Living Within Your Means

Ideas for a Simpler Life

With the economy in turmoil, families need more than ever to find ways to live within their means. But that doesn't mean giving up things that make life enjoyable and meaningful. Beliefnet members share information on creative ways to cut back while keeping up with family responsibilities and fun.

Enlist Your Kids' Help

Make it a family affair to try to find very small ways to cut cost….Since we enlisted the kids in our efforts they really take it seriously. I have been "talked" to because I forgot to turn out a light. I like that. They feel like they are contributing to what we as a family do. -- itty

Find Clothing Bargains

If it (almost anything) is not on sale, I don’t buy it. I started holiday shopping in May this year and did one gift a week. I'm done now. We no longer buy brand name except a very few items....I shop at used clothing stores for bargains...and I find new clothing with TAGS STILL ON!!! I used to think nothing of going to Walmart 2 or 3 times a day…not anymore…I go once and hit them all, or it can wait for another day. -- holly

See What You Can Do Without

I've begun selling things that 10 years ago I thought I couldn't live without. We have a rule to that if we've not touched it in over a year, we can live without it....I've stopped buying roses. I've stopped buying antiques. I'm selling off all our extras now or giving them away to someone who needs them more than I. -- peterthesplitfish

Have Fun for Less

For recreation, we watch local sporting events that cost little... high school, college or minor league. Our family does have a health club membership. We can go swimming throughout the year, work out, sit in the hot tub, and take classes included in the membership. Our youngest son loves the kids club. I love to read and get books at a great price at the local used book store, ebay or Amazon. I swap books with friends. -- Cooper

We haven't been able to buy gifts, so we make cards and decorate them. We also try to have a potluck at least once or twice a month to bring our friends and families together and socialize on a budget. -- Kimberly8

When we go on vacation, I try to find us a time-share condo to rent: I've gotten 2 bedroom units for us for $400 or $500 for Christmas week in Williamsburg. Having a place where you can whip up meals and snacks cuts the cost substantially. -- LeahOne

Cut Food Costs, not Nutrition

Have you thought about making a weekly menu for dinners and lunches? We've done that for years and it cuts down on trips. We get the double Sunday paper and my daughter cuts the coupons out as her task. I grow as much food as I can to cut down some or eat things that go farther in the digestion. One example would be to eat an apple before a meal. That has been shown to cut one's caloric intake by some 150 to 200 calories by filling the stomach up with a fiber rich food. -- Peter M.

Something that will help both save your money and boost your health is to eat a vegetarian dinner every other day--cut down on your meat consumption. -- Chiyo

One of my favorite fall/winter meals is to cut up rutabaga, sweet potatoes, carrots and beets and put them into a ceramic dish for baking. Drizzle some olive oil and maybe add a few cloves of garlic cover with a ceramic bowl and pop ‘em in the oven. Easy, and the flavors mingle very well. Anything cooked in those ceramic baker things will taste fantastic. -- Sakhaiva

Reduce Utility Bills

I called our utilities companies and begged for discounts, a cheaper rate, whatever they were willing to give us. Some even had specials that would last for 6 months, better than not at all. -- Kimberly8

Turn your water heater off except for about 30 minutes before you need to use it. In one apartment I lived in, this saved me $40 a month. That heater keeps heating when you are NOT using it. Also change to those fluorescent bulbs. I did that 4 years ago and my light bill went down $12 a month. -- appy20

At home we keep the heat on 65 in the days and 62 at night and in the summer the ac stays at 75. -- peterthesplitfish

Make It (or Grow It) Yourself

We, my SIL and I, are getting ready to become bread bakers. Neither of us has done it often. It may take a while but I am sure we'll get it down. We don't buy a lot of junk food. Almost everything we eat is made from scratch.

We grow a very large garden and we freeze and can. Having a small indoor garden is a great idea! I grow salad greens, some tomatoes, radishes, and other things in great big pots on the porch. It is nice to have simple salad makings at the house. If anyone has an area that they can use plastic over, that makes an excellent indoor greenhouse in the winter. -- itty

Save at the Supermarket

I cruise the "scratch & dent" section of the supermarket every time I go...lots of fresh produce is usually available in there. If I find mushrooms, I slice them up and cook 'em, then freeze in one-cup batches to add to stews, soups, whatever. I also shop the end cuts of the deli department--these can be julienned for a chef salad (same for cheese for you veggie folks), or diced for a hearty soup (roast beef ends are great for this!). -- LeahOne

We also use coupons and go to town, once a week, to shop after the coupons come out. One of the things we do is buy bulk. That includes the animal food. It gets broken down and put in a freezer we have for it.. -- itty

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