Posted on 05/19/2011 8:24:38 AM PDT by wbill
How do you explain to your kid that he can't have a summer vacation because of inflation? Instead, my family and I looked for meaningful ways to save on our summer activities. By doing some of the work ourselves, looking at money more rationally, and committing to stuff, not fluff, we plan to save $12,975 in summer 2011.
Summer entertaining
Garden parties, barbecues, and family reunions make summer special. To keep our menus rich while saving money, my sister and I agreed to serve ground beef instead of steak at all 10 of our family get-togethers. In this way, we plan to spend $1.50 per person on meat instead of $15, for total savings of $1,350 this summer.
Summer vacation
To save on airfare and rising fuel prices, we searched the Internet for a local venue that would make a good vacation site. We chose Mount Baker, located 30 minutes from our home. We plan to pitch a tent, camp for a week, fish, hike, play guitar, and listen to audio books by the campfire. Instead of our usual $5,000 vacation allowance, we plan to spend $400, thus saving $4,600.
Painting the house
Every year we hire student painters to refresh the exterior paint to keep our home looking pristine and to protect the wood siding. Our neighbors, on the other hand, paint their homes every five years. To save money this summer, we've decided to paint the trim around the windows and doors only and to do the work ourselves. That will save us $1,500 this summer.
Garden landscaping (snip....but the rest of the article is in the same vein)
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I’ll shift my chauffeur from full time to half time, saving not only wages but also no more health care expenses for him. But I’ll have to drive myself more. :(
Yep. I picked up some nice, thin-cut NY strips this weekend for exactly that. Mrs WBill steamed a few mussels ($2/lb) and I grilled zucchini + a foil packet of sauteed onions to have with the steak (prob $2 or so, as well).
Delicious. Kids loved it so much that I went back and hit the same sale again, we're having return of Surf and Turf tonite.
I always choose a “venue” for my vacation. Who in the hell talks like that. Surely this is a spoof.
I’m saving $500,000 this summer by not buying the Bugatti
Times are tough when you can’t hire somebody to paint your house every summer.
What do they use, watercolors?
10 family get-togethers?
So, basically they are having their families getting together every Saturday, for the next 2 1/2 months? Good grief; doesn’t anyone have a life? I don’t know about you and your family, but there are several weekends where I want to sit with my wife and do absolutely nothing. Other weekends we have home projects, and maybe see a movie. Some weekends we might want to take a little day-trip and get out and away from it all.
But, to plan every Saturday to get together with family - please, just shoot me in the head instead.
I just hate how the green Skittles clash with my maid’s powderroom’s decor.
My grocery bill is $2.69/wk. I buy 1 package of Oreo cookies and eat 5-6 per day. Then on weekends I boil the wrapping and make soup. I save a lot of money.
But, I suppose "Skipping the Starbucks Latte, then taking that weekly $20 and investing it in a solid Index Fund" is pretty boring, even though it's darn near guaranteed to get you rich (it just takes longer, that's all).
I wish we could afford Oreos. We have to buy the store brand.
And only 10 people per gathering.
WTSHTF, these people will probably be among the first to help better armed neighbors make it through, by being easy pickings. A dog and shotgun will be handy when the alarm service is useless.
That and rapier, scythes, M-103, maybe even some napalm. Looks like they might be rolling out the M-105...
LOL
I plan to save $28,000 again this year by not buying a new truck.
I have been saving this much money annually for the last 19 years.
If I keep this up for a few more years I’ll be RICH! /s
Maybe it'll inspire them not to spend $12,000 a minute of our money partying this summer.
It's got to be a joke. That painting the house thing every year was the real tip off.
Yes, it’s easy to mock people like this.... unless you’re someone whose job depends on serving this clientele, like a butcher, arborist, house painter, landscaper, department store clerk, or hotel maid. When the swells catch a cold, the working stiffs die of pneumonia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.