Anybody with good tips on how to cut costs or save money pleeeeease share them here.

The trick is not to cut costs but to spend spend spend. It is people who are not spending that have the economy in the state it is in. If you aren't spending your money then the stores don't make the profits which leads to increases in prices to cover losses.


The only way out of this is to ignore the news and spend your money as if nothing was going on.

Sorry, I'm the opposite of you Dingbat. I have no credit card debt, and keep it that way. If I use my card, I pay the balance when due. I have two loans, mortgage and car payment. I'm over paying my car payment because it's a higher interest rate than my mortgage. At the rate I'm overpaying it, I'll have it paid off in 18 months, and my car is 1 1/2 years old. I also put money into my savings every month, and all my tax returns and extra money has gone into my savings. I've stock piled enough that if I lost my job, I'd be ok for quite awhile along with collecting unemployment.

I'm not much of a shopper, most material things I already have. Basically, I think I spend my money as normal, but I'm keeping my debt at a minimum and living within my means as everyone should have been for awhile. Running up debt hasn't been my thing since I graduated from college and learned the hard way. Since then, I buy only when I have the money to pay for it. It's the people that spent beyond their means and were suckered by the mortgage companies without reading the fine print, that put this economy where it is. JMO.

It's all about priorities.

Spend, but don't spend more than you have. Treat your credit cards like cash. Don't carry a balance.

Also, contribute to a 401k or open an IRA. The market is down now, but by the time you're thinking about retirement, this recession will be far in the past. It's best to start investing when the market is down.

I didn't mean spend beyond your earnings.

I regularly buy extra virgin olive oil. I don't need it but I like it. It is expensive but not something that will break the bank. I reckon if I cut out every luxury and bought cheaper brands of everything I usually buy I could save about half of my weekly shopping bill. On the other hand My shopping budget hasn't changed in the past 3 years whereas my income has increased.
Why should I be looking to spend less when I am earning more?

The "save under the mattress" mentality is what is prolonging the situation which the banks have got us into. The banks won't get us out of this mess, we have to do this our selves.



Didn't the US get stimulus cheques? the very name of these implies that spending this money will stimulate the economy. If this money was given freely then kept or saved then it would defeat the purpose of giving it in the first place.

Well, then, I've been helping the economy, because I've been shopping a lot lately. I feel guilty, though, buying all that clothes.

As long as you didn't get into debt buying the clothes then you are saving the world.



Thank you.

I would never allow myself to get into any debts. I use the credit card a lot, but I never pay interest on it, because I pay all the balance when it's due.

That, is the answer to prettyambitious question.

Yes, I got a $600 stimulus check, but I didn't need anything. So I put it in savings.

Like I said above, I haven't really changed my spending habits. I spent within my means before, and I will spend that way now. No way I'm going into debt chest high to "save" the economy. If I need it, or even sometimes if I just want it, I buy it. There's certain things that I still buy even if they are more expensive. I don't scrimp on certain things that I like. But, If my pay increases, I put that in my 401k or savings and continue to live the same way that I have on less pay. I really don't feel like working until I'm 90 years old or dead.

Things can change within a blink of an eye, and you have to prepare yourself for that. The economy is cyclical. This has happened before and the media now sinks their teeth into it and runs with it. If you think you can live high on the hog forever and never ever lose your job, you're living in a dream land. Everyone is expendible or replaceable.

You are saying that like I don't have savings or a personal pension. It is all about finding your own personal level. I could buy a new car every year, but I don't and I would be fool to do so. I could get a mortgage about twice what I currently have, but again it wouldn't be wise to do so. What I am talking about it is to live far enough within your means to allow for a fallback if needed but at the same time don't deny yourself the little luxuries your can afford just because of the "financial climate"

Uh, no. Basically what you just typed is what I do and what I posted previously, so I'm not sure what your point or your problem is?

im just battling it through, its really tough work. we are nearly 2 years from the beginning of it all now though. cant be much longer till it picks up surely!

Lots of things is easier said than done. You see so many ads that tell people how easy everything is but is it? To save cost you have to know how much you are actually spending. You need to create some sort of measurable goal to achive after you know the cost. Get rid of the most unnecessary spending. Sit down with your family and prioritize what is important for you and what not. Don't be selfish though involve your family into making these decisions. Good luck

Those are some good ideas.

Maybe they should save some money by using a discount store? Similar to the one of your username?

Or you can cook at home rather than eating out. Buy food in wholesale places and cook