Off topic...Saving money during tough times...

Thought we could get a thread going on how to pinch pennies during this recession (depression for some of us).  I'm just going to share some stuff off the handle (top of my head) with no order.  They are cutting back on my hours at work.  So with this extra time I have taken on different projects to cut cost and waste around the house.  You may think them extreme...but it's just me.  Would love to hear your ideas too and get some good info passed back and forth.
First, I have dropped cable.  It's a time waster and makes me lazy....Flipping through the channels.  I have an antenna and it works fine for getting the major channels.  If I want to see a football game on cable I go to a sports bar.  I run my errands on my bicycle.  From paying my bills (stamps) to buying food.  It's good for my heart and clears my mind.  If you can't ride, you still may be able to walk to the store if it's not too far.  Over in Europe they walk miles to the store...It's good for them.  I am eating out much less...even fast food.  I will still get my Wendy's Chili and my McDonald's coffee...but have cut back on those feel good meals that cost a bundle (tip included)...Not saying I won't go out...but just cutting back.  My wife and I have decided to look into the freezer...I mean really look!!  You know what I'm talking about...That stuff that has been sitting there for years...Lima beans, okra, deer meat...  It's time to start using some of those things up.  Take a good long look in your food pantry...Start using up some of those cans before they develop botulism!!  If neighbors give you a ton of vegetables make a crock pot...add some meat and seasoning and go from there.  Consider dropping the landline phone and just go with DSL and a cell phone.  Watch your cell phone plans...big bucks there. 
These are just a few ideas...What about you???  PS "What you need is in your belly (pouch)...What you want is in your mind..."

My husband and I graduated college right as the economy started to dive, so we've always tried to be conscious of our finances. We don't have cable or a land line and it suits us fine. Similarly if we want to watch football games, we watch the free ones on ESPN3 and the network channels. Sometimes we go to the sports bar, but usually avoid that because it means overpaying for beer.

For me a big thing is not wasting food. I make a lot of soups and casseroles, all of which get frozen to use as lunches for work. In the past few years, I've started canning as well. It's not much, but it's nice to have some good fruit in winter. I dry herbs from the garden to avoid buying them, and really enjoy curing meat and making cheese.

We still have our treats; we love movies so we spend some of our entertainment money on Blu-rays. Generally we don't see things in the theater unless it's something really big (this year we've seen Prometheus, The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises). If we go to the movies it's always early on a Saturday so we get the matinee price.

We really like sparkling water, but buying it by the case was getting expensive so we bought a Sodastream to carbonate our own at home. It's saved us a ton of money, and Macy's will exchange the used CO2 containers for free.

We're very fortunate. The only bills we really have to deal with each month are internet, cell phone, my student loans, and electricity. Sure, there are unexpected things like the dog getting sick and needing a vet appointment or the drain getting clogged and us needing a plumber. It's not perfect, but we certainly make it work.

We won't cut back on cable because that is our only entertainment
* we got rid of the bug guy
* went with cheaper pool service
* got a cheaper phone plan
* do not go out to eat
* when we have family BBQ'S I make my kids bring food , something I have never done before
* we do not give money to our adult children
* we don't go to our place at the lake as much because the gas is about 100
* we got rid of the house keeper ( she really needed the job to support her family)
* I cut and color my own hair ( my hair dresser just opened her own shop , I have been going to her for 25 years)
* I do my own nails ( my nail "girl" is a new widow with 3 children)
My husband took a 3k cut in pay after working for the same co. for 24 years he now , after several pay cuts, makes HALF of what he did 16 years ago , doing the same job for the same company. It used to be that he had one "owner" now he has three that all want their millions , so some cuts just have to be made , for US not THEM .
My husband also had to cut his employees by 20%.......welcome to the real world , wish our govornment would do the same thing

Good thread to start!

1.  Yes for sure cutting anything you don't need like extra data on your cell plan or extra cable channels that you don't even watch, going out to eat several times a week, landscaper, etc.
2.  Coupon-it can be a pain to cut them and all but even $5 saved is $5 saved.
3.  Buy some generic goods.  I know some people do not like to buy anything generic but I'm not one of those people.  If I can buy the same product that is just as good as the name brand for about 40% less then I will. 
4.  Instead of buying books or renting movies check out your local library.  My local library has plenty of DVD's to check out...even TV shows by season.  Free of charge!
5.  Maybe you can check out other car insurance companies or another bank that gives better interest rates and has free checking or other items.
6.  Don't go to stores where you know you'll want to purchase things even if your friend or family wants to go, decline. 

I started making my own laundry detergent, which turned out to be super easy and super cheap.  My homemade detergent costs one or two cents per load and a five gallon batch lasts forever.  I meant to put out a clothesline to dry my laundry this summer but haven't gotten around to that, yet.

This was partly to help protect the environment, but it also saves money.  I started using cloth instead of paper for many things around the house.  Cloth napkins, cloth rags instead of paper towels, cloth menstrual pads (Yes, I realize that probably doesn't apply to the OP), cloth wipes instead of toilet paper a good bit of the time.

I get the biggest kick out of not having to buy things like laundry detergent and toilet paper.  I know, I need to get a life, huh?

I use coupons.  I'm not one of those extreme couponer people.  But I email the companies that make products I really like and just ask them if they could send me some coupons.  They almost always do, and often really good ones.  Purina sent me several coupons for completely free cans of cat food.

I make my own cleaning supplies, at least most of them.  Mostly I just clean with water, vinegar and baking soda.  Super cheap. 

I've never had cable.  Not since I was living at home as a kid.  And I have not had a landline in years, not since I got my cell phone.

my oldest daughter makes all her own laundry soaps and hand soaps plus lotions and body sprays, she is very frugal and has fun doing it
she even has chickens for eggs and makes extra money selling the eggs and soaps

we trimmed over 100 bucks off our cell phone bill by dropping data!!! we had a super-big shared data package, until my hubby told me that he NEVER used data, and I was the only one who used it. I generally only use wi-fi at home or work to download apps and such, so I cut from 10GB/mo to only 1GB/mo. (I know that if I need to go more than 1GB, I can add it, but at $100/mo extra, the 9GB additional just isn't worth it.) It has been over a month, and I haven't used it hardly at all!!! I am glad I looked at it and was able to trim it down. I also consolidated my student loans and went from a 1500/mo payment to less than 600!!!! We found a bigger house (we rent) for about 200 less a month, and we are still looking for more ways to trim down.

Making these changes is less difficult than I thought it would be and all together, we are managing to put around 2500 in the bank per month-savings, and it seems there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

We cut cable about two and 1/2 years ago if not more and don't miss it at all. We don't even have a t.v. that'll get the major channels. LOL. We dropped out cell phone plans and got pre-paid one for hubby (he drives 40 miles to work, so almost a hundred miles a day and needs it JUST IN CASE). We spend less than 10 a month on it. We only have one car so If I feel the need to go somewhere we walk or I put the girls in the bike stroller and go for a ride. We are in the process of planning our raised gardens for next year (we want to build them over the fall/winter so we can start early next year for veggies). We currently only have tomato's and cucumbers growing in the back yard. Some veggies can be grown in pots for those that live in apartments or don't have a lot of room for plants. We are also going to be building a chicken coop over the fall/winter and getting chickens next spring for lots of yummy eggs. I wash the clothes and put them on the lines to dry when it's nice. You can also do it inside on drying racks instead of using your dryer. We only buy meats that are on sale big time and stock up as much as we can and throw it in the big freezer outside. IF it's light enough to read, no lights on in the house. Windows open for fresh air. We don't have A/C so if it gets over 95 in the house we might turn on a fan for a little while, but going outside and sitting under a tree to read works just as well.

I also can/dry/freeze fresh veggies during the summer when they are at their cheapest price. I refuse to pay a dollar each for a green pepper during winter! I pre cut them, freeze them and then add a little into what ever I'm cooking during the winter (homemade chili, omelets, etc.).

 I know it's sad, but we haven't done much to save.  I am fortunate enough to have a pretty good job that supports my family.  My husband is a SAHD, my daughter goes to public school.  We have internet and cable and cell phones (no home phones) rent, electricity, water, car insurance.  Our main cost other than rent is both of our health bills.  I am hoping with this surgery my bills will go drastically down because I spend upwards of $300/month on medication.  We have 2 cars, but we only use one (me, going to work)  The other one gets gassed up about once a month or less and is only used if there is an emergency or my husband takes our daughter out.  I do use coupons, I do love deals, I do buy generic foods and I shop at Aldi's and grocery outlets.