What are people doing to save money in this insane economy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so insane about the economy?

Spouse & I are both working & not making very much. We are barely middle-middle class by most standards. One kid is military officer & other is a CPA.

We have all traveled all over the US, along with a lot of foreign trips. The 4 of us have no mortgages, no car loans, & no credit card debt. The 4 of us managed to get 11 college degrees without any college loans.

Kids went to public schools k-12. We haven’t bought any used cars (some new, quite a few leased, which has allowed us to avoid large auto repair bills). We paid off our modest new-construction suburban house in 9 years.

Bottom line: minimize your debt.

You are not coming out ahead with leasing vehicles because it "allowed [you] to avoid large auto repair bills." You are not saving money leasing cars. At all.

Oh yes I am. I bought a Toyota & put nearly 200,000 miles in it. Even with that super-reliable car I had significant repair expenses, plus once I was past 100,000 miles I didn’t trust it for longer trips.

The key to making a lease affordable is to get a salesman who will bend over backwards for you. My guy gets me every conceivable discount & rebate, even ones I don’t actually qualify for, like being an employee of the manufacturer. They can do all sorts of things IF THEY WANT TO. And since I’ve leased so many cars from him over the years, he really wants to keep my business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get ideas for what else we could be doing as everything just gets more and more unaffordable. I really didn’t used to think about it this much for the last two years have been brutal. I’ll start:

- Used to eat out twice a week, now we eat out twice a month (take out only). Cook 7 nights a week but meals have gotten less complicated because who can realistically cook that much? I CAN. IT JUST TAKES MEAL PLANNING. WHAT I MAKE AT HOME IS BETTER TASTING AND LESS EXPENSIVE. EATING OUT HAS ALWAYS SUCKED BUT LATELY IT'S BECOME SUPER DISAPPOINTING. THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY FOR RESTAURANT FOOD IS THE PORTIONS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY USUALLY AMOUNT TO TWO MEALS.

- started buying frozen afterschool snacks (tater tots, chicken tenders) and don’t let the kids stop at Starbucks or Boba place or whatever more than 2-3x per month THIS IS A GOOD ONE. WE BOUGHT A DEEP FREEZER FOR THIS REASON. LOVE ME THE TATER TOTS AND CHICKEN TENDERS AND FROZEN FOODS. TRADER JOES ALSO HAS SOME DECENT OPTIONS.

- Decided to drive our car until the wheels fall off. New cars are insane. When did that happen? COVID DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS SO YOU CAN TRACE THE JUMP TO THERE. TRUMP'S TARIFFS EXACERBATED IT. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN CARS INTO THE GROUND. BUYING NEW CARS EVERY FEW YEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ECONOMICALLY STUPID. ESPECIALLY IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THE PROPERTY TAX IS BASED ON THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR.

- started buying all basics (socks, underwear, basic tees) on Amazon. YOU CAN ALSO GET THESE AT PLACES LIKE ROSS, ETC.

- only shop for clothes off season and on sale. Have bought some basics from Target and Uniqlo. Saw a fairly basic sweater at J.Crew for $350 and almost laughed out loud. AGAIN, NOT A NEW STRATEGY FOR ME. BUT I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO FRETS ABOUT FASHION OR WHAT IS 'IN.' I HAVE MY STYLE AND I BUY CLOTHING THAT REFLECTS IT. COULD NOT CARE LESS IF I MATCH OTHER BASIC TWATS OR NOT. I LIKE TO STAND OUT

- only reading books from the library I REDISCOVERD THE LIBRARY TOO. IT ALSO HAS STREAMING (KANOPY) AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINE (LIBBY) SO YOU CAN REPLACE NETFLIX AND MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS

- no more sporting events for entertainment (we used to enjoy basketball games) NOT SURE ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT WE LOVE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!


I would not have considered us to be in a difficult financial situation even two years ago. Our jobs are thankfully stable. But neither of us got pay increases this year because of cost cutting. It just doesn’t feel sustainable.

I'm also growing my own food, selling pictures of my feet on Only Fans (considering selling my soiled panties, too -- huge market for that) and forcing my kids into part-time jobs and charging them for rent.

Gross.

I know a few women that sell their worn panties and they make a ton of money!

Is there any place where an older gentleman can sell his funky boxers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get ideas for what else we could be doing as everything just gets more and more unaffordable. I really didn’t used to think about it this much for the last two years have been brutal. I’ll start:

- Used to eat out twice a week, now we eat out twice a month (take out only). Cook 7 nights a week but meals have gotten less complicated because who can realistically cook that much? I CAN. IT JUST TAKES MEAL PLANNING. WHAT I MAKE AT HOME IS BETTER TASTING AND LESS EXPENSIVE. EATING OUT HAS ALWAYS SUCKED BUT LATELY IT'S BECOME SUPER DISAPPOINTING. THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY FOR RESTAURANT FOOD IS THE PORTIONS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY USUALLY AMOUNT TO TWO MEALS.

- started buying frozen afterschool snacks (tater tots, chicken tenders) and don’t let the kids stop at Starbucks or Boba place or whatever more than 2-3x per month THIS IS A GOOD ONE. WE BOUGHT A DEEP FREEZER FOR THIS REASON. LOVE ME THE TATER TOTS AND CHICKEN TENDERS AND FROZEN FOODS. TRADER JOES ALSO HAS SOME DECENT OPTIONS.

- Decided to drive our car until the wheels fall off. New cars are insane. When did that happen? COVID DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS SO YOU CAN TRACE THE JUMP TO THERE. TRUMP'S TARIFFS EXACERBATED IT. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN CARS INTO THE GROUND. BUYING NEW CARS EVERY FEW YEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ECONOMICALLY STUPID. ESPECIALLY IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THE PROPERTY TAX IS BASED ON THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR.

- started buying all basics (socks, underwear, basic tees) on Amazon. YOU CAN ALSO GET THESE AT PLACES LIKE ROSS, ETC.

- only shop for clothes off season and on sale. Have bought some basics from Target and Uniqlo. Saw a fairly basic sweater at J.Crew for $350 and almost laughed out loud. AGAIN, NOT A NEW STRATEGY FOR ME. BUT I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO FRETS ABOUT FASHION OR WHAT IS 'IN.' I HAVE MY STYLE AND I BUY CLOTHING THAT REFLECTS IT. COULD NOT CARE LESS IF I MATCH OTHER BASIC TWATS OR NOT. I LIKE TO STAND OUT

- only reading books from the library I REDISCOVERD THE LIBRARY TOO. IT ALSO HAS STREAMING (KANOPY) AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINE (LIBBY) SO YOU CAN REPLACE NETFLIX AND MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS

- no more sporting events for entertainment (we used to enjoy basketball games) NOT SURE ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT WE LOVE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!


I would not have considered us to be in a difficult financial situation even two years ago. Our jobs are thankfully stable. But neither of us got pay increases this year because of cost cutting. It just doesn’t feel sustainable.

I'm also growing my own food, selling pictures of my feet on Only Fans (considering selling my soiled panties, too -- huge market for that) and forcing my kids into part-time jobs and charging them for rent.

Gross.

I know a few women that sell their worn panties and they make a ton of money!

Is there any place where an older gentleman can sell his funky boxers?

Try gay sites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so insane about the economy?

Spouse & I are both working & not making very much. We are barely middle-middle class by most standards. One kid is military officer & other is a CPA.

We have all traveled all over the US, along with a lot of foreign trips. The 4 of us have no mortgages, no car loans, & no credit card debt. The 4 of us managed to get 11 college degrees without any college loans.

Kids went to public schools k-12. We haven’t bought any used cars (some new, quite a few leased, which has allowed us to avoid large auto repair bills). We paid off our modest new-construction suburban house in 9 years.

Bottom line: minimize your debt.

You are not coming out ahead with leasing vehicles because it "allowed [you] to avoid large auto repair bills." You are not saving money leasing cars. At all.

Oh yes I am. I bought a Toyota & put nearly 200,000 miles in it. Even with that super-reliable car I had significant repair expenses, plus once I was past 100,000 miles I didn’t trust it for longer trips.

The key to making a lease affordable is to get a salesman who will bend over backwards for you. My guy gets me every conceivable discount & rebate, even ones I don’t actually qualify for, like being an employee of the manufacturer. They can do all sorts of things IF THEY WANT TO. And since I’ve leased so many cars from him over the years, he really wants to keep my business.

This is what lease people tell themselves but it’s not true.

[Anonymous]

We also haven’t felt it much…except not loving this year’s increase in health insurance premiums. Other than that, we’re relatively frugal normally. Dual income and I’m 100% remote, which helps with gas, food and clothing. Public school for the kids. We cook a lot and don’t do Door Dash, Starbucks, etc. we have old phones and paid off cars.

We could still trim back if needed. I’m sure we could get rid of some streaming services. We take two vacations a year that cost $$$. We could find more savings somewhere if pressed. .

[Anonymous]

Another vote for it's not affecting us. Not sure what jobs are getting affected. We haven't cut back anything...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for it's not affecting us. Not sure what jobs are getting affected. We haven't cut back anything...

Right now we aren’t impacted either but with AI, one of us could be and we have a few kids who will be going to college soon. My DH was a refugee as a child and is very serious about saving and being prepared for anything to happen and to lose everything at any time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get ideas for what else we could be doing as everything just gets more and more unaffordable. I really didn’t used to think about it this much for the last two years have been brutal. I’ll start:

- Used to eat out twice a week, now we eat out twice a month (take out only). Cook 7 nights a week but meals have gotten less complicated because who can realistically cook that much? I CAN. IT JUST TAKES MEAL PLANNING. WHAT I MAKE AT HOME IS BETTER TASTING AND LESS EXPENSIVE. EATING OUT HAS ALWAYS SUCKED BUT LATELY IT'S BECOME SUPER DISAPPOINTING. THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY FOR RESTAURANT FOOD IS THE PORTIONS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY USUALLY AMOUNT TO TWO MEALS.

- started buying frozen afterschool snacks (tater tots, chicken tenders) and don’t let the kids stop at Starbucks or Boba place or whatever more than 2-3x per month THIS IS A GOOD ONE. WE BOUGHT A DEEP FREEZER FOR THIS REASON. LOVE ME THE TATER TOTS AND CHICKEN TENDERS AND FROZEN FOODS. TRADER JOES ALSO HAS SOME DECENT OPTIONS.

- Decided to drive our car until the wheels fall off. New cars are insane. When did that happen? COVID DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS SO YOU CAN TRACE THE JUMP TO THERE. TRUMP'S TARIFFS EXACERBATED IT. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN CARS INTO THE GROUND. BUYING NEW CARS EVERY FEW YEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ECONOMICALLY STUPID. ESPECIALLY IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THE PROPERTY TAX IS BASED ON THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR.

- started buying all basics (socks, underwear, basic tees) on Amazon. YOU CAN ALSO GET THESE AT PLACES LIKE ROSS, ETC.

- only shop for clothes off season and on sale. Have bought some basics from Target and Uniqlo. Saw a fairly basic sweater at J.Crew for $350 and almost laughed out loud. AGAIN, NOT A NEW STRATEGY FOR ME. BUT I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO FRETS ABOUT FASHION OR WHAT IS 'IN.' I HAVE MY STYLE AND I BUY CLOTHING THAT REFLECTS IT. COULD NOT CARE LESS IF I MATCH OTHER BASIC TWATS OR NOT. I LIKE TO STAND OUT

- only reading books from the library I REDISCOVERD THE LIBRARY TOO. IT ALSO HAS STREAMING (KANOPY) AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINE (LIBBY) SO YOU CAN REPLACE NETFLIX AND MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS

- no more sporting events for entertainment (we used to enjoy basketball games) NOT SURE ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT WE LOVE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!


I would not have considered us to be in a difficult financial situation even two years ago. Our jobs are thankfully stable. But neither of us got pay increases this year because of cost cutting. It just doesn’t feel sustainable.

I'm also growing my own food, selling pictures of my feet on Only Fans (considering selling my soiled panties, too -- huge market for that) and forcing my kids into part-time jobs and charging them for rent.

Gross.

Yet effective. The feet bring in about $500 a month. Men in Japan love soiled panties so I am thinking about it. I bought some big Ziplock bags yesterday for this purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We eat out less often, drink less alcohol, cut Starbucks down by half, and shop at Aldi. We'll drive car til it dies. It's got 140K miles on it now, hoping it goes to 300K.

Cut Starbucks out 100%. Truly evil company. At least get your lattes somewhere else if you must.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so insane about the economy?

Spouse & I are both working & not making very much. We are barely middle-middle class by most standards. One kid is military officer & other is a CPA.

We have all traveled all over the US, along with a lot of foreign trips. The 4 of us have no mortgages, no car loans, & no credit card debt. The 4 of us managed to get 11 college degrees without any college loans.

Kids went to public schools k-12. We haven’t bought any used cars (some new, quite a few leased, which has allowed us to avoid large auto repair bills). We paid off our modest new-construction suburban house in 9 years.

Bottom line: minimize your debt.

You are not coming out ahead with leasing vehicles because it "allowed [you] to avoid large auto repair bills." You are not saving money leasing cars. At all.

Oh yes I am. I bought a Toyota & put nearly 200,000 miles in it. Even with that super-reliable car I had significant repair expenses, plus once I was past 100,000 miles I didn’t trust it for longer trips.

The key to making a lease affordable is to get a salesman who will bend over backwards for you. My guy gets me every conceivable discount & rebate, even ones I don’t actually qualify for, like being an employee of the manufacturer. They can do all sorts of things IF THEY WANT TO. And since I’ve leased so many cars from him over the years, he really wants to keep my business.

This is what lease people tell themselves but it’s not true.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so insane about the economy?

Spouse & I are both working & not making very much. We are barely middle-middle class by most standards. One kid is military officer & other is a CPA.

We have all traveled all over the US, along with a lot of foreign trips. The 4 of us have no mortgages, no car loans, & no credit card debt. The 4 of us managed to get 11 college degrees without any college loans.

Kids went to public schools k-12. We haven’t bought any used cars (some new, quite a few leased, which has allowed us to avoid large auto repair bills). We paid off our modest new-construction suburban house in 9 years.

Bottom line: minimize your debt.

You are not coming out ahead with leasing vehicles because it "allowed [you] to avoid large auto repair bills." You are not saving money leasing cars. At all.

Oh yes I am. I bought a Toyota & put nearly 200,000 miles in it. Even with that super-reliable car I had significant repair expenses, plus once I was past 100,000 miles I didn’t trust it for longer trips.

The key to making a lease affordable is to get a salesman who will bend over backwards for you. My guy gets me every conceivable discount & rebate, even ones I don’t actually qualify for, like being an employee of the manufacturer. They can do all sorts of things IF THEY WANT TO. And since I’ve leased so many cars from him over the years, he really wants to keep my business.

This is what lease people tell themselves but it’s not true.

Well, even if it is, it is not applicable to anyone else because her guy is breaking the rules for her.

[Anonymous]

Mostly tracking. I used to just have a bank account for monthly spending and not worry about category details. Now I use rocket money and keep track. Mostly food spending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get ideas for what else we could be doing as everything just gets more and more unaffordable. I really didn’t used to think about it this much for the last two years have been brutal. I’ll start:

- Used to eat out twice a week, now we eat out twice a month (take out only). Cook 7 nights a week but meals have gotten less complicated because who can realistically cook that much? I CAN. IT JUST TAKES MEAL PLANNING. WHAT I MAKE AT HOME IS BETTER TASTING AND LESS EXPENSIVE. EATING OUT HAS ALWAYS SUCKED BUT LATELY IT'S BECOME SUPER DISAPPOINTING. THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY FOR RESTAURANT FOOD IS THE PORTIONS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY USUALLY AMOUNT TO TWO MEALS.

- started buying frozen afterschool snacks (tater tots, chicken tenders) and don’t let the kids stop at Starbucks or Boba place or whatever more than 2-3x per month THIS IS A GOOD ONE. WE BOUGHT A DEEP FREEZER FOR THIS REASON. LOVE ME THE TATER TOTS AND CHICKEN TENDERS AND FROZEN FOODS. TRADER JOES ALSO HAS SOME DECENT OPTIONS.

- Decided to drive our car until the wheels fall off. New cars are insane. When did that happen? COVID DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS SO YOU CAN TRACE THE JUMP TO THERE. TRUMP'S TARIFFS EXACERBATED IT. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN CARS INTO THE GROUND. BUYING NEW CARS EVERY FEW YEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ECONOMICALLY STUPID. ESPECIALLY IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THE PROPERTY TAX IS BASED ON THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR.

- started buying all basics (socks, underwear, basic tees) on Amazon. YOU CAN ALSO GET THESE AT PLACES LIKE ROSS, ETC.

- only shop for clothes off season and on sale. Have bought some basics from Target and Uniqlo. Saw a fairly basic sweater at J.Crew for $350 and almost laughed out loud. AGAIN, NOT A NEW STRATEGY FOR ME. BUT I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO FRETS ABOUT FASHION OR WHAT IS 'IN.' I HAVE MY STYLE AND I BUY CLOTHING THAT REFLECTS IT. COULD NOT CARE LESS IF I MATCH OTHER BASIC TWATS OR NOT. I LIKE TO STAND OUT

- only reading books from the library I REDISCOVERD THE LIBRARY TOO. IT ALSO HAS STREAMING (KANOPY) AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINE (LIBBY) SO YOU CAN REPLACE NETFLIX AND MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS

- no more sporting events for entertainment (we used to enjoy basketball games) NOT SURE ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT WE LOVE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!


I would not have considered us to be in a difficult financial situation even two years ago. Our jobs are thankfully stable. But neither of us got pay increases this year because of cost cutting. It just doesn’t feel sustainable.

I'm also growing my own food, selling pictures of my feet on Only Fans (considering selling my soiled panties, too -- huge market for that) and forcing my kids into part-time jobs and charging them for rent.

Gross.

Yet effective. The feet bring in about $500 a month. Men in Japan love soiled panties so I am thinking about it. I bought some big Ziplock bags yesterday for this purpose.

is this stuff for realz?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so insane about the economy?

Spouse & I are both working & not making very much. We are barely middle-middle class by most standards. One kid is military officer & other is a CPA.

We have all traveled all over the US, along with a lot of foreign trips. The 4 of us have no mortgages, no car loans, & no credit card debt. The 4 of us managed to get 11 college degrees without any college loans.

Kids went to public schools k-12. We haven’t bought any used cars (some new, quite a few leased, which has allowed us to avoid large auto repair bills). We paid off our modest new-construction suburban house in 9 years.

Bottom line: minimize your debt.

You are not coming out ahead with leasing vehicles because it "allowed [you] to avoid large auto repair bills." You are not saving money leasing cars. At all.

Oh yes I am. I bought a Toyota & put nearly 200,000 miles in it. Even with that super-reliable car I had significant repair expenses, plus once I was past 100,000 miles I didn’t trust it for longer trips.

The key to making a lease affordable is to get a salesman who will bend over backwards for you. My guy gets me every conceivable discount & rebate, even ones I don’t actually qualify for, like being an employee of the manufacturer. They can do all sorts of things IF THEY WANT TO. And since I’ve leased so many cars from him over the years, he really wants to keep my business.

This is what lease people tell themselves but it’s not true.

Well, even if it is, it is not applicable to anyone else because her guy is breaking the rules for her.

Sigh.

Sales 101:

Tell the buyer you really shouldn’t be doing this…and your boss would kill you if he finds out…but he will give you the super special deal that means he’s barely making any money just for you…

^^^
Falling for this is precisely why women are typically taken advantage of by salespeople.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would love to get ideas for what else we could be doing as everything just gets more and more unaffordable. I really didn’t used to think about it this much for the last two years have been brutal. I’ll start:

- Used to eat out twice a week, now we eat out twice a month (take out only). Cook 7 nights a week but meals have gotten less complicated because who can realistically cook that much? I CAN. IT JUST TAKES MEAL PLANNING. WHAT I MAKE AT HOME IS BETTER TASTING AND LESS EXPENSIVE. EATING OUT HAS ALWAYS SUCKED BUT LATELY IT'S BECOME SUPER DISAPPOINTING. THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY FOR RESTAURANT FOOD IS THE PORTIONS ARE SO BIG THAT THEY USUALLY AMOUNT TO TWO MEALS.

- started buying frozen afterschool snacks (tater tots, chicken tenders) and don’t let the kids stop at Starbucks or Boba place or whatever more than 2-3x per month THIS IS A GOOD ONE. WE BOUGHT A DEEP FREEZER FOR THIS REASON. LOVE ME THE TATER TOTS AND CHICKEN TENDERS AND FROZEN FOODS. TRADER JOES ALSO HAS SOME DECENT OPTIONS.

- Decided to drive our car until the wheels fall off. New cars are insane. When did that happen? COVID DISRUPTED SUPPLY CHAINS SO YOU CAN TRACE THE JUMP TO THERE. TRUMP'S TARIFFS EXACERBATED IT. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS DRIVEN CARS INTO THE GROUND. BUYING NEW CARS EVERY FEW YEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ECONOMICALLY STUPID. ESPECIALLY IN VIRGINIA, WHERE THE PROPERTY TAX IS BASED ON THE VALUE OF YOUR CAR.

- started buying all basics (socks, underwear, basic tees) on Amazon. YOU CAN ALSO GET THESE AT PLACES LIKE ROSS, ETC.

- only shop for clothes off season and on sale. Have bought some basics from Target and Uniqlo. Saw a fairly basic sweater at J.Crew for $350 and almost laughed out loud. AGAIN, NOT A NEW STRATEGY FOR ME. BUT I'M NOT SOMEONE WHO FRETS ABOUT FASHION OR WHAT IS 'IN.' I HAVE MY STYLE AND I BUY CLOTHING THAT REFLECTS IT. COULD NOT CARE LESS IF I MATCH OTHER BASIC TWATS OR NOT. I LIKE TO STAND OUT

- only reading books from the library I REDISCOVERD THE LIBRARY TOO. IT ALSO HAS STREAMING (KANOPY) AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINE (LIBBY) SO YOU CAN REPLACE NETFLIX AND MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS

- no more sporting events for entertainment (we used to enjoy basketball games) NOT SURE ABOUT BASKETBALL BUT WE LOVE MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!


I would not have considered us to be in a difficult financial situation even two years ago. Our jobs are thankfully stable. But neither of us got pay increases this year because of cost cutting. It just doesn’t feel sustainable.

I'm also growing my own food, selling pictures of my feet on Only Fans (considering selling my soiled panties, too -- huge market for that) and forcing my kids into part-time jobs and charging them for rent.

Gross.

Yet effective. The feet bring in about $500 a month. Men in Japan love soiled panties so I am thinking about it. I bought some big Ziplock bags yesterday for this purpose.

Flying back from a vacation in an Asian country, I had all my dirty underwear stolen. I was amused and angry at the same time.