We have a cat for 10 years and regularly feed her dry food, canned food and treats daily. About 6 months ago we took in another stray that grabbed our hearts and my, oh my, the $'s were flying out of our wallets for food. I always bought by the case, large bags and treats when on sale. Decided to take charge and eliminated all canned food. What a difference. Now look for sales and the treats frequently have buy 2 get 1 free coupons on the packages and search the shelves for as many coupon packages as I can find.

On the subject of gas -- if any of you belong to Sam's Club, they offer a discount on gas, 5 cents a gallon if you use your Sam's Club card. And our local supermarket has reasonably cheap gas, and if you swipe their discount card, they give 10 cents off a gallon. Between the two options, I've got the Denver area covered!

We were stoopid enough to buy a gas-guzzler car about 18 months ago, so we are running that vehicle as little as possible. We plan to buy a small economy car for husband's commute when the lease on my minivan expires later this summer. Sure hope gas slows down, it's gone up 15 cents a gallon this week in this area!

Kathy

I read somewhere that the longer you stay in the supermarket (or any store), the more you spend. Every minute is money for them. Ever wonder why they put those displays so you have to work the grocery cart around them? So I never go in the store without a list, and my coupons at the ready, arranged in the order they'll be used in the store -- usually the WalMart. I probably save $20 a week shopping sales & using coupons -- fabric money! And I'm in and out of the store as quickly as possible.

I finally had to cave last week & buy some new clothes, and since I am a little broad in the beam, I went to Macy's -- I love their women's clothing. Go late in the week as you can, the sales usually start on Thursdays, and there's usually a coupon in the local paper for 15% off. Most of the clothes were already on sale by 40-60%, then I got my 15% off. Imagine my surprise when the nice clerk said, "I'm going to take an additional 15% off everything, just to make sure you get the best price" -- I don't know what her rationale was, but I love her! I ended up with $5 shirts from Macy's, $15 jeans, wow! So I guess asking the clerk "is that the best price I can possibly get on these items?", and being nice, pays!

I wait for a sale for whatever I need. I had to buy luggage last week, too (the zippers split on two bags this last trip!), and Kohl's had a 40% off sale. And I had a 15% off coupon. And my in laws had sent me a gift certificate. I got out of Kohl's with 2 sets of luggage plus another suitcase for $35!

I try to just buy what I absolutely need, and keep my eyes peeled for bargains, use my coupons and ask for the best deal. These are hard economic times, and we've got to squeeze fabric money out of the budget -- fabric's cheaper than psychotherapy!

Kathy

This is a little thing, but I recently learned that the convienence store where we buy gas (one of the cheapest in town, according to the link that Alex posted on today's Daily Blog!) also has a bargain on their MILK!! It's 25% less than the grocery stores!!
Certainly worth checking out, especially if you have children who go through a lot of milk!!

My dds and dils are finally interested in doing some of those old-time things - so something good has started to come of all this!
Another tip for our quilting addiction: if you love wool quilts, check out your local thrift shops for used 100% wool garments; take them apart (buttons are a bonus!). To make fulled wool, wash separately in very hot water. Better yet, boil on the stove! Then tumble dry on very hot temp. Wool is then ready for applique (hand blanket stitch) May sound like an expensive, time-consuming process, but fulled wool is not a cheap item! (probably for that very reason). I used some of my own fulled wool in the quilt that's posted on my profile.
Linda typing with hunt-n-peck becuz I'm holding my new grandson!

This discussion so reminds me of DM and DIL. My mother had a very large family and they were poor as churchmice especially during the Depression. She was strapped for money her entire life and she pinched every penny. I certainly never thought the day would come when I might have to use some of her methods--like hanging clothes out to dry or use up every morsel. I wonder what the younger generation is going to do. So, so many don't cook nor sew nor pinch pennies.

((Thanks everyone))

Margo
I'm so sorry to hear about your DH Esophageal Cancer, I hate to hear that he is suffering due to his pass smoking.
We do have a perscription that we are going to fill.
My heart goes out to each and everyone that has this nasty addiction. "I really wish they would just completely wipe out the tobbaco industry",farmers can raise wheat/corn/soy bean,some thing healthy. I pray every day for strength and God has met me more than half way but in shame I have failed, so I try try again.
When a person starts at a young age "like myself and many others" they don't think of the consequences that come with this and later they will suffer and its a shame. its has been 20 years of destroying my health,damn this addiction.
((Im so sorry Mr. Margo))
God Blessyou everyone,Kathy

Another good selling point for quitting smoking, besides saving a lot of money and perhaps fending off several kinds of cancer, is to avoid emphysema and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and having to be on oxygen. That's a dreadful way to die, gasping for air and unable to get it because your lungs are shot. I do hope those in the group that smoke will be able to quit, I would miss you.

DH is going to use our economic stimulus check to get a motorbike to go back and forth to the store and run other errands, to save on gas and wear and tear on our van.

Pat in Rockport, TX

Margo,
You're walking a tough road right now. May God take care of your husband and you both.
The fiance of a girl that works with my DH was just diagnosed. They're supposed to get married on the 4th of July. He's older, was in VietNam, the 1st Gulf War, the Pile after 9/11. No history of smoking or cancer in his family. So it's got to be environmental. Regardless, he's getting more opinions before he agrees to surgery.
It's hard. So hard.
eileenkny

My husband smoked for almost 50 years, and with the diagnosis of Esophageal Cancer, which the oncologist said was CAUSED BY SMOKING, he stopped smoking with the help of Chantix.
We are still dealing with the effects of surgery to remove 1/2 of his stomach and 2/3 of his esophagus. He still has difficulty swallowing, is still loosing weight, and the surgeon is talking about putting him back on the feeding tube.
Please stop smoking if you can. It will save you more than just money for the cigarettes.

Hit Kathy I quit many years ago and I used wellbutrin I think its a anti depressant. It failed for my DH but he used Chantix that worked somewhat and he backed it up with being hypnotized that did the trick. My insurance paid for the wellbutrin but they wouldn't pay for the medicines designed to help you quit. Go figure I guess they would rather pay for the iron lung machine! I guess my dr told them I was depressed. I was, about the price of cigs. Of course now they are twice the price.
Wendy in Texas

Kathy,
As a former smoker, I know exactly where you're coming from. My biggest fear was the weight gain after quitting. Then my FIL died of oral cancer-not a good way to go at all.
There's a new med out for quitting-I can find out the name if you want me to.
We're going to go to our local supermarket tonight for our biweekly food shopping. Usually we go over the mountain to the West Point commissary. We save some on the groceries-not as much as we used to-but we probably lose the savings with the gas we use to get there.
I'm going to cut down on the soda. DD works part time at another supermarket(yes, she's working 2 jobs)so she picks up the 12 packs when they're on sale at 5 for $10.00. I love the Wyler's Mango Iced Tea. It really is addictive, and it is cheaper than the soda, so I'll wean myself by alternating.
eileenkny

We began replacing all the light bulbs in our house with the compact flourecents a couple of years ago - every time an old one burns out we put in a flourecent in its place. Since we are doing it slowly the cost is not killing us and now that almost all the bulbs in the house are flourecents we are seeing a difference in the power bill. The bulbs really do pay for themselves over their life cycle. And they do have a very long life too - we have a light over our old cooktop with a broken switch. We can't turn it off!!! Unfortunately I have poor lighting in that part of the kitchen, so I really need this light. Before I was replacing the bulb about once every 2 or 3 weeks. When we started the flourecents it was the first bulb we replaced. That was about 6 years ago or so and the same bulb is still burning!!!

Today we had to buy a new frig. we got 15 years out of it. DH and SIL went to get one and it was priced at 1,600 but they got it for 997 a wirlpool/black now did you know you have to "bargain" with the big shops too,yeah they have a big mark up it seems. Most people go into the stores to pay the price tag marked. I'm not crazy over black appliances because of the fingure prints,though they look nice. SIL bargains for deals,its nice he went along. He is a big coupon shopper.They never seem to carry coupons I need!LOL! I have always bought my summer cloths at the end of summer-I get summer sales and my winter cloths at the end of winter for winter sales. Always check for sales first when you go to shop. Our Macys dept store at the mall has huge sales at the end of each season, I love it. Old navy does the same here. We always buy meets that are on sale for the week,we have a deep freezer. I also khann in the summer and freeze. We do drink alot of pepsi and tea,and we could save big bucks on the smokes,yeah we both have the nasty bad habit but were gonna try to quit soon,we tried the patches/pills and now were going to try the newest med on the market soon,I think its the will power were lacking, and Its more an addiction than habit,a drug. I'm a drug addict in a sense,"thats horrifically stupid on our parts". I'm sorry I ever started but sad thing is I enjoy it some what, its Just Crazy. ashamed,Please be easy on me with this one I'm hard enough on myself as it is, I respect all non smokers, It's really tuff when youre a drug addict,"just cigeretts". That a side,Theyre are some luxurys not worth giving up so we all "try to balance" out what we can afford at the time.