Budget Ruts: 5 Not-So-Radical Cuts
I grabbed a notepad after reading Kim's 10 ways to cut your food bill (inspired by Simple Dollar's article on trimming the average food budget.) What figural fat could I cross from the grocery list?
And then I put the pencil down.
At this point, I'm already buying whole foods, avoiding convenience products, and shopping via the sales and the seasons. Anything else would compromise our health standards. [Side note: here's an interesting project which tests Michael Pollan's claim: can you really eat anything, so long as you make it from scratch?]
Limits are freeing. They force creativity. But even the most thoughtful rules can become ruts. I decided to look over our recent expenditures. Where could we be living a little lighter?
HOUSE: We just refinanced, but we have a couple of maintenance projects for which I should be scouting materials on the cheap.
CARS: We drive 10+ year old cars and keep them maintained. But you might not be able to tell from the grimey exterior and crumb-filled car seats! Regular detailing would preserve the resale value.
HEALTH: We recently switched to a not-too-fancy dental practice. We like the dentist so much that we will ask her to take on our children's care, too.
GAS: Prices are rising again. I can schedule a no-drive day once a week. I should also fill up more deliberately when I pass a low-cost fuel source (Kroger).
BOOKS: I've been "investing" in secondhand books like they are going out of stock! Next time I'm tempted, I'll work on a project from one of the books we already own. Maybe start a trade-in box for the used book store.
With only 5 minutes' brainstorming, I found 5 simple ways to improve my bottom line. Where does your budget need adjustment?
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10 Responses to “Budget Ruts: 5 Not-So-Radical Cuts”
January 12th, 2010 at 10:48 am
I’ve really cut back on how often I drive. It’s fabulous. I get so much more done at home and we’re saving more than gas money – no more quick trips through he drive thru “since we’re already out.”
January 12th, 2010 at 11:32 am
I need to know, how do you find a “not-so-fancy” dental practice?
January 12th, 2010 at 11:59 am
I keep a bag in the hall closet for books for trade in at the used bookstore. I love getting credit.
Also in books I always keep my eyes open. My favorite set of books was when CVS had a book bin in the middle of the store trying to get rid of the books cheaply. I think I left with 15 or so. Yeah they cost about $30 total but it was a bunch of great reads.
January 12th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
what types of books are you investing in?
January 12th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Just investing in quality books for my children, the kind that are often out-of-print or classics, to be read so often that we wouldn’t use our normal library sources.
January 12th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Finding a not-so-fancy dental practice:
Try word of mouth. We stumbled upon this dentist from a small ad in the weekly circular. Unlike my old dentist, her office is a simple 2 exam room suite. You won’t find aromatherapy, fountains, gaming consoles or even tv’s in the rooms. However, she uses all the same equipment and charges half what the other dentist does for a filling (using the same methods/equipment). She’s also much faster, since she’s not juggling 3 patients (with 3 dental assistants) at the same time.
January 12th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Thanks, Meredith! That sounds like what I’m looking for.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:46 am
Great tips!
My wife and I are doing the same thing this weekend…we have committed to saving a percentage of our salary every month so we are going to sit down and figure out what we can cut out, what we don’t need and what we can cut down on to save some money.
Thanks for the tips.
Eric
Healthy Eating For Kids
January 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I’d like to know about this dental practice as well because I haven’t been to the dentist in an embarrassingly long time I was just thinking today that I really need to go.
Honestly, my budget needs adjusting in the income department. … I use coupons for mostly everything, if I purchase online I always do clearance and free shipping for only what we need, we rarely eat out, I mostly buy store brands, discount stores, etc. I’ve sold things on eBay and Craigslist… Yup, I think it’s income that needs to increase.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:56 pm
I was really inspired by your post! I went to town and did some work on my budget!
http://www.frugalbookworm.com/2010/02/cutting-budget.html
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