Thriving during rough economic times by cutting the fat

Since we are certainly facing rough economic times all of us are trying to figure out new ways to cut out expenses that we don't need. In fact because of how bad the economy has become it is actually becoming a necessity for us to cut out the expenses that are considered frivolous just so we can pay the bills that we need to have in order to survive. More and more throughout the country you are seeing people cut out expenses so that they can thrive during the rough economic times, in fact people are getting rid of any expenses that they don't need. Basically people are only keeping the expenses that they need in order to survive, everything else is considered extra.

Here are some things that you can cut back on or even cut out completely so that you and your family can thrive during these tough economic times.

Number one: The internet.

Many people tend to view the internet as a needed expense because of how used to using it they are. But in reality the internet is something that you can do without personally because it is just another bill. But for some people they actually do need the internet in order to work so what you can do in that situation is either cut back on your speed or even change to a dial up connection until things become more financially stable. And for those of you who cut out the internet you can still go to your public library or even a local coffee shop to access the internet for free so that you can keep up with the latest news or your favorite blogs.

Number two: Cable or satellite television.

Many people rely on cable or satellite television as a way of entertainment, but as the economy gets tighter this is going to become a huge expense. In fact for some people it might come down to the choice of buying food or paying for television services. The best thing about getting rid of this expensive form of entertainment is that you can easily replace with other forms of entertainment such as a book from your local library or even reading the newspaper to stay current with the news.

Number three: Fast food.

In fact fast food is probably the most popular thing that we tend to waste money on. Most of us tend to go out to eat a lot because it is just easier for us to buy dinner or lunch than make it ourselves because of how busy all of us tend to be in this fast paced society. But in addition to saving money by not buying fast food we will all actually be a lot healthier for cutting it out of our diets. It has been proven that buying a prepared meal can cost us at least twice as much if not ten times as much money as if we bought the ingredients and prepared the meals ourselves. But in addition to fast food you are also going to want to reduce the amount of times you go out to eat at restaurants because that expense can add up just as quick.

Number four: Cell phones.

Many people are using their cell phone as a second phone line. The truth of the matter is that a cell phone plan actually costs almost twice as much as a regular phone line, not to mention the fact that the cell phone does nothing that the cell phone can't do, the important things that matter that is. So if you are facing tough times you might want to consider cutting out your cell phone expense or even cutting back on your plan so you are not spending as much money on the extras that you don't need, such as texting or video messaging.

Number five: Subscriptions and memberships.

These are usually the last thing that we think about when it comes to cutting back on money that we are spending because we don't even think about the money that we are putting out for them because most of the time they come out of your checking account automatically. What you are going to need to do is sit down and look at your checking account statement to see what memberships and subscriptions that you can cancel so that you can save money. Some of the more common types of memberships and subscriptions that people have are newspaper, gym membership, Netflix, magazine subscriptions, etc.

Number six: Lawn care or cleaning services.

Not everybody has these extra perks, but more than enough people pay somebody else to mow their lawn or to even clean their houses. These are unneeded expenses that can be cut to help you survive the rough economic times. But not only can you save money by eliminating the third party doing it for you, but you can also cut back on the self care that you do to help save money. If you have a large lawn you can cut back on your watering to help save money on your watering bill, but also not watering as often will cause the lawn to grow slower so you won't have to mow as often which saves gas. When it comes to cleaning your house you can do it yourself and use your own supplies, store brand works just as well if not better than the more expensive brands.

Number seven: Car.

This can be something that is done first or last depending on how bad you are hurting. But cutting out your personal transportation can help you save money on gas and on a car payment each month, which when you add it up ends up being quite a bit of money that you spend each month, especially with how high gas prices have risen. By cutting out your car you can take public transportation which for the most part is cheaper than paying for gas each week even though it can take you longer to get from one place to another. But not only can you rely on public transportation to take you places you can also ride a bike or even walk to where you need to go.

Number eight: Appliances.

This can be a hard thing to get rid of because of how used to the various appliances we are, meaning we have come to depend on the various appliances in our house to help make things easier. But you can actually get by without using a dishwasher or even clothes dryer for the most part; this is going to depend on what season it is and where you are currently living, although many people get by with hang drying their clothes in the house. But what you need to do is look at the season that you are in and see what appliances you can turn off so that you can save money on your utilities. This will include the furnace, air conditioner, etc.

Number nine: Retirement contributions and other savings.

This is something that you are only going to want to cut out if things are really rough. In our current economic situation, with the stock market going down as fast as it is you might consider not making any future investments. In fact this should only be done after you have cut all of the easy things out of your life such as subscriptions, memberships, etc. But even if you have to revert to cutting back on the amount of money that you are saving try cutting the amount back rather than cutting it out entirely. This way you are at least saving some amount for your future.

Number ten: Going out.

Many people have what they call date night if they are married or if they are single they often go out to various clubs or bars to enjoy their evenings. In hard times you want to reduce those expenses, this doesn't mean cut them out entirely. Rather than going out both Friday and Saturday night simply go out one night a week only or even cut it back to going out every other week. You will be amazed at how much money you save because you never realized how much you end up spending on dinner, movies, or drinks while you are out enjoying the evening.

Just keep in mind that during the tough economic times that we are facing what you really need to do is take a long hard look at what you are currently spending and seeing what you can do to help cut out money that you don't need to spend. One thing that people forget to look at when it comes to cutting expenses is the unnecessary things that you buy. Basically what you are going to want to do is look at every purchase that you are making or even the purchases that you are thinking about making. When looking at these purchases you are going to want to see if it is something that you actually need to have or if it is something that you can do without. If it isn't something that you absolutely need then you shouldn't buy it, this is also called eliminating unnecessary purchases. In fact when it comes to unnecessary spending that is one of the most popular ways that people tend to waste money besides eating out.