Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics General Stuff What would you give up first?

My youngest daughter just started college and my husband was layed off this summer.

1.land line. (Actually we gave it up last year.)
2and 3. Going out. No vacations, roadtrips, concerts,shows, movies or dinners.

We still have cable, but it is top on the unnecessary list.It is our only entertainment.

We still have internet. It would be very hard to give up because this is where I get my news. I don't watch TV news and we don't take the newspaper or magazines.

We still have cell phones. I must be in contact with my daughters.

I have bought 3 t-shirts since my husband's lay off and no shoes. this is way downd from what I bought in clothes last year.
I cut and style my own hair.
I buy very few conveniance foods at the grocery store. I have time to prepare meals from scratch. I watch for sales, use coupons again and stock up on sale items. I did a lot of canning and freezing this summer and have a large veggie garden and fruit trees & bushes.
I did not get new eye glasses this year as I usualy do and we no longer see a doctor for check ups or preventative tests. We do have insurance, but it doesn't pay on anything preventative. I wouldn't go anyway unless I was bleeding because my husband doesn't expect to be called back to this company and we don't want any pre-existing condition paper trail to follow us.

The house is paid for. We have no debts. My daughter's education is my biggest concern. We will be okay unless it goes up a lot.

I've already given up almost everything. The check for the electric bill at work bounced today and there's no way I can make the rent. My assistant just informed me that my Liability and Workers Comp policies have been canceled. My health insurance is gone as well. My car payment is two months overdue and it will be repo'd soon. My house is paid for but the property tax is due and I have no money to pay it, my ex is buying me food, my cell phone is disconnected, I will lose this phone service at work and the internet connection with it probably within days. I think I can hang on to my dial up service at home for a little bit longer.
I don't have much left to give up

1. Going out to eat - Would be first on the list and for the most part we already have given this up - Although I did take my wife out for sushi last week. We love sushi and I have not taken her out for so long since she's been out of work.

2. Movies/shows/concerts - I was going to a lot of concerts for a few years there but I can leave that one alone. Never really went to movies much.

3. Cable/Satellite - Cable: What a FREAKING WASTE OF MONEY! All of those channels and hardly anything new is ever on. I watch The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, South Park and then the rest is just crap - paying that bill for mostly reruns of the same crap they've been playing for years. I hate it and if it were not for my wife, I would probably ditch it. However, I did call up the cable company and get them to reduce my bill. I also have high speed internet through the cable company which is a redundancy to the broadband service through my cell phone provider - essential for my work. I could give it up but I like having the backup just in case the broadband has a problem.

4. Internet access - I absolutely could not give up internet access. I need it, most importantly, for work but entertainment and news as well. As I mentioned, I have two internet access options but in a pinch, I would give up the cable internet access first.

5. Cell phone - Again, the phone is essential to staying in the game as far as being in contact with work and being available for new job prospects. I have a land line which has been in the family for many years and I would hate to give it up but in a pinch, it goes first.

Things have been getting pretty scary. Thank God, I'm still working but it's been real nervous around work these days.

I haven't had to give up a whole lot yet. I've simply adjusted my habits to where they probably should have been anyway.

I still owe a boatload of money on the house, have two car payments, insurance, basically ALL living expenses for two adults. It is tough but so far I have been fortunate in that I am still working and paying my bills.

Greger, SticksnStrings (and Gardentoad - sorry I missed your post) - thanks for the reality check. I know you would much rather not be educating me in this way.

I hope both of you (and/or your SOs) find work in the near future.
Best wishes to you both.

I thank you too, Greger, Sticks, and Garden Toad too. I'm sorry for the struggles and hope things get better for you soon.

We live such a streamlined life that I don't exactly know what would be substantial to give up.
We both quit our higher paying, higher stress jobs years ago (me...20 years, he 10 years). Our design was to live on what we make on the cleaning business I started. We have always managed our money very carefully because we don't make that much money.
Yes we have some money in savings to fall back on but we try never to touch that. We had to a bit when my daughter got married (her dad didn't help with that much) and when my younger daughter got her first car.
Everything we have is paid for so that helps.

I don't get all the preventative procedures I should get (I've never had a colonoscopy for example) because all we have is catastrophic coverage. I won't give up going to the dentist or my gynecologist once every 1 1/2 years.

Our telephone/computer/tv is all tied to the same cable deal we got a year ago. When that contract is up here soon, they will sock it to us costwise I'm sure so we'll go with something else. That is probably when we'll finally give up our land line and get cell phones (no we've never had one yet).
I rarely watch tv so I don't need cable there. All our news we get online so I don't feel we could give this up.

We rarely go to movies but we go to a lot of concerts. Local concerts are very cheap usually though plus sometimes we're even on the guest list... . We don't drink that much so those aren't expensive. I guess IF I HAD TO (kicking and screaming), we'd give up the little trips out of town to see concerts in Atlanta, Asheville, Chattanooga, etc. because those usually mean a hotel stay too. Plus those are usually the pricier concerts.
Concerts are really our only "extravagance" so things would have to be pretty bad for us to give that up.
Afterall, we're not getting any younger so you gotta wonder how long we're going to be able to do it anyway.
At least as long as Phil though...right?

I'm not a shopper and don't buy that many clothes. We do spend quite a bit on groceries so I could probably cut back there.
My husband is a retired CPA so he works on our taxes all year long and projected income, etc. If it looks like it's going to be a "loss" year, we give up trips and cut back going out to eat, and maybe even a concert or two.

What do I give up first?

5. Movies/shows/concerts (rare events already)

2. Cell phone (would be easy & may happen in November...or the land line goes)

4. Internet access (would simply apply focus elsewhere...I'm not yet addicted to requiring all news, all info, all answers, all communications, regardless of accuracy or importance NOW, right NOW, gotta have it NOW)

1. Cable/Satellite (bad habit despite answer on #4...could live with air broadcasts & print news nicely though)

3. Going out to eat (wife might revolt on weekends)

Greger that is a very sobering reality check.
It sounds like your business is one of those that were hit hard by the economic collapse.
May I ask which business it is?

Jeff, we build hardwood stairs and specialize in bending wood for big circular stairs. We manufacture, build, sell, and install all types of stairs and stair components.

I feel fairly good right now, but if it comes down to it:
1. satellite TV
2. soda...I drink probably too much, anyway.

oh yeah...and cut back on buying books, videogames, movies, etc that aren't essentials.
Don't go out that much, so no worries there.