With a newborn in the household, Grumpy Rumblings (#1) asked “What do/have you let go when something new takes a lot of your time?“ Answers varied from socializing with friends to exercising to reading/writing blogs. For me, lack of time often equals spending money as an attempt to gain back time, or just keep sane!
Here are some ways I spend more money during time crunches:
1) Hire house cleaning help!
2) Hire gardening help
3) Get car washed
4) Eat out more often (since I’m too tired/busy to make lunch or go grocery shopping
5) Shop online for convenience (although I still check prices)
6) Stop comparison shopping, counting on Target/Walmart to have fairly decent prices
7) We have also hired a nanny to help us during busy or transition times.
Although I would argue time is always scarce, there are times when saving money becomes more important. It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition of course. However, I think many of the things I let go are the direct opposite of my earlier list. Here are things I give up when low on cash:
1) Eating out at work
2) Snacking at vending machine (bring my own snacks instead)
3) Online Shopping for clothing, shoes, purses etc..
4) Hair cuts (this gets delayed until I can’t stand it any longer)
5) Car washes (Dusty brown is the new black)
6) Netflix (or some kind of media/cable)
7) Expensive gifts (I really stick to my budget at times like this)
8) Going out with friends/family (I decline get-togethers or suggest cheaper options)
9) Less organic foods
10) Expensive fun like international travel, massages or amusement parks (truth be told, I haven’t had facials or massage or travel in years…but these are things that I gave up in my 20s/30s when necessary.)
11) Tech upgrades (computers, phones, etc..)
12) Gym membership (home DVDs are good enough…)
13) Mindless spending (like walking out of Target with excess stuff not on my list)
I do still stock up if I catch a really good sale on household goods or needs. So far, I’ve never been at the point where I didn’t have a big enough cushion for stocking up but I’m sure that can happen.
What do/have you let go when you’re low on cash?
Oilandgarlic's Blog 
Cleaning is usually the first to go.
Eating well is probably the second.
It’s been a long time… but generally when we were low on cash we would just stop spending any money at all, including groceries. We’d live off our pantry for a while. And I knew exactly when the credit cards rolled over so I could start spending before the next paycheck came and still be able to pay the balance in full the next statement.
The opposite of fun times!
Eating out is the first thing to go, along with the mindless trips to Target (you know, the ones where you just wander the store and somehow leave having spent $100?). If it’s really tight, then we buckle down in the grocery store–cut back on the fancy cooking stuffs & go back to basics.