If you had to cut $100 from your budget right now, how would you do it?

[greenweek]

If you walked home and were told you had to cut $100 a month out of your current spending, what steps would you take to get this done? Do you think you could do it? Is there a reason why you aren't squeezing these savings out right now?

[disneysteve]

If you walked home and were told you had to cut $100 a month out of your current spending, what steps would you take to get this done? Do you think you could do it? Is there a reason why you aren't squeezing these savings out right now?

We are still paying off DD's car. The scheduled payment is $254 but I send in $400 so an extra $146. If I needed to cut spending, that would be a simple place to do it.

[hamchan]

If we had to cut $100 out of the budget right now the easiest way to do that would probably be to cut DH's sessions with his heavy lifting coach from 4X a month to 2X a month.

The reason we don't do that right now is because he gets a lot of physical and emotional benefit from working out in that environment that he wasn't getting from just going to the gym by himself. His mental health has vastly improved and he no longer needs antidepressants. His doctors have all encouraged him to keep it up.

[creditcardfree]

I would stop buying wine, reduce our internet speed, and spend a bit less on groceries. I don't reduce it now because we are saving a significant portion of our income already.

[MKKShah]

I reached out to this forum for exactly the same thing. Shave off as much as possible from my monthly expenses and look for ways to save more.

Some things I learned one can do (at least applicable in my case):
- Reduce utility bill (Gas + electric) by at least $20
- Reduce water bill by at least $5
- Cut cell phone cost by $40
- Eliminate home phone $40
- Cut Cable TV $50
- Sell second car $450
- Insurance savings on second car $70
- Auto maintenance savings on second car $50
- Cut dining out: $150
- Cut coffee (at coffee shops):$20
- Stop sign up for Credit reporting: $23
- Reduce grocery bill (Cut meat, coupon shop, eliminate waste): $100 (at least)
- Cut fuel bill: $20 (by optimizing travel)
- Stop going to movie theaters: $40

That's a little over $1000 a month that I could save if it comes to that.

[marvholly]

i worked HARD to get where I am but if required I could:

cut OUT all entertainment money
cut back on personal allowance
cut back on groceries
lower my allowed gift spending
lower my gas & electric by adjusting thermostat settings

[feh]

We have very little fat in our budget (one of the reasons we've saved a lot over the years). If we had to cut $100, it would probably mean packing a lunch every day (I allow myself 2 lunches "out" per week) and more attention to prices when grocery shopping.

[MonkeyMama]

If we had to we could cut $80/month for lawn service. Other categories up for cutting would be gym ($15/month), groceries, and auto fuel. We keep our monthly expenses fairly low, as is, and so I don't know if there is much else we could cut from our monthly obligations. (Edited to add: Our other big splurge is fiber optic internet. Just thought of that one too. It's nowhere near $100, but is another smaller bill that could be trimmed).

Of course, if it were critical to cut our expenses further we could cut expense further by ditching the second car or downsizing our house. I think ditching the car would not save us much of anything (considering the extra driving we'd have to do in a single car to get to us all to school and work, and also considering the high cost of our local public transportation), but downsizing the house could give us some bang for our buck.

Why don't we cut any of that stuff out now? I am more than happy with our current balance. I don't see the point in saving more than we already are. We save a lot, but we also enjoy a cushy lifestyle. I am a big believer in balance. I don't see that we would increase our monthly obligations if we had more means, but the fat to cut is very obvious to me if we had to deal with a long-term decrease in means.

[CrisAdams]

I would take off cable but keep the internet = $67
Give up the weekly latte for myself & MS = $30
Conserve on electrical = $5

I don't cut the cable now because that is a big part of our family's entertainment although I notice there are some channels that have the same shows. Lattes are good to have once in a while with this cold weather. I leave some of the lights on to make it brighter which keeps me in better spirits.

[Goldy]

I could pretty easily reduce the number of times we go out to eat either for work lunches or dinner. Otherwise, if its a short term requirement we would reduce our spending. If its a long term requirement I can always trim back the extra payment on the mortgage.

[bmatthews]

I'd cut back on the TV package bill, stop paying for channels I actually only watch every other day. Also the broadband cost.

[LittleMissSplendid]

If I had to free up $100 a month the easiest thing for me to do would be to eat out less. I love to cook and have plenty of time to, I just went through a lazy period and am taking my time getting out of it lol.

[snafu]

One of the easiest cut backs is to require yourself to write down every dollar spent for the entire month! It's a huge motivator to avoid spending when required to examine every single purchase. Action the applicable suggestions given. Borrow 3 books like 'Suddenly Frugal' [L. Ingram] from your local library [likely available as an e-book] and try as many suggestions as are practical for your circumstances. Sign on for Mary Hunt's free daily Newsletter.

Make a food plan, starting with items at hand and avoid convenience foods. Shop only with a list primarily buying the foods around the perimeters of the grocery store. If you've forgotten an item, substitute what you have. Every 20 minutes spent in the store adds to your costs. Take food from home for lunch and snacks; use your crock pot to return to a cooked meal. DIY your detergents [laundry, dishes, cleaning]. Use up all the small bits of personal grooming supplies before you permit yourself to buy a replacement item.

De-clutter your home. Sell, trash or donate those items you don't use and don't need. There's nothing like tackling stuff to purge to help curb the urge to spend. If you haven't used an item in more than a year can you bless someone else who will use and enjoy it?

Keep entertainment home based. Have friends in for pot luck and games night. Watch Superbowl with friends at their home or yours BYOB and make Chili, ask guests to bring crackers or rolls.

Review home and auto insurance, cable and phone services. Examine utility usage, lower water heater temperature, air dry tableware, wash clothes in cold water [bedding & towels need hot water]. Cancel services like snow removal/lawn care, car wash, cleaning services.

[Leo]

First thing I would do is cut cable tv but keep internet, that's around $60.00. I can reduce my food and household budget by $200, do not go shopping and not spend anything for entertainment. I can probably save overall $540 per month.

Yes I can do it. I'm still deciding to cut our cable tv. I think my budget for food is fine but I will try to reduce my budget for household and I am actually gonna try this year not to spend anything on shopping and entertainment as much as possible.

[BadSaver]

Been through every expense. No cable. Tracfones for emergencies. We fight over the grocery budget. Saving $100 there would lead to divorce. Out of ideas... We budget and write down every dollar.

Need to downsize stuff I don't need.