Times are rough rite now everyone seems to be getting laid off and loosing there jobs~~~i would like to know ?

Question

any tips u may be able to share with us upon saving money~~cooking`bills`kids`entertainment`... to help out in the slightest way `i have a family and would like to cut back in some ways thanks ahead of time!!!

Answer 1

Make a menu so you know what to buy at the store, shop at discount stores instead of expensive grocery and mall stores.  Realize that your kids don't need everything they want, some things they can really do without.  For entertainment, don't go out and rent movies or go to movie theaters, wait until it shows on tv.  Here is how we stay on our budget.  I shop at walmart or winco for groceries and everything else.  Burlington coat factory is good, savers, Ross, Goodwill, any used second hand stores.  We don't buy name brand groceries or items, the store brand is just as good. We don't rent movies or go to the movies or any other entertainment.  We do have directv with the starz package and with dvr, so we wait until the movies come out on tv and then record them.  Our internet, long distance phone, local phone, 2 cell phones and directv are all on the same package with our phone company and for the grand total for all of that is &190.00 month.  That is unlimited calling, and 700 minutes on our cells.We do use our airconditioning and heat as we want, we just budget for the bills.  We don't drive around unnecessarily, we only drive when we need to absolutely go somewhere.   My husband works 50 miles away, so he drives that far and back every day.  From April til the end of October he rides his motorcycle. Our kids don't get a new wardrobe every year for school. They get a couple of things. The point I am making is that people don't need to have everything they want, they don't need to have all name brands, they don't need to have all the entertainment they want.  A person can be happy with what they have and can afford.  Oh yah, I should tell you that we only make $3000/month, after our mortgage, plus the extra $200 we pay monthly on the mortgage, plus the $400 we pay on the second mortgage, plus all utilities, groceries, and other odds and ends, we still have around $200-300 per month for savings.  This is because we budget and stick to the budget.  All this with no credit card or loan debt other than our mortgage.  

Answer 2

Go to the library and check out The Tightwad Gazette. It is full of suggestions.