Splurge or economise

[margypops]

So I guess most of us are spending pennies more wisely than we used to do, I know I am and 'sometimes' its enjoyable. What are you guys cutting back on, what will you still spend your cash on this year ,any tips for us all how we make ends meet in this trying time in our lives .

[margypops]

I think thats a good idea to save through the year then have a good Christmas and treats for everyone ,we all need rewards even when times are tough,otherwise life gets pretty tedious .

[Ashelen]

We grow our own veggies, and we get venison from my husband's father-in-law..I love having resources outside of a supermarket for food :-).

We've been saving like crazy for the last few months so this Christmas we've been able to spend pretty wildly. We just adopted a new pup and a new kitten, and we're going to go buy the kids' Christmas presents this upcoming friday....and a bonus to all the money we've saved, I just got 2 new jobs this past week so we've got even more income....we're so used to saving and barely spending that this Christmas is a HUGE treat and I'm happy to be able to buy the kids things we didn't think we could afford.

It's a nice reward, because when I say we've been saving I'm really understating here...I was budgeting our gas money almost to the mile, we didn't eat out for nearly 2 months (not even a quick snack on the road going out of town) and we've been turning down our heater and letting the kids sleep in our bed when the nights get really cold...and it's totally paying off. this Christmas will be BIG. I don't really support Christmas being about materialistic things but it's nice to be able to spoil the kids when year-round I'm big into saving so we almost never spend.

[margypops]

I love the idea of growing veggies and may try, I know many groups are suggesting we buy seed to grow as if prices are going up as we are warned we will want to be more self sufficient.

[redheadaussie]

I was never a big spender. Been on a limited income for many years. Many here in Aussie Land are struggling too. I find for me, the best thing is to shop late in the day when they start marking down prices of foods close to best before dates. I ring around when it is time for insurance for my car/house/contents and always get good deals!  Growing my own vegies this year. ( been ill for many years so couldn't do anything like that!) I buy my clothes from high income suburbs goodwill stores. Bought a brand name formal dress for a wedding for only $10, looks like it was only worn once!
  I am pretty frugal but have lots of ideas to not spend money. I don't like calling it saving money, coz you never walk out of a store saying, Oh look, I have an extra $20 I just saved! Doesn't work like that! I don't spend on things I don't need.

[sweetpea03]

I don't really spend much to begin with, I like to save most of my money, but I am looking for more deals these days. I tend to not buy something if it is not on sale. I also haven't bought any new clothes for myself in a while and rarely go out to eat. Pretty much cook everything at home.