower class (I make just about $20,000 a year). I've never been able to afford to play the stock market (not that I would, anyway) and I don't have to worry about being able to afford to buy beer or cigarettes, since I don't drink or smoke. I drive a used car that gets pretty good gas mileage and gets me to work and home every day. I have no kids, but I do have a lot of animals to take care of, but that's a cost I've absorbed into my regular budget.

I think a lot of people are forgetting about a little thing called a public library where they can (gasp!) check out new movies and (shock!) borrow brand new books for absolutely nothing. Just be sure to give back to the libraries (either through volunteering your time or even your spare change--every little bit helps) because they're suffering through this depression too.

It's almost funny (not in the 'ha-ha' way) that it's taking something like this financial meltdown to make people realize that they really don't NEED a lot of the stuff they spend money on. They might WANT it, but they don't need it. I learned that lesson a long time ago. It's nice to have company.

Well I already buy brand x instead of name brand. I dont eat out or buy new clothes or go out on weekends. I go out one Saturday a month with a group of girlfriends. It makes it so much more fun. I have always been like this but then again I have always been cautious with money. I have 0 debt and I am 30 years old. The only things I have really cut back on are certain things I like to eat. I dont really do anything extra that costs me any kind of money.

Originally posted by logician magician

Originally posted by Doomsday 2029
Hello Keystone Beer, Roll-your-own cigarettes, and eating at home.

I know there are more sacrifices I will be making, like getting a haircut every two months as opposed to every month, staying at home on the weekends instead of going out, buying Brand X instead of the Name Brand,

WOW! The times must be SO HARD!

Go vacation in a 3rd world country, why don't you.

You $@$@#*'s don't know how good you have it.

For the longest time I disliked my boss. He makes anywhere from one or two million a year. He works his but off, and half the time he is the happiest man in the world, and the other half he is the most miserable piece of **** I've ever seen.

There is something you need to respect for the rich... they are the ones that create jobs. If it weren't for my boss, that is what I concider a "millionair slave"... 25 people wouldn't have jobs right now.

I realize these people that earn millions of dollars aren't so bad, because they are the guys that employ the $35,000 jobs for people like me.

And with my $35,000 salary I can employ the mexican that mows my lawn.

Yea, if you read the entire thread you would understand that I'm not crying... not yet atleast.

Like I said earlier... i've spent months in Mexico, I get it.

But if more and more people start taking the same approach that I am... you are going to see unemployment hit 25% by 2010.

We are gonna have our great depression. Calm down.

Originally posted by Doomsday 2029

I know there are more sacrifices I will be making, like getting a haircut every two months as opposed to every month,

Now that cracks me up. Why don't you cut your own hair??. I've done that all my life.

[
There is something you need to respect for the rich... they are the ones that create jobs.

That is nonsense. Most rich people do NOT create jobs. They are lawyers and politicians and bankers and athletes and entertainers. Usesless parasites.

People who start up companies that actually produce useful things - that's different. They create productive jobs and I don't mind if they get rich.

Buh-Bye Spa Pedicures! Hello, coupon clipping! Haven't rented Blockbuster in several months! Sold my house and downsized in 2007! I need new furniture and and a new TV, but I can't buy it, now! I knew this was coming, and I knew it would be bad! Hang in there, guys!

Young retired,former business owner.Used to have money in the market,more "secured" long-term investments currently.I live on a "fixed income" simply because I don't generate income any longer and I plan on living for a long time.

No debt other than what it takes to run my ranch per month.My truck is 7 years old and paid for.

I stay in shape and work hard at being fit and healthy: it has really cut down on Dr. bills (no more asthma meds!) and you can look nice is less expensive clothing if you're in shape,simple fact.Spend the time walking or doing something else physical rather than watching TV?

I do my own nails and skin-care,there are a lot of wonderful "home-made" products you can create in the bathroom that are suprisingly effective.

Make big pots of "clean out the fridge" soup once a week (I'm a vegetarian but my guy eats meat so I just make 2) and eat on that...easy once you learn some basic cooking skills and how to season,use what's around.
Have a big garden planted,always have posts of herbs growing in the kitchen.

I do have a gym membership that I use often but also have a pole (obviously) and other basic things to work out on at home...saves me a TON of time and money as I'm rural and have to drive a distance to get to anywhere.

I sew and do needlework,make 95% of my "gifts" and love to spend creative time using found-objects in artsy-ways.It's very soothing as well!

I was raised in a VERY large family: we polished our shoes to make them last/look new and learned how to re-style clothing past it's prime into quilts or other usable items.

Am in a pass-around book group,basically you take what you bring to a meeting.FUN! Also works for clothing and stuff...get together a bunch of friends and everyone clean out closets...whatever you bring in number you can also take,you can get a whole new to you wardrobe this way!

[edit on 24-3-2009 by irishchic]

Originally posted by logician magician

Originally posted by Doomsday 2029
Hello Keystone Beer, Roll-your-own cigarettes, and eating at home.

I know there are more sacrifices I will be making, like getting a haircut every two months as opposed to every month, staying at home on the weekends instead of going out, buying Brand X instead of the Name Brand,

WOW! The times must be SO HARD!

Go vacation in a 3rd world country, why don't you.

You $@$@#*'s don't know how good you have it.

Hmm, the third-world isn't as bad as it's portrayed you know. Being a college student and writing software in my spare time, I get by pretty well.

Well, it's probably because everything is either cheap or pirated. Being on unlimited bandwidth on the fraction of the cost that you would pay in the states, I can download a few hundred movies in a month. I buy 2 packs of Benson&Hedges everyday for about $2 a pack. I buy half a kg of marijuana every month for about $10.

No more waxing appointments...

That's the most recent thing to go. It's just way too expensive.

I never go tanning or get my nails done but if I did, that would go, too.

Less hair appointments... more cooking at home...

I made a thread like this a few months ago, if you want to check that to compare.

[edit on 3/24/2009 by ravenshadow13]

We NEVER eat out at a restaurant. The closest we get is Hardee's or Arby's a few times a month. We have HBO, but only because we got a decent cable bundle. I require Internet access for my job, so I can't cut that out. Our only splurges are netflix, and a couple of EQ2 accounts. =) at the end of the day a month subscription for those together is less than what it would cost to go out to eat once.

In a fan-hitting scenario we're probably pretty screwed. We already decided to skip our big vacation plan for next year and decided it would be more responsible to get our money straight. We were going to do a family trip to Disney World in 2010, but decided to take that money and pay off a credit card instead. Go us! We have a plan to be credit card debt free in 2 years, car payment free in 3, and mortgage free in 10-15.

Things always come up to delay those goals, but we are making progress towards them. If something does happen at least we'll be a little less screwed.

reply to post by lurkerinthedark

It's almost funny (not in the 'ha-ha' way) that it's taking something like this financial meltdown to make people realize that they really don't NEED a lot of the stuff they spend money on. They might WANT it, but they don't need it. I learned that lesson a long time ago. It's nice to have company.

Isn't it nice to have company?


It's the bad times that help us to appriciate the good. Some of us have become a trifle spoiled it seems. Toys are nice, 'tis true...but sometimes simpler, more important things get laid aside that perhaps shouldn't be.

reply to post by seagull



Absolutely agree!

Had FUN this weekend: a few friends over,made bread and soup(everyone brought a little contribution) and tried to learn how to play chess after a long game of Monopoly with plenty of cheating!

Lots of screaming,hooting,and laughter and it was the "cheapest fun" I have had in probably 10 years.
Doing it again asap.

reply to post by irishchic



You go girl.

Fun is where you make it. A very simple lesson we learned as kids, and somehow forget as we get older.

My entertainment money is spent exclusively these days on used books, though I do occaisionally make a safari to Barnes and Noble. Movies, unless they really spark my interest, don't factor into that anymore...certainly not theatre releases...

Buying off brand? Been doing that since I was in shortpants. Parents who grew up during the Depression will do that to a person...

We're saving around $1500 a year because we switched from satellite/cable service to free "off the air" DTV, HD signal is just as sweet as the one I was paying for.

We supplemented the missing channels of entertainment with a subscription to netflix. With a Roku box, you can stream a lot of their selections right to your tv via wi-fi or ethernet.

Switched from a regular "land line" ATT phone account to a VoIP phone service.

Old bill: $180-$200 per month "bundle" from ATT

New bill: $40 DSL, $16 netflix, $8 voip service = $64

in five years that's about 9 grand!