Tell It Like It T-I-Z Tuesday

I think that every last one of us is feeling the money crunch issues that are going on around the world right now. Every household I know of, every Mom I talk to, is looking for new and creative ways to pinch their pennies in a desperate attempt to keep their family's lives as close to normal as possible.

Cutting back has been a big thing in my house. Gone are the days of picking up that totally-cute-just-gotta-have-em pair of princess shoes for Miss Missy or the wow-the-boys-would-love-this video game.

Cutting back means putting a price tag on everything now. The little things that didn't really seem to matter so much before are now a part of the budget. A simple McDonald's lunch is like taking the kids to a facny restaurant. A lunch invitation with friends always begins with, "Let me check my bank account." And picking up those unneed things at Dollar Tree, those little cheap toys that I'd let the kids get just for having a good day or a good week, now feels like it's taking food off the table.

And don't get me started on food! Why is it that the price of all our favorite brands seem to keep going up, but the portions seem to be shrinking? Is it just me? We have converted to store brands more often than not now, which isn't really a bad thing at all, just a household change. But when you really look at it, you are, in most cases, getting the same thing for less.

It seems that everytime I go to the grocery store, with the same amount of money to spend, I come out with less things that I did the trip before. And when you're already struggling to keep the essentials in your pantry it's extremely frustrating.

The kids are having to understand a lot more than they should about mom and dad's finances and that things surely don't come for free. I'm so sure that they are tired of hearing me say "Times are getting hard" in an effort to teach them the importance of not wasting.

Where it didn't seem like a big thing to me before if they didn't finish a bowl of cereal, I'm now seeing hard earned cash being disentigrated in the garbage disposal every time they don't clean thier plates. And I'm sure they are noticing less snacks in their lunch boxes than before, and less fruit roll up and honey buns in the pantry.

Everyone is scared. The news is using scary words like recession and market crash and we have no idea what to do to make it better except look to the top dogs for help. But until they get it together up there on top enough for some of that bailout money to start flowing back down here to the little people, we are stuck to help ourselves, making changes within our homes and in our budgets.

We are all hoping that change is really coming.

Lions and Tigers and Gas Prices! OH MY!

Okay, so I haven't left the house today yet, but gas is undoubtedly over $5.00 a gallon this morning. I came home last night with 19 miles to empty. This means that I won't be going anywhere until there is some relief at the pump. I watched as the price of gas went up a whole $.50 at one time around lunch time yesterday. I could cry. But what's the point?

With both boys in football, on different teams and practicing at different places, what a mom to do whilst driving a high gas mileage SUV?

Any suggestion?

What are you cutting back?

Of course we're all feeling the financial crunch, while standing at the threshold of recession. With these ridiculous gas prices and the price of food getting higher and higher with every visit to the grocery store, the dollar don't stretch as far as it once did.

As a mom, CEO of my empire(thanks for helping me realize my position, Neighbor) , I'm on a mission. It's become my journey to find many ways to cut back to make room for the changing economy.

Coupon clipping is going to become a regular part of my Sunday afternoon. I've done this before, but was never able to keep it as a habit. Yet, the last time I clipped, I came out with over $20 in savings that day. Now even though $20 doesn't put a dent in the gas tank, it is a special outing to McDonald's for the kids or lunch for the Hubs and I. Money well saved.

Many of my friends are also stay at home moms, which give us all the opportunity to car pool. Many of us go to the same places throughout the week and we've found it more convenient to do things together. On my outings with the rug rats, I've found it more convenient and more cost effective to pack lunches and/or snacks for the kids before leaving the house. This saves on stops at the nearest fast food restaurant when the rear seat start calling out "I'm hungry!" Even though they just consumed a three course lunch prior to leaving the house an our ago.

I'll be looking soon to get another car. Right now, I'm running around in a 1997 Navigator. Absolutely horrible on gas! I love my truck. I love the roominess and the fact that I can ride around with friends and their kids, as well as my own 3. I have arguing with my husband for years on the subject of getting me something smaller. Okay I was wrong because in these trying times and the fact that gas is about$3.95 (I know that's a steal in comparison to some other places in the US), I've finally decided that something smaller is a necessity.

So these are just some of the things this CEO is doing to cut back and keep our business running smoothly.

What are some of your cutbacks?