Rising Costs

[scotty]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

I knew God was blessing me through your hard work! LOL!

[AmazingGrace]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

I knew God was blessing me through your hard work! LOL!

[DividedThigh]

Originally Posted by Pastor Poster

Brother Sam,

We really, truly have been cutting back.

We have virtually no discretionary income because of gas prices.

i agree with this sentiment, we have cut back a lot, no doubt, dt

[Tina]

Originally Posted by Sam

In the face of rising costs and no corresponding rise in income, what are you doing to cope?
cutting back on groceries?
cutting back on church/charitable giving?
attending church and other functions less often?
not putting as much in savings?
cutting back on social activities?
cutting back on eating out?
staying home instead of going on vacation?

My mom, my aunt and I have been carpooling to do any shopping. I use more generic and store brand items than I've ever used... with a few exceptions, some things just don't even come close to saving money. On the name brand items that I use, I find coupons on most of them, and go to a store when I can get the coupon doubled. We've cut out buying junk foods simply because we're all trying to eat healthier, that part has nothing to do with the economy.

My kids are as bad as I am about making sure lights are off in the rooms where they aren't needed. Sunlight doesn't cost us anything, so we open the blinds in the rooms where we can use the free light. We are opening windows and using fans as much as possible instead of using the AC. Hanging laundry outside saves a ton of money on the electric bill... so on days when weather permits, we wash the laundry... toss it into the dryer for about 5 minutes, then hang it out on the clothes line to dry. The towels don't get stiff because of the few minutes in the dryer. Jeans and other items are nice and wrinkle free... so there is NO IRONING!! (Which is a definite plus, because no one in this house likes to iron. )

IF the ground here ever dries up some after all the rains & flash flooding we've had, we are going to plant a small garden--in hopes of cutting back more on the grocery bill.

We haven't cut back on giving, in fact, I'd say we're giving more now than we ever have. We aren't struggling financially really.... the bills are all paid up to date... we have no outstanding debt, and some to spare in the checking account. God is good!

Our church is 5 minutes from our house. We don't go any less than we did, but effective immediately, we will be saving on the gas to get there. Since Samantha lost her job, the girls may not like it but for most services now, they will be riding in the same vehicle with us rather than taking Samantha's car.

We're putting more into savings each week, through a 401K plan. It's just a necessity... and we budget what we have left each week better to live within our means. I'm about to attempt a small business venture with another friend from this forum, since both of us are looking for a way to make money from home in hopes of adding money to our household budget.

Social activities.... most of that is church related.. so we haven't cut back on that at all. In fact, we plan on having guests over this weekend to cookout and have fellowship.

Eating out... we very rarely do that anyway, so it would be hard to say that we're cutting back more there.

What's a vacation? IF it works out where we can, we will be going to the Smoky Mountains in September for three days with a large group from our church....... but that's a big IF!!

[dizzyde]

The biggest cost I am facing currently is gas. I am driving as little as possible, trying to condense any errands other than work and church. I know gas prices are bad everywhere, but in CA, I paid $3.41 a gallon the other night, and it was the cheapest I could find. Across the street from that station, another station was selling at $3.58 a gallon. I have seen it as high as $3.69 within the last month. When it costs $60.00 to fill your tank up, it makes you think about every mile you drive. I would ride my bike to work if it weren't for the fact that I wouldn't be able to shower when I got here, and that is too gross.

Other than that, we live pretty modestly. We rarely eat out, mainly on Sundays and then my dad picks up the bill, so that is nice. We enjoy the simple pleasures so it is easy for us to have good time with not a lot. A good book and a Venti Mocha Frappuccino Lite (which is my one big luxury) and a outdoor setting to sit and read, and I am good to go.

One other really nice thing is that my parents gave me a gift certificate for a two night stay at a seaside hotel in Cambria (which is one of my favorite places in the world) for Christmas this year. And, my brother is cashing in his frequent flyer miles for me to go with him and his family to Washington DC in the fall, so I am vacationing this year at very little cost to myself. I am thankful!!!

[GodsBabyGirl]

Originally Posted by Sam

In the face of rising costs and no corresponding rise in income, what are you doing to cope?
cutting back on groceries?
cutting back on church/charitable giving?
attending church and other functions less often?
not putting as much in savings?
cutting back on social activities?
cutting back on eating out?
staying home instead of going on vacation?

Well, Bro., we're cutting back on everything. Things are even worse (higher) here in N.O.

I wont cut back on groceries or going to church wherever it may be.

No vacations, social activities ... I stll give. Giving is the way out of debt and poverty..and I sure dont plan on staying there!

I cannot save right now.

I work temp jobs CLOSE to home to save on gas and toll charges.

We are trying to enjoy the simple pleasures for entertainment.

[OP_Carl]

Originally Posted by AmazingGrace

Thats what I absolutely hate!!!!! But ya know... we wont go there! Its unbelievable and my husband has quit working almost any over time because it seems 90% of his overtime pay goes to taxes.. I hate it.. Actually he worked one week over and they took 1200+ dollars just in taxes..which was actually more than he brought home by a good amount. fortunately they have sent out a mass letter to all their employees stating there was an issue with their payroll company and the taxes were calculated wrong and so that a large amount of that will be reimbursed but its unreal!!!!

This same thing has happened to me. When I got a bonus it was a separate check, with a pay period of one day. So the payroll computer determines that based on a pay rate of your bonus amount per day for a full year, you must be making a lot of money, so the withholding is jacked waaaaaay up. It's the same thing with an anomalous amount of overtime.

[OP_Carl]

Originally Posted by Sam

In the face of rising costs and no corresponding rise in income, what are you doing to cope?
cutting back on groceries?
cutting back on church/charitable giving?
attending church and other functions less often?
not putting as much in savings?
cutting back on social activities?
cutting back on eating out?
staying home instead of going on vacation?

The economy has DEFINITELY put the hurt on us, and we are doing all the usual things to cope with it:
We carefully plan our trips so that we only drive downhill.
We only go to the busiest gas stations, because it's easier to drive away without paying.
We still eat out just as much as before, but we save money by giving church cards instead of cash tips.
We pay real close attention during testimony service, and pay late afternoon house calls to the little old ladies who claim God has been blessing them.
Those homeless guys with signs are just LOADED with cash. The trick is to find them when they're asleep. It's easier if they only have one arm or leg.
I'm making a little extra money on the side by taking neighborhood cats to a Chinese lady. I have NO IDEA why she is willing to pay for them, but they say a sucker is born every minute.










Sometimes, when you're ready to cry, the only thing to do is laugh.
It cost me $130 to fill up last time.
We have cut back drastically on restaurants and treats of various description.

[AmazingGrace]

Originally Posted by OP_Carl

This same thing has happened to me. When I got a bonus it was a separate check, with a pay period of one day. So the payroll computer determines that based on a pay rate of your bonus amount per day for a full year, you must be making a lot of money, so the withholding is jacked waaaaaay up. It's the same thing with an anomalous amount of overtime.

That is exactly what happened and it blew us away! He makes a semi decent amount but the thing is it was overtime pay pretty much... if he works 3 days a week everything else is time and half.... and he is gone 14 days

[AmazingGrace]

Originally Posted by OP_Carl

The economy has DEFINITELY put the hurt on us, and we are doing all the usual things to cope with it:
We carefully plan our trips so that we only drive downhill.
We only go to the busiest gas stations, because it's easier to drive away without paying.
We still eat out just as much as before, but we save money by giving church cards instead of cash tips.
We pay real close attention during testimony service, and pay late afternoon house calls to the little old ladies who claim God has been blessing them.
Those homeless guys with signs are just LOADED with cash. The trick is to find them when they're asleep. It's easier if they only have one arm or leg.
I'm making a little extra money on the side by taking neighborhood cats to a Chinese lady. I have NO IDEA why she is willing to pay for them, but they say a sucker is born every minute.










Sometimes, when you're ready to cry, the only thing to do is laugh.
It cost me $130 to fill up last time.
We have cut back drastically on restaurants and treats of various description.