for those who read this from the Bonanzle site, I'm removing my posts over there - and transplanting some of the more "informative" (I think, anyway :) threads over here (more on Bonanzle later)

"...

encouraging all affected (by unemployment/economy) to keep on keeping on -

- somehow -

- find a way -

at our house we have:

~ stopped buying soda / pop (and sheesh! at like $2 for a 2 liter Mountain Dew! AND found out it was causing HORrible cramps in my legs at night)

~ cut waaaay back on meat – more vegetables and fruit – saving leftover vegetables and tossing them into the “freezer pot” – then when we get lots of vegetables in the freezer pot, I buy a ham shank or roast and toss all in the crock pot for the day – also, making lots of casseroles lately – again, using the freezer pot leftovers

~ cut waaay down on desserts – bad for the summer shorts coming up, anyway – and desserts are quite pricey, with almost no nutritional value – we are all about bang for the buck right now

~ trying out off brands – a little at a time – because sometimes there is just no substitute for brand names. sometimes. like Tide – I will not use anything else. or milk – usually we buy 2% (and Speedway gas stations often run a special on 2% – 2/$5) but if I’m forced to buy a strange brand, I’ll buy the whole milk – just tastes better, I think

~ we almost never go to the doctor – not because we don’t have any ailments, but because I just don’t go everytime I get a sniffle – my grandmother was an herbalist – lots of home remedies around here (hafta get those recipes of hers on my blog sometime – she was brilliant)

~ almost totally eliminated trips to the fast food – taking pot pies lunches to work (only 65 cents for Banquet compared to $6-7 each meal at Burger King)

~ have chickens (no, we don’t kill them for meat – heavens no! just couldn’t bear to! we’ve named them all! I just couldn’t possibly eat Ms. Plump! but we do eat their unborn LOL – their eggs – but don’t be mislead – you don’t save money with raising chickens – by the time you feed them (they HAVE to have “chicken” food of some sort, else they stop laying or simply get weak and die, especially in the winter where there are no bugs to eat) – but what you DO get with raising your own chickens is the knowledge of WHAT the chickens ate, and how they were raised – ours are free ranging, meaning they are not cooped up in separate pens their entire life – also – be forewarned – they don’t seem to know where our property ends : ) and where the neighbors garden begins – and they will decimate a row of tomato plants faster than you can say “stop decimating that row of tomato plants!”

~ no cable / satellite subscriptions (we could never get cable out here, anyway – but satellite is an option – we just don’t have time for a lot of TV, so this one is a no brainer for us)

~ switched telephone plans to a cheaper rate (shoulda heard ATT – “…are you sure you want to drop us? we own all the lines, you know” … huh? whassat mean? >:/ …)

~ cut up all credit cards – just keeping the debit attached to the checking account

~ switched to a small local credit union from a nationwide bank
(local credit unions are ever so much more … willing to work with me if there is ever a problem with a charge about to go thru – they’ve held a charge in pending long enough for me to get in to make a deposit – the bank? oh yeah – they notify me – after about 3 days – AND after they’ve charged me $30 / each occurance (and of course, the banks always run the large item through first THEN oh, my! lookee here! they run the smaller $7 / $8 items … grrrrr) )

~ making aLOT less trips into town – planning a little better (I say a little, because I will still make a trip into town to send out just one item – that whatchamacallit I just sold)

~ dropped insurance to just 2 cars (had 5 last summer – you know – truck for hauling – van for large grocery loads – 2 Escort’s for cheap running – and Mitzi (Mitzibushi) ’cuz it just looks cool : )

~ using heated blankets, lots more quilts on the bed, found flannel sheets (found at Goodwill, of course) are heaven to slip into on cold nights – just switch them out for cool sheets in the summer – nothing worse than a hot night in the summer and sleeping on flannel

~ wearing layers of clothing – sweatshirts – socks – slippers – and hooded sweats (wearing one right now, pulled low over my brow : )

~ wintertime plays havoc with dry skin – every once in a while – just before bed I’ll slather my hands and feet with vaseline, put on some cotton socks and cotton gloves – seriously! gloves! – and in the morning – super soft feet and hands