Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


0

Ways to Cut Your Bills Down to Size

Usual belt-tightening suspects abound: Eat at home, cut out luxuries, get a second job

Share

(Newser) – Spendthrift Americans from all rungs of the income ladder are taking a page from Scrooge these days, adopting new, cash-lite strategies to get through hard times, USA Today notes. They're managing to save by:

  • Hocking whatever's collecting dust in their closets: The average household has $3,200 worth of saleable goods, according to one estimate.
  • Eating at home, not in restaurants: No big surprise here; look to bulk grocery shopping to cut costs further.

  • Clipping coupons: This old-fashioned activity is on the rise for the first time in 15 years.
  • Avoiding credit-card charges: Layaway is making a comeback as formerly plastic-happy consumers are opting to pay with cash.
  • Doubling up on jobs: The number of Americans working a part-time job on top on their regular job is up 11%.
  • Postponing that vacation: Personal travel is down 1% as more Americans opt to stay home.
For the complete list, click the link below.

In this Aug. 11, 2008, file photo, shoppers walk down the aisle at the J.C. Penney Co. store in Berlin, Vt.
In this Aug. 11, 2008, file photo, shoppers walk down the aisle at the J.C. Penney Co. store in Berlin, Vt.   (AP Photo)
Coupon clipper and website owner Stephanie Nelson poses with coupons at her home in Marietta, Ga., Wednesday, June 11, 2008.
Coupon clipper and website owner Stephanie Nelson poses with coupons at her home in Marietta, Ga., Wednesday, June 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

For the first time, I have collected coupons for grocery store items, transferred my prescription to a new pharmacy to take advantage of a $25 check and cut costs in other ways. - Suzanne Forte, Atlanta, Georgia

When I open investment statements in the mail, they have severely dwindled, and it's a constant reminder of the overall economy. With all costs of living rising, the only thing that is not rising is our salaries." - Heidi Namin, Southbury, Conn.

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
0 comments
VIEWING:
 
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

32 Stories

Credit Cards
Cut Deadbeats More Slack

With unemployment rising, companies modify, reduce debt

Sep 10, 09 9:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - With unemployment nearing 10%, credit card companies are doing something once unheard of: forgiving debt, or modifying it in the customer’s favor, the Washington Post reports. Companies are loathe to discuss the practice, lest it inspire more delinquencies, but according to one industry report, roughly 3 million people... More »

MORE ABOUT:
unemployment • credit card • interest rate • consumer debt • financial crisis • loan modification

 Oldsters Refusing 
 to Step Aside to 
 Free Up Jobs 

Reliance on volatile 401(k)s breeds reluctance to retire

Sep 3, 09 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Their retirement savings devastated by the financial crisis, older workers are increasingly postponing retirement, the New York Times reports, creating even more competition for scarce jobs. A recent survey found that four in 10 workers over 62 have remained at their jobs longer than they planned thanks to the recession.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
pensions • Europe • retirement • recession • savings • 401k • financial crisis • 401(k) plans


 Debit Cards Overtake Credit 

A surge in debit-card usage reflects a shift from the days of easy credit

Apr 30, 09 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - The recession has boosted the popularity of debit cards, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the last quarter of 2008, debit-card transactions processed by Visa were 50.4% of the company’s volume, surpassing credit cards for the first time. Rival MasterCard’s debit volume surged 13% last year as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
recession • debit card • credit card • Visa • MasterCard • financial crisis

32 Stories


Holiday retains jobs down as applications rise
Washington Post

So much for conspicuous consumption
New York Times


Business 
TwitterFollow @NewserBusiness on Twitter

 
consumer confidence • credit card • savings • coupons • financial crisis

from our news partners