[...] 75 Tips To Survive A Down Economy 7 Saving Habits 75 Painless Money-Saving Tips 5 Ways To Make The Holidays Less Expensive For Your Friends 5 Ways To Save Money Like A Madman 50 Ways to Save Money by Not Wasting 9 Easy Ways to Save Money On Investment Costs 22 Money Maximizing Moves You Can Do Today 25 Ways To Save Money 12 Daily Activities to Save Mother Earth… and Money 5 Simple Ways I Save Money 30 Money Saving Tips 6 Random Money Saving Techniques 15 Tips For Saving Money While You Still Have A Job 25 Ways I Save Money 40 Little Things You Can Do To Save Money And Our Planet [...]

So you hang your laundry part of the time, right? I’ve seen pictures of villagers in Nain, Labrador hanging their clothing to dry on lines outside in the winter.

Because we stalled on replacing truck for almost 18 months from when we first thought it might be time, we had time to save up for the purchase. We paid almost all cash and the bit we put on the line of credit was paid off within 3 months. Being free of any consumer debt is a very good thing.

My company is now in the slow process of going out of business and I will be laid off within the next 4-6 months. I’m actively looking for a new job. If I don’t find what I want before the layoff I may feel forced to jump to the first job available. It may come to that but for now I can still afford to be choosy. We earn good salaries, but by choice have always lived VERY frugally. I know some of our friends would call us cheap if they saw us buying dented cans, marked down veggies and meat, and shopping at the Salvation Army. We choose to do these things because spending more on these things isn’t as important to us as freeing up the cash for other things. Our choices mean that necessities consume only ~50% of our take home pay. The excess can be either stashed away toward early retirement, used to pay down the mortgage faster, or once in a while take a vacation. Last summer we spent a month in Europe with the kids. When someone said Wow that must have cost a fortune, it was all I could do not to say Wow if you didn’t have two car payments, 500 channels, and a monster TV you could have come with us! It’s all about choices and priorities. What works for one family doesn’t work for another. That’s what I love about sites like this – we all take something different from the information shared here.

Given the job upheaval I’m about to have I a very glad we don’t live close to the line financially. I track virtually every cent on an Excel spreadsheet, with projected spending mapped out 6-12 months in advance. I can delete my salary from the spreadsheet and immediately see how long we have after I’m laid off before we start to run into trouble. I’m constantly teased about running my life on a spreadsheet but now having a plan certainly takes some of the worry out of it.

I use tank water for washing clothes and then the water goes on the garden.
I use non-toxic ‘laundry balls’ for most washing – expensive to begin with but last for months before refill pellets needed.

I ‘op shop’ my family’s clothing – this morning I bought 3 shorts and a nightie for my daughter – $3.50 (the lady at the shop offered them cheaply to clear the stock).

I bought doona covers and sheets for my kids bed – $4 each – and the kids don’t notice they are not new.

If we go away the kids get a few dollars each and we go to the local op shop – my son recently found a star wars jigsaw puzzle we desperately wanted – $4 – and that kept him entertained for ages.
when we go away, we have yearly passes to 2 places we visit, and that saves alot of money – and we stay in a old but clean and cheap motel and take most of our own food and a small cooker.

I eat dinner at work – when the expensive kitchen closes they usually leave a few meals in the fridge for the staff – I run over and grab one quick.

I use a slow cooker and also use lots of rice in our meals – we shop at Aldi.

I recharge batteries etc at work – find a powerpoint hidden away from obvious sight and charge up batteries and the mobile phone.

I use bpay for payment of bills – makes life easier than going to the postoffice to pay – does need 2-3 days to clear however. But does not cost me anything.

Kids are another matter. My two boys are growing crazy fast, so it’s essential to find heavily worn items like jeans at very lo cost.

Hooray for Goodwill stores! I like to visit the one nearest the best shopping mall complex in my area. It’s a treasure trove of lightly worn items, and you just can’t beat it for clothes for growing boys!

I have started picking up things for myself there, now, and am getting more compliments on my wardrobe than I did when I was buying off the rack (the stuff I could afford wasn’t turning heads, yanno)

I can drop off our old stuff and pick up the new in the same super frugal trip. No shipping charges. Saves my money for the cost of new shoes.

; )

[...] Frugal Dad’s 75 Money Saving Tips For Surviving A Recession “Regardless of how economists refer to this economy, recession or no recession, people are hurting, financially. $4.00 a gallon gasoline, rising food prices, declining home values, and a deflating dollar are combining to make it tough to stick to a budget.” [...]