i’ll never be frugal
Looking into ’10 and after being on a salary freeze for all of ’09, I’m gonna buckle down and focus on finances. I’ve needed to for quite some time, but I’ve always managed to sneak by with some type of disposable income. My disposable income of years gone by has been, well, disposed of in many ways — none, mind you, that I regret! It’s just required learning to live in a little different lifestyle, one which I’m still trying to get used to.
MSN has a list of radical ways to save money and it makes me happy to realize we’ve done every single one of those in one aspect or the other. I take that back. We haven’t gotten rid of the car, but when I have a four mile round trip commute a day, I feel pretty good about that. I bus regularly, but considering it’s $4.50 round trip for the bus, I think it’s probably costing me more to use public transportation! Roommates aren’t an option, but The General’s stopped smoking, we’re regulars at the thrift store, and I’d definitely consider ourselves homebodies. Check, check, check and check!
I’ve been trying to look at other ways to lessen the blow of monthly bills. We’re on the lowest cell phone plan we can find. Right now, there are no car payments (that’s likely to change soon) and we watch the electricity as much as we can. Everyone says to shop around for different car insurance options, but I can’t really find a place that’s cheaper than my current one. The once accident left on my record should drop off in 2011, so I’m hoping for a drop then!
I’m still trying to convince The General that we should clip coupons. I say we, but I know I won’t do it by myself. We don’t want to pay for the local newspaper (mainly because it’s CRAP), so we’re left cruising online venues for ways to save money. I’ve been reading a ton of blogs from people (including people I actually know!) that save ridiculous amounts of money at the store every week. Sure, it requires a ton of prep work and countless hours scouring local coupon inserts, and while I know I don’t have the patience for that, I’m going to see what else we can come with. Besides a Costco membership, because we already have one of those.
