Reply to DH just lost his job - any temporary cost-cutting tips?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Canceling cable would cost us a $200 cancellation fee and its only $50 a month, so assuming (hopefully) he is out of work for approx 4 months, it wouldnt be worth it.
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Call the cable company and explain that your husband has just lost his job.  In situations like this, some companies will waive the cancellation fee.  But you won't know until you call and ask.

One of you needs to stop and do a review of your monthly expenses and evaluate what you actually spend money on and what can be done to cut back, even short-term.

Do not replace cleaning products and solutions.  Use baking soda and vinegar for basic cleaning.  You can google for baking soda and vinegar cleaning solutions (Hints for Heloise has a number).

Cell phone plans.  Most carriers will allow you to downgrade your service.  If you have unlimited or large data plans, downgrade for a few months to a plan with a limited number of minutes or a limited amount of data.  When he's employed again, you can raise the service again.

Check your utility usage.  You would be surprised how much money can be saved on the utility bills.  If you aren't already doing it, you should be adjusting your thermostat so that you use less energy when everyone is sleeping or out of the house.  If you aren't already doing it, turn down the heat and have everyone put on a sweater or sweatshirt.  If you have a room that doesn't get used a lot, but has a door (like a guest room), close the heating vents, close the curtains and close the door.  Turn the water boiler temperature down slightly.  We turned it down slightly when the kids were infants (worried about them scalding themselves now that they're toddlers) and we noticed some energy savings.

Do not use the oven if you can.  The oven is not a very energy efficient way to cook.  If you have a toaster oven, use that.  If not, look for alternative ways/recipes to cook.  Avoid putting hot/warm items in the fridge right away.  Let hot/warm items cool down before putting them in the fridge.  See if you can cut out a dishwasher cycle.  We recently went from a load every day to a load every other day (love it that we're moving away from bottles to sippy cups!!!) and that helps.
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