Tightening the Belt
- Comments: 20
- Posted on: February 19th, 2009
My ‘nearly’ 96 year old ‘Pop’ is predicting things will get worse before they get better and I believe he knows what he’s talking about!
I’m hearing it everywhere – friends are losing their jobs, hours are being cut according to family and when I was out shopping yesterday it was so obvious the retail stores are changing tactics. Usually by this time of year, the new stock in is in and the old is out. Not this year – the few new pieces of brightly colored spring clothing are mixed right in with the winter stock.
My friend Julie in Las Vegas mentioned a ’shoplifting ring’ which was recently busted – were they stealing big screens and high tech products? No – they were stealing essentials such as shampoo and soap. To me, that indicates the ‘big picture’ of what is happening in the world.
Are you cutting back on your spending?
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I tried to be fairly frugal before but I have definitely cut back. I hope it doesn’t get as bad as many people say it will, we couldn’t even make it a month if we got laid off. (My husband is a teacher and I work from home and with four kids it’s tight anyway) I hope things start looking up! By the way, I’m a part of tedheads but that bouncing tedhead over there is really annoying. I’ve got a headache now. lol
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Reply@Sharla (2 comments.):
It’s really scary to be without a backup plan if your job disappears – you are smart to be living frugally now.
You think you have a headache – how do you think he must feel ???? LOL
I was waiting for someone to mention if they found my Tedhead annoying – thanks – I’ll give him a rest now!
ReplyOn a household level I’ve always been the one to really watch the books (bank account) and now is no exception. Not so much cutting back as shopping wisely. Some things I’d love to drop, or get companies to come into line with, like do we really need to pay $104/month for DirecTV when they never have anything on? Couldn’t I just pay for the few shows I want to watch LOL! Times are tough though, there’s no disagreeing with that!
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Reply@Diane Scott (19 comments.):
ReplyDiane, $104.00 a month for Direct TV is a lot! These bills just creep up on us over the years and we get so used to paying them – and our kids get so used to having ‘everything’ it’s hard to start cutting back. There are so many things I’d love to cut out – the phone for one – we all have cellphones so why do we need a ‘home’ phone as well? What a waste of money….
hahahaha I have been adicted to spending lately…. I have picked up an addiction to it, Im guilty. I feel bad but at least Im spending on things we need. Im putting winter clothes on layby, so it gives me a few months to pay it off before winter kicks in. Im not feeling the squeez yet, however Im sure I will.
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ReplyI think we’re a very impatient society, and a lot of people are holding on to their money out of fear at the moment. I don’t think it will be long before people start spending, stores start stocking new merchandise, and the housing market is back on its feet.
We’ve cut back on some frivolous daily needs and we’re really focusing on paying off our debt so we can move and buy a house, but we’ve also taken advantage of the recession to make some bigger purchases while there are sales and interest rates are low.
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ReplyI found that the more you can stay focused on good things in life – and be grateful for them, the more the bad stuff tends to avoid you…
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ReplyYour Pop is right. It is going to get tougher and yes, cutting back on what is not necessary.
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ReplySpending cautiously is always smart, especially now. While I like to think the worst is behind us, there’s certainly always the possibility that it’s not. If you’re afraid of being in a situation where you have no income or possibilities of income, it’s best to save while you can. Coming up with a plan b never hurts.
ReplyTo be quite honest, we’re usually careful what we spend anyway. Not that we don’t splash out every now and again, but we’re usually concious of what we’re doing and how we’re paying for it, which is a good sign.
I think your Pop’s right .. we haven’t seen the worst of it yet .. but when you compare the life we have to conditions in the 3rd world .. it’s not really that bad, is it?
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ReplyI agree with Daria….focus on the good.
I will mention what my grandfather tells me. During the depression, his father broke the mirrors in the house so my grandfather and his siblings could not see how skinny/starving they were. When people complain how bad it is…from their computer keyboard, from having just finished a rousing game on their xbox or while sipping their tea, I think about my grandfather. We are crying that things are so bad….but our condition is much more blessed than we know.
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ReplyOur floor covering business has been slow. It usually is from December to the first of March. It seemed unusually slow this year. If the media would stop all the talk of doom and gloom, people would shop and use some sense. Y’all need any carpet?
ReplyIf you’ve lost your job, it makes sense to make changes out of necessity. But living in fear of losing your job and not spending or living doesn’t seem to be healthy. I spoke with an ex-collegue this week- his salary is good and hasn’t changed, yet he and his wife have decided not to vacation, go out to dinner or do anything fun. Personally I don’t think merely existing (existing in fear) vs living is good for anyone or the economy. These are folks who can afford to spend, but aren’t because they are living in fear. This certainly doesn’t help stimulate the economy. Tons of people are looking towards home business and the internet as solutions– they are opening their minds to the possibilities. I think that is healthy and smart. Look for solutions before you become desperate.
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Replywe’re trying to spend a lot less than we have in the past. it’s hard for me, but we’ve done really well so far. we’re cutting out a lot of unnecessary things in order to save more.
ReplyJust cutting corners and staying positive. We all need to remember what you think about you bring about!
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ReplyI think everyone has to tighten the belt. It will get worse before it gets better.
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ReplyWith the economy we have right now, it is not good to spend things which are not important.. The situation is getting tougher and no one knows when will it get better..
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ReplyWe’ve made one cut back and that was the house phone. We all have cell phones and the house phone was just sitting there NEVER being used. I have my moments when I lose faith and hope that things will get better, but overall I’m fairly positive about it all.
If my husband and I didn’t get laid off and still had our jobs then we would have probably never put as much effort into our entrepreneurial ideas as we are now. It’s slow, but I know it will pay off in the end.
The SnackHound is right too! We’re complaining how tough it is while we sit on our laptops with our expensive high speed internet. It could be MUCH worse.
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ReplyWe’ve always had to be frugal due to my husband starting up his business, but now we’re really trying to save. I buy whatever’s on sale, and we don’t buy anything extra. I can’t tell you when the last time we did anything ‘fun’ was that we paid for ourselves…
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ReplyI am definitely cutting back. On top of the economic problems, we’ve had a big cutback in our monthly income and our daughter’s wedding coming up that we are paying for!
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