“The Party’s Over…” (Part 2, Credit Crunchies)

8.12.2008 by Savvy Suzy

Courtesy of ~ Flickr.com

…It’s time to call it a day!”…is the way, I believe, the song goes, but in this case the lyrics should be…”The party’s over…” It’s time to stash cards away! That could very well be a revived tune that many consumers should be singing these days.

More and more people are having to cut up, freeze in ice or just basically stash those little plastic rectangular buggers, somewhere out of sight! And I should know — I’ve been there before and still paying off debt! It wasn’t my intention to have debt, but due to this onslaught of negativity, that I’ve mentioned we’ve been going through, such as, not being able to find work or finding work and then being laid off numerous times — it’s created this vicious cycle.

My debt was completely cleaned up a few years back, after getting some credit counselling (Back before they started charging for these services.), but due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to go back and start charging again. We had no relatives or friends that we could borrow funds from, and we didn’t want to go on welfare (prefer to be self-reliant). So we had no choice, but to go back to using that plastic again! (It was a necessity and we are thankful it was available at the time.)

We always paid our bills, rent and mortgage on time when we owned a home (If I couldn’t — I would contact the companies to let them know.) But, now, I’ve pretty much stopped using them altogether, (only for certain circumstances) and just paying down the debt…until it’s paid off, once again. This time it will be for good!

So it appears that we are not alone, when it comes to singing “The Party’s Over” song. Actually, the party never started for us. We had to use those cards to take care of necessities. However, there are countless of other Americans, who are embracing frugal ways these days, too, for whatever reasons. What about you? Are you, already going that route or maybe thinking about joining us?

Courtesy of Wikipedia

How in the world is my family dealing with all our debt?

Foremost, we’re putting away those little plastic cards, and only utilizing one for necessities.
I don’t shop ’til I drop and never have.
Wear classic clothing
I don’t shop for name brand clothing
Alter clothes for better fit
I buy vintage (thrift store finds) and…
… mix it with, newer, discount store purchases.
Use wash & wear – mostly cotton – clothing that needs no dry cleaning.
I make curtains using sheets
Make simple throw pillow covers
Furniture is an eclectic mix that wears well over time
We hardly ever eat out (although, my sons do at work.)
Haven’t taken any vacations in thirteen years and we’re not complaining.
Don’t use cable TV (We used to, but realized we weren’t watching that much and could do without.)
My son purchased a DVR, which allows us to be more frugal with time.
Drive smaller vehicles
Also, those vehicles, as always, are pre-owned ones
We utilized public transportation for a while (Living in So. California, a car is a necessity!)
Shop for house brands mostly
Buy groceries in bulk when I can
I used to go to the library for books — only occasionally now
Shop for groceries every 2 weeks (saves on gas)
Buy produce in season
We eat simple food instead of expensive gourmet delicacies
Recycle bags, newspapers, plastic and glass bottles (my mom started me to doing this back in the 70’s)
Donate things we’ve outgrown or no longer have a need for
Son sells things he doesn’t need on eBay
Use air conditioning rarely (when temperatures hit high 90’s)
We have ceiling fan, and standalone fans for bedrooms and dining
Close window shades & windows during the daytime — open up windows in evening to let air circulate through house.
Rarely use heater (Thank goodness for warm winters.)
Use a few florescent bulbs, but prefer incandescent lighting (it gives off heat in winter and a much cozier)
We layer our clothes in winter
Close doors & concentrate passive heat from appliances in winter
Heavy use of crockpot
Use toaster oven for cooking
We have dishwasher, but wash dishes by hand
Wash vehicles ourselves
I used to cut everyone’s hair (I still cut one son’s hair and the younger one does his own.)
Go to movies only a few times a year
Accelerate some payments when I can
Use simple recipes — with few ingredients
We stopped buying gifts at Christmas (We buy one gift for whole family.)
We don’t exchange birthday gifts (We’ll have our favorite though — a pizza.)
We stopped getting the newspaper and get news online.
We buy discounted magazines to read also
Had a small garden for a few years (hard work & no space now)
We have prepaid accounts with our cell phones
Use rags instead of paper towels
Use tissues instead of napkins
Use hand towels in kitchen instead of paper towels
Limit water usage due to drought (not for drinking)
Combine errands to specific days
Use prepared food minimally
Working on business idea
Looking for work
My sons live at home (to help keep down costs)
Both sons were home schooled (that saved lots of money)

So If I keep thinking I could come up with other things we do to help to keep down the expenses. Plus I’m checking on line to help find other ways to do this. I’m discovering so many other useful ideas as I look at other’s suggestions.

The point of the list was to say that we are doing our part to be frugal and continue to do the KISSS approach (Keeping It Sweet, Simple & Savvy) in the way we deal with our daily lives. The thing is, we don’t really feel that we’re being that deprived. We’re helping the planet by using less — it wasn’t inspired by eco trendy — it’s just common sense.

The only thing holding us back is being able to bring in more income. You see I’ve been a single mom for nine years, after being married for almost twenty-two years. I unexpectedly became a widow in 1999 (Coming up on the 10 year anniversary of when my husband passed away in January.)

I have office support skills and could be and have been of service to a variety of businesses. Also, I want to get back to doing art, which I haven’t done that much since being in college. I have and had an artist block, due to some emotional issues.

Due to the fact that we live in California, and things can be rather pricey, has meant that we’ve had to make some…

sac•ri•fices (n.) ~ the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. (Infoplease)

My sons are ready to leave the nest (25 & 22), but have decided to stay and help pool our finances (They both have jobs and are looking to start a business.) I appreciate them so much staying to help me out like this, because I don’t like holding them back from moving on to their next chapters.

So that’s where we are in attempting to live more savvy, simple, and frugal lives to help put an end to the credit crunchies. What kinds of things are you doing? Here are some ideas from others:

This article just in from Parade Magazine: “Don’t Get Clobbered by Credit Card Debt”. Credit cards can be useful, but greedy credit card companies are getting out of control with the fees.

Second up, a wealth of information from folks with savvy tips:

Bible Money Matters: “Are you building your credit, or just going into debt?”
Consumerist: “Are We Nearing The End Of Credit Card Consumerism?”
Frugal Dad: Advice on Credit Cards
Get Rich Slowly: “The Best Advice I Ever Got”
My Dollar Plan: “25 Reasons to Love Credit Cards”

Last, but not least, lots of great tips here about keeping things simple:

Simple Mom: “How to be Disorganized & Unproductive, # 3: Have Too Much Stuff”
SmallNotebook.org: “Resisting the Desire to Acquire”
Supercharged Life: Reality Check: Are You Doing What It Takes To Get Ahead in Life?
Zen Habits: “73 Great Debt Elimination Tips”

Frugality is not something we recently adopted, but we’ve been doing this for years. I was recycling newspapers and cans before I can remember hearing someone actually coining the word “recycle”, back when I was younger. It’s a way of life.

Now, it’s good to know that frugality is finally in vogue, and more and more people are joining the ranks. Maybe also because technology is getting more and more intrusive in our lives, that we need to embrace savvy and simple ways to just be able to cope with all of the many changes we’re dealing with these days.

Thanks for reading this article and for those who’ve commented.