Brand new here: Desperately need change!

[StudentRN]

LittleHouse, my school and work both offer a "discount plan", which basically means you pay their company of choice between $50-100/mo and they will then tell you which dentist/eye doc/hospital to go to for services and you get them at a discount (usu between $200-1000 per service, more for catastrophic events). I guess these plans always seem like a scam to me. I figured it would be cheaper to just save myself the monthly payment and pay for services out of pocket. Maybe I'm wrong, though, as I've never actually utilized these plans...

My husband asked me to write down the things that I nickel and dime myself on, and he will do the same, and we are going to talk it all over tonight and come up with a plan to be more accountable for these things. I know for a fact it will all come down to the fast food habit.

I realized today that one of our big setbacks to this, besides lack of free time, is the fact that I am not an experienced cook. We have pretty traditional roles at the moment. He works and pays most of the bills, and I cook and clean (when I'm not at work or school). Unfortunately, I spent a majority of my life as a vegan, so I never learned to cook "normal" dishes. I pretty much just ate fresh fruits and veggies all the time. My husband is the biggest meat eater around, raised on meat and potatoes and had a stay at home mom who cooked hot fresh meals all the time. Obviously those backgrounds don't mesh too well, so the temptation to do fast food is always strong when he wants a hot fresh meal. So I guess all that goes to say that I think I need to learn more about basic cooking, how to buy/cook meats, types of meals to prepare, etc.

Hubby has already said that he will learn to "budget" his soda if I purchase bulk packs at the grocery store. I hadn't ever made a habit of buying it that way because I figured it would just mean he would drink soda all the time instead of once a day if he had it available in bulk.

So, we are trying to make little changes. The phone bill is unfortunately going to remain a big source of contention, since my husband said he isn't willing to move to lower-quality service for a cheaper price. Not sure yet what we will do about this, but at least the seed of an idea is planted in his head...

As usual, I really appreciate all the input!

[cschin4]

I buy soda, but only in cans. I keep it in the basement. That way we have it but it isn't quite so handy to drink 24/7. I don't buy 2 liter bottles. And, the cans are handy to grab and go. So, it does save money.

[cschin4]

As for cooking, who is an experienced cook anyway? You get experience through doing. Get some recipies and make them, some things will turn out and some wont'. You can make simple dishes that are tasty.

[couchrobt]

True that! Never underestimate the power of cookbooks! Well it does help people who are determined to have the change. Cooking at home can help save much. Imagine all the saved money from eating out? LOTS!

[snafu]

DH understands this is the 21st century and real men pitch in since wife goes to school and works...unlike SAHM [stay at home mom] He can't afford money going up in smoke and he is taking days off his life with each package. It's like standing outside and burning $5. bills. Smoking wrecks clothes, reduces chances for promotion and makes him smell awful!

If DH likes meat and potatoes, Cooks.com - Recipe Search and More makes it easy peasy. Get a crock pot aka slow cooker often available at thrift shops or CraigsList. Veggies of choice go in 1st, add meat, an OXO cube and any spice at hand. 4-6 hours later the cheapest cut of meat is fork tender.

DH can scrub potatoes, chunk up, spray with vegetable oil in an oven proof dish; add a chicken, whole or parts on top. Fill a whole chicken's cavity with 1/2 an onion, rub a teeny bit of vegetable oil over chicken and sprinkle with spice. Bake @ 350, 40 minutes. Add any other veggie at hand and bake a further 20 minutes Poke chicken with a fork, if the juice runs clear...it's ready to eat. There are 70 different shapes of pasta at the supermarket...takes 12-18 minutes to cook. Cheap bag of ordinary, regular rice takes 18 minutes without taking the lid off the pot.

[jewelryab]

Our worthless shares were with General Components Inc which have been liquidated. Apparently due to the fall out of the liquidation we can claim this money otherwise it goes back into the government treasury.