What is your standard for cutting back on something?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Just curious as to responses if you are not financially cornered into cutting back on something. I am debating cutting back on trips to the border - one thing I could cut back on and one thing painful to cut back on. Just curious what other folks criteria is for cutting back on specific spending? Rob

[JaneV2.0]

I wouldn't cut back on anything I considered "painful" to eliminate. Just make sure your trips pay for themselves as much as possible. Cut back on the painless expenditures first.

[Yppej]

I do cut back on things I could spend on because I want to save for retirement. Every month I set myself a budget. When I have large expenses in a month (like property taxes) I spend less on other items. Then on months when I have more play in the budget I let myself choose among discretionary expenses. If I did them all I would be over that month as well. But having some things to enjoy/look forward to helps keep me on track.

[frugal-one]

I wouldn't cut back on anything I considered "painful" to eliminate. Just make sure your trips pay for themselves as much as possible. Cut back on the painless expenditures first.

Great advice above. If you are not "financially cornered" what is your impetus to cut back?

[early morning]

When I was working, I used the "hours worked to pay for" idea. How many hours would I have to work to pay for XYZ? That helped me determine its value - to me, at least. Now, I use "what else should/could/would I spend this money on", and "will I regret not doing this later" to help me think through things like this. And as we get older, the second - regrets for things undone - is weighing heavier. If you will miss these trips, and if they impact others (your SO? other family?) and you can afford them, I'd say keep going. Memories are a valuable thing to have. I don't fondly remember a bigger bank balance, lol.

[bae]

I'm cutting back on items I won't really need/use for the next 3-9 months. I've got enough projects and bits-of-projects going to tide me over, I don't need to grow the backlog.

I usually, because of my remote location, slowly accumulate stuff I will be needing over the next 12 months, ahead of need, to deal with shipping/supply issues.

[happystuff]

If money is not part of the equation, I usually cut back on things I already have enough of or don't want/need any more of.

[ToomuchStuff]

Will it go bad before I need it? Is it better for me to store it or someone else? Not sure what your definition of financially cornered is, but to me that is different from financial goals. Is my money better going towards x, or y?

[ApatheticNoMore]

Most of the time, are there other things I'd rather or be better off spending the money on? I do have some taken for the 401k right off the top so I don't see that, but I change the contributions up and down.

I mean I always ask myself for a purchase do I need it, will I use it. But if we're talking about something like can I reduce the food budget (yes I do need to eat), then I look at what else I could get if I can.

[catherine]

Like Jeppy, I keep a budget and I track my expenditures almost to the penny, so if I see something out of whack, I either cut back on something else, or the next month try to even it out. I am fine with cutting back on clothing, entertainment and "splurge food"--take out, restaurants, etc. That's painless to me.

[Rogar]

Sometimes I ask myself if it will really improve my quality of life, health, or simplify things, and what are alternatives that I already have access to.

[Teacher Terry]

I have cut back on many things in the past year. Switched from cable to YouTube tv and share with a friend so the cost is half. Use T-Mobile prepaid plan for 15/month. I quit going to a hairdresser to get my hair colored and a friend does it. I am getting the dogs groomed every 12 weeks instead of 8 and in between trim and bathe myself. Getting their dentals every 18 months instead of yearly. I would rather spend money on experiences than things.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay--I tried ta cut back on bottled water, but that did not work out.

[Tybee]

My standard is often can I still afford this? In many cases, the answer is no, for certain grocery items, for example, or eating out, or various experiences or travel. Those are examples that come to mind. So much of my money seems to be required for taking care of family and infrastructure and moving here to where things are more expensive, it has permanently impacted our standard of living, so we hav eto cut back in many areas.

[pinkytoe]

I am cutting back on subscriptions even though they are reasonable - Netflix, Dicovery +, NY Times. Now that winter is almost over I won't have the urge to use them much.

[Teacher Terry]

Moving is expensive as someone that has owned 10 houses and moved 30 times. I am very aware that my time may be limited to travel so am finishing my bucket list. I don’t want to have regrets.

[frugal-one]

My bucket list will never be finished…. only regret is time wasted because of covid.

[Teacher Terry]

As much as my mom loved to travel by her middle 80’s she was done due to lack of stamina from multiple bouts of cancer. But she liked to travel like I do which is about 2 weeks and hit it hard. Slow travel is probably easier to sustain and when we had the RV we did some of that.

[JaneV2.0]

As much as my mom loved to travel by her middle 80’s she was done due to lack of stamina from multiple bouts of cancer. But she liked to travel like I do which is about 2 weeks and hit it hard. Slow travel is probably easier to sustain and when we had the RV we did some of that.

Reading this reminds me how I always thought travel was like a forced march...

[frugal-one]

Reading this reminds me how I always thought travel was like a forced march...

No, travel is exciting! An adventure to be cherished and remembered. I remember all of my travels but few of the material gifts I have been given. IMO experiences triumph over physical gifts any day.

[Teacher Terry]

Frugal, I totally agree with you. I took my first international trip in 1998 and still have all the great memories. Much better than physical items.

[JaneV2.0]

No, travel is exciting! An adventure to be cherished and remembered. I remember all of my travels but few of the material gifts I have been given. IMO experiences triumph over physical gifts any day.

If I could travel by teleportation and stay at a given destination for weeks, I might agree with you.

[bae]

If I could travel by teleportation and stay at a given destination for weeks, I might agree with you.

I generally hate the "travel" part of travel, but rather enjoy the "staying someplace new for a reasonable period", so I tend to just find a fun place to stay in some random foreign city, and stay for at least 2-4 weeks, to make the "travel" part less painful, overall. Ideally then I take a train to some other random city, and repeat the process.

[rosarugosa]

I think it's really a matter of personal preference, and there are worthwhile experiences other than travel. An acquaintance took a couple of rounds of pottery classes, largely because our FB posts made it look so fun. She enjoyed the classes, but decided to discontinue at least in part because it was a bit pricey. She said she really likes to shop, and I know she is currently on a trip to Italy. I think the pottery classes are a better choice for us because we are learning, developing skills and getting enjoyment from them every single week. However, I don't necessarily think this translates universally (i.e., everyone must take pottery classes in order to live a happy life!) or think her choices are wrong because they are different from mine.

[Tybee]

I am definitely going through everything I own and evaluating if I still get pleasure from it. So if I have a universe of less things but more pleasure what each thing, that will be positive as it will downsize naturally. I will cut back naturally if I have less to take care of.

[Teacher Terry]

Some people hate traveling and don’t enjoy it so of course why would they do it. I don’t like the getting there part any longer either. I like to go for between 10-14 days and don’t like to be gone longer unless I take the dogs. I realized that when we took a 3 week trip.

My mom loved to travel and my dad not so much. He didn’t want to go to Europe because he had been there. What he always failed to mention was that it was during WW2. My mom went there without him. They did travel around the states.

[pinkytoe]

I find airplane travel these days to be a form of torture so that part of travel is demeaning and not fun at all.

[sweetana3]

Pinkytoe, I feel the exact same way. We are doing more travel by car in the US now. Arkansas, Detroit, Kansas City and so on. Each has a Road Scholar trip arranged to see them.

[happystuff]

i don't mind airline travel. I actually enjoy pretty much all aspects as I get a chance to people-watch and even have some interesting conversations with some of the people I meet.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----Mmmm---as much as I hate to have to cut backk---I'm cutting waaaay back on Steinfield ticckkicks. It's the only way I can "cut the fat" outta my diet of hilarity. Yup.537253725372537253725373537353735373

[catherine]

i don't mind airline travel. I actually enjoy pretty much all aspects as I get a chance to people-watch and even have some interesting conversations with some of the people I meet.

I'm with you. I loved traveling for business. The one place where I could "get away from it all" and forget about chores. And I always found it exciting to go different places, even if I had been there multiple times.

At this point, though, I'm not actively looking to travel. DH and I are talking about a trip to Ireland/Scotland at some point but there's nothing in the works yet.

[iris lilies]

re: flying

A garden club friend and I are talking about going to a workshop next next fall. She said there are cheap flights. I looked at the drive time and it’s just a little more than six hours, probably close to seven. While my limit for driving is six hours, 0TH I can stop in a city I like and stay overnight, and then leisurely go to the workshop town the next day.

I compare that with the plane ride, which is fairly short, probably 2 to 3 hours, yet by the time you get there an hour early and park and then go get a rental car upon arrival, and then drive one hour to the town hosting the workshop and blah blah blah—You’ve got six+ hours invested and none of those six hours are times that you have control over what are you doing, where you are.

I am going to drive this one.

[Tradd]

I just cancelled my $21/month Economist subscription. I wasn’t reading it much lately so I was OK to cancel. It’s month to month so I can pick it back up at any time I feel like it.

The only monthly things I have left are $5 to PBS to get access to their Passport streaming service and $6.95 a month to have MS Word on my iPad. I am in the midst of an editing project for the WI Historical Society so I can’t cancel now. If it was just a text document, I’d use Apple Pages, but this document has lots of photos and images. I don’t want to mess up the formatting. My WI dive instructor is a maritime archaeologist for the WHS (a state agency) and this is how I volunteer. Can’t dive on wrecks they’re surveying as my work schedule doesn’t allow it (all weekdays and often last minute)

[Tradd]

Diving season is just about here. Local quarry opens the first Saturday in May. While I could drive to WI or OH to dive there, it would require at least one night’s stay. I’ve hardly been diving all winter so I’m going to spend all of May diving at the local diving hole which is 90 min away. Need lots of practice to knock the rust off. Given the cost of hotel rooms, even if I go to the local quarry both Sat and Sun, the gas is still cheaper than a hotel, plus I sleep much better in my own bed. June forward I’ll spend weekends in WI as friends and I can schedule dives.

[Tradd]

re: flying

A garden club friend and I are talking about going to a workshop next next fall. She said there are cheap flights. I looked at the drive time and it’s just a little more than six hours, probably close to seven. While my limit for driving is six hours, 0TH I can stop in a city I like and stay overnight, and then leisurely go to the workshop town the next day.

I compare that with the plane ride, which is fairly short, probably 2 to 3 hours, yet by the time you get there an hour early and park and then go get a rental car upon arrival, and then drive one hour to the town hosting the workshop and blah blah blah—You’ve got six+ hours invested and none of those six hours are times that you have control over what are you doing, where you are.

I am going to drive this one.

Yes, totally agree with you on driving this one.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I just cancelled my $21/month Economist subscription. I wasn’t reading it much lately so I was OK to cancel. It’s month to month so I can pick it back up at any time I feel like it.

I believe thier podcast is free

[pinkytoe]

I signed up for the local newspaper on a promo deal - something like 4 months for $1. I like to read local news and was willing to pay the normal $10 a month for the online version once the promo expired. The day the promo expired, they dinged my credit card for an exorbitant charge. No advance notice or explanation. I have been back and forth with them and they won't reverse the charge or honor the original $10 a mo charge. So...lesson learned - sometimes what you think you're getting for the money spent is not the case.

[iris lilies]

I signed up for the local newspaper on a promo deal - something like 4 months for $1. I like to read local news and was willing to pay the normal $10 a month for the online version once the promo expired. The day the promo expired, they dinged my credit card for an exorbitant charge. No advance notice or explanation. I have been back and forth with them and they won't reverse the charge or honor the original $10 a mo charge. So...lesson learned - sometimes what you think you're getting for the money spent is not the case.

That stinks! How do they explain their $10 deal that is not really that?

[catherine]

That stinks! How do they explain their $10 deal that is not really that?

I had something similar happen to me, and it was because while they advertised it at "$8 a month" which I was willing to pay with the assumption I could stop at any time, they billed me at the annual rate of $96. In my case it was a case of not reading the fine print. I was so mad. I definitely didn't plan on that expenditure.

[Tybee]

I had something similar happen to me, and it was because while they advertised it at "$8 a month" which I was willing to pay with the assumption I could stop at any time, they billed me at the annual rate of $96. In my case it was a case of not reading the fine print. I was so mad. I definitely didn't plan on that expenditure.

I too have gotten burned with these things and it is so frustrating that I have decided to not sign up for anything more unless I can use a check.

[iris lilies]

I had something similar happen to me, and it was because while they advertised it at "$8 a month" which I was willing to pay with the assumption I could stop at any time, they billed me at the annual rate of $96. In my case it was a case of not reading the fine print. I was so mad. I definitely didn't plan on that expenditure.

When I signed up for one of the recent online services, I signed on with a promise that “your rate will always remain the standard rate” or wording to that effect.

Well, what they mean by that is I signed on at the “standard rate”. Yes, they will raise the “standard rate” but lucky me because I am locked into the “standard rate” it will be less than…?

[pinkytoe]

I don't want to waste anymore time fighting the circulation people. Guess I will read the funnies and obits for a little more value:(