I have changed my cell plan to pay as you go , as I travel a lot and need it if there was a emergency. I no longer drink pop, go out for dinner, except on holiday s with a group. I shop at discount stores  like WalMart, go to discount movies.

I have given up magazines, did not renew my subscricptions as they expired.  I borrow books from the library instead of buying.  I still have cable TV but only due to the fact that DH and kids would scream if I cancelled it (but it is always an option).  I just bought my last card at the store, I will now make from a  computer program or homemade.  Bought a large roll of brown paper and used it for DH birthday gift, had the kids draw on it and put their handprints on it.  No more endless flowing juice, coffee, or soft drinks for any of us.  If I can cut it out then I will.  I still have a job but who knows for how long

No more brand or store loyalty; I use coupons, sales and flyers to shop.

No eating out without a coupon.

We considered enclosing our patio and turning it into a real room; now it is just getting new screens (old ones are hurricane-damaged beyond repair).

Haircuts are now every 6-8 weeks, not every 4-6 weeks for me.

Clothes that are "dry clean only" are worn on special occasions only.

If I can walk or bike to it, I do. No more short hops in the car.

I've given up eating out and shopping unless its dramatically marked down, like 70% or more.  Gave up my gym membership, thanks to SwapADVD I was able to get some exercise DVDs for home.  Haven't completely given up Starbucks, I just buy the coffee beans instead of going 2-3 days a week for a cup of coffee.  I'm already on the cheapest wireless plan since I'm grandfathered in, which is ironic since it is now the Senior Citizen plan (I'm 42).    I could never give up my Swiffer Sweeper/Vac, with 2 dogs, its the only thing that gets up the dog hair.  Now that you can buy store brands pads for much cheaper than the Swiffer pads, its well worth it.

NancyinFL, I have several pairs of "dry clean only" pants, I wash them on delicate cold water with a Woolite-like detergent (from the dollar store) and dry them on perm. press delicate.  I've not had any problems and if I take them right out the dryer when they're done, no ironing.

As we already lived a fairly frugal lifestyle, there wasn't nearly as much available to cut back on.We did give up soda in favor of home-brewed iced tea,reduced paper towel usage substantially by using dishrags and fabric napkins instead,and I made reusable  fabric gift bags  for Christmas last year with fabric I have been buying on clearance through the years.They actually went over really well, saved me substantial time and tape/wrapping paper as I put multiple presents in each bag.It didn't take long to hand-sew a few pillow-case size bags for the kids using decorative seasonal fabric remnants and a bit of decorative cord to tie them closed.

We have done  thrift store shopping for clothes and other stuff for years, but it is getting harder to find the good stuff due to increased competition.We did start using Angel Food Ministries to help reduce our grocery expenses.If you are not familiar with the program, it is a national program offered through local churches.Google it to find one in your area.There are no income restrictions, and the basic set menu changes monthly.You get about $60 worth of food for $30,can order as many as you need, with additional affordable food packages available for an extra  fee.This has been a great way for us to stretch our food budget,especially since my husband became unemployed and we are living on just my salary for now. We are holding on to the basic cable for now( it is one of our few luxuries) as we use it for education as well as entertainment, and it is bundled with our phone and internet.We will hold on to the internet for job search purposes as we don't buy newspapers very often, and internet is more efficient anyway.

Gave up cable over 7 years ago and don't miss it.

Jeans come from the Salvation Army instead of the mall.

e don't do Netflix or Blockbuster.  DVDs are borrowed from the library.  

The cats have learned to like (or at least tolerate) litter that's made of pine pellets rather than clay.  The used pine stuff can be put in the green waste bin for the city to compost, or used as mulch on our newly planted vegetable garden -- or dumped down the gopher holes.  The pine litter is cheaper than the clay and is an easily renewable resource.

Instead of expensive martial arts lessons at a studio, we do all of the kids' sports through our Parks and Recreation district.  And why pay for a gym?  The city put in an extensive network of treadmill substitutes that we can use for free -- they're called sidewalks.

Luxuries is one area where most people do already sacrifice a bit in. We’ve stopped traveling so much. We don’t buy designer brands. But there are probably some smaller luxuries in your life that you’re still enjoying – the fancy cheese at the grocery store or dining out instead of eating at home, the theatre tickets we get every year … by listing all of the things that are truly luxuries in our lives instead of necessities and giving up all but our most favorite we can save a lot of money and really give some meaning to those luxuries we opt to keep.

Jon Bell

http://www.epostmailer.com

And if you never had any of those things to give up?

It's not that we're poor--disposable-income-wise, I suppose we rank at the very bottom, but on the other hand because we just don't think to buy a lot of the stuff that most people have, we don't feel it.  I mean, it's been almost  a year since I last thought to buy paper towels (it's a miracle that we've managed to keep toilet paper in stock).  And we both like to cook when we have the time, so we've never been big on going out to eat--the last time we did was because our kitchen was being remodeled.  We both like our coffee much stronger than most places will make it, so self-brew is a no-brainer.  I like making bread--I plan on giving homemade yogurt a shot, too.

We don't have a lot of stuff--this is true.  But on the other hand, what we do have tends to be very precious to us.  My boyfriend, for instance, has been trying his hand at brewing mead--thereby investing in several carbouys and assorted equipment.  I believe that feeding my cats a raw diet is better for them, so that adds about $7-10 worth of meat to the grocery bill every week.  We have a Microplane grater, one of our most-treasured kitchen utensils.

So no, we haven't given up anything. If anything, we're buying more stuff--books, mostly, but I'm considering getting a pair of rollerblades.  And I've started buying more organic food.  I think it's got more to do with the fact that we're atypically unsusceptible to advertising, than any extra money-savviness on our part, though.

Arimathea,

We do the pine pellets for litter too, and we get a forty pound bag at the feed store for about $6 or less, compared to about $15+ for twenty pounds of Feline Pine. It is sold as horse stall bedding.The clay was getting way too expensive for all the housecats we have, and is not environmentally-friendly.It occurred to me that the stall bedding was the pretty much the same as that Feline Pine. I wonder about using the pellets designed for pellet-stove fuel, as it is sometimes even cheaper than the stall bedding. I also made our covered litter boxes from those plastic crates with lids.Just use a jigsaw to cut a hole in one side for the door.Easy, and so much cheaper than the store bought ones, plus you can make them whatever size you need.We only use the litter to mulch non-food plants, though, as I have heard there could parasites or something humans can get from cat ***, like toxoplasmosis.