WAY OT: Now that I've lightened up I want to lighten up: Living on a budget with a DS

Your ideas are great.  Unfortunately my house is not in a vacation area.  And I'm not sure how I would handle the cleaning between guests, etc..

I am going to RE look at leasing it out tho, especially if it appears that I might be able to do a lease here on the little farm I found.

I think your idea of bulk buying meat and cheese is fantastic.  One thing I hope to have when I get a house (I'm in a tiny apartment) is a freezer for just such reason.  I'm going to start looking for a used vacuum sealor as well.

~Becky

 I took my dog to a trainer and it was money well spent.  We learned to get along together.

I live debt free and I have been for decades.  It's hard now because I am newly poor and starting over.  But the same old tricks still work.  Before you start anything, track every penny for a month.  Find out where your disposable money is going.  Once you know where you are wasting, it's easier to change.

Cheaper isn't always better.  It's all about figuring out how to manage the lifestyle that makes you happy with what you have.  If you start out too restrictive, you will rebel.  Take small steps and research every purchase.  Allow yourself some fun money too.

Food is a major expense for a dser.  I cook in quantity and freeze so I can use larger packages of meat that are discounted.  I usually cook twice a month and shop twice a month.  I've spent some time in NC and if I lived in a rural area, I would be looking for a local pig farm for sure.  Buy direct and save big money for a superior product.  That's smart money management.  Maybe you could trade training services for 1/2 a pig?  Anyway, they raise great pork in NC.  Have you been to a pig picking yet?

Here's my shopping regimen.  The circulars and coupons arrive on Tuesday.  I check them out and do a shopping trip on Wednesday, the 1st day of the sale week.  My first stop is the 99cents Only store.  I buy all my paper and cleaning products there.  They also have great deals on a lot of food items.  All my beans and pasta are purchased there and sometimes wonderful bargains  like fresh asparagus, liverwurst, butter, or salami.  You never know what you will find there.  Then it's on to the Mexican or perhaps Asian grocery.  They have the best meat and produce prices of all the markets.  Also it's a great opportunity to try something new.  Anything left on my list will be purchased at the regular grocery store.  I buy a couple turkeys when they are cheap and buy 4 or 5 corned beef roasts after St. Patrick's Day when they go on sale.  I make my own stock and always have a scrap/bone bag in the freezer.  There's almost always a score of the week.  Last week, I ran out of coffee cream and made a late night grocery run.  I bought a whole smoked turkey for $10!

Now I live in Las Vegas so I do eat out a couple times a week.  Usually I have a 12 oz cut of prime rib dinner for $5.99.  I can't even BUY just the prime rib for that.  And there's a casino with the best brisket ever buffet lunch for $7.  Worth the money.

I am well ahead of the majority of people and I need to be grateful.  I really have no debt.  I think to be 100% debt free I would have to pay about $400 to a credit card.  I've got no mortgage, no car payment, no student loans, etc...

But my living expenses have gone up and my income hasn't and so I am trying to be proactive so that I can STAY debt free and continue to do the dog sports that I enjoy (which is very expensive).

And now I find that I am going to need a new car and I don't have the money saved up for that.  I had hoped to buy a car out of the proceeds from selling my house but THAT hasn't worked.

I'm no longer in NC and have never been to a pig pickin'.  I could surely buy a side of pork if that is where the BACON comes from lol.  I eat so much bacon and it has gone up up up.

I don't eat out much buy when I do it is extremely expensive.  I wish I could get a nice meal out for $10.

I think the food shopping/cooking is the place I can make a dent.  That and checking in to trading my cable bill for netflix.

Otherwise I can't do much about the price of gasoline (I don't drive unless I have to and I do combine trips) and I buy clothes ON SALE (thank you DS).

Thank you for the tips.  GREATLY appreciated.

~Becky

Some really great ideas.

I know Gail.  Isn't this community great?

~Becky

Well, I read couponmom's book and one on feeding your family. So I do a combo of meal planning and couponing. You really need to learn how much the stuff you like costs so when you see it for a good price, you can stock up.

Suze orman had a special on public access, see if you can find it, it was really really good.

My homework for tonight is to start a list of what I buy most often and what I've been paying for it.

I'll look for Suze Orman too.  I do like her.

~Becky

 Great. The coupon books will tell you to have a binder and list the prices at different stores so you can see where to buy it. You can learn where to buy some things. For example drinks are really expensive at my local walmart but gatorade is cheap, I can get the drinks at cvs and walgreens on specials. I just remember what something  is suppose to pay. 

I've never enjoyed dealing with coupons and half the time I'd forget to bring them to the store with me, anyway. But, I have signed up for several sites like Kraft and Proctor and Gamble that I discovered through THIS site:

http://thefrugalgirls.com/category/freebies

Sign up for the newsletter and the info is delivered once daily right to your email.

I have received coupons for free full sized products: a bottle of Pantene shampoo, Oscar Mayer deli meat, a bag of Ore-Ida sweet potato fries, toothpaste, pump soap, Philadelphia cream cheese, coffee creamer, and many other things. Now THAT'S my kind of coupon!

But, they also list local sales circulars and have a section for printable mfg. coupons.

However, if you turn into one of those hoarding couponers and buy 10 bottles of ketchup at once, I'm going to have to smack some sense into you.

 Dave Ramsey here too!