New retail data was just released and it seems that consumers are spending less than expected. On the other hand, the information on the health of the overall economy has been encouraging in the last couple of weeks. So, we were curious, how are you feeling about spending your money over the last 1-2 months?
Please tell us what you think. We want to know!
I'm spending More (12.2%)
I'm spending the Same (34.5%)
I'm spending Less (53.3%)
We have cut way back and have adjusted the budget in case my husband loses his job.
Same with us. We are on a major food, clothing and entertainment budget. We get DVDs for free to watch from the library and go to parks and trails for hiking and other free fun. It has actually been fun!
Only buying whats needed. Husband's ours got cut.
I'm only buying what i need.. and i was already going that 1-2 months ago, i've been out of a job for six months now
I have been using coupons for about 3 months now. I used to use them faithfully about 10 years ago. 3 months ago, i decided to start using them again. And have been able to really stock up on things. Now we are really into this economic thing, my husband has been laid off 2 days a week on his job and things are starting to feel a bit "squeezed". I can honestly say the coupons and my frugal ways have helped immensely! The middle class is not in the classes anymore. I really don't think they have been ever. They get side tracked when they need help. So inventive and frugal ways really help when times are tough.
We try to save as much money as we can, unfortunately it seems as though we spend more since the prices of almost everything have tripled!
I have been spending less. However I have been so lucky lately! With my coupons I have been stockpiling a lot iit is a bit time consuming however I have saved my family so much and have help out some of my mommy friends as well. Last week i managed to come out way ahead the store owed me money at the end of my shooping trip and i had a whole cart of free items. It is a blessing to me everytime our family seams to scrap up another free meal with coupons its not really how much money you make that counts but how you spend what you have happy couponing to all
We have really cut back. My husband lost all of his overtime-which was a big chunk of his pay! We have had to budget a lot more since.
Previous to the last month or so I had never used a coupon in my life. Now that my company is getting ready for it's third round of job cuts I find myself with an impressive stack of them.
I am actually spending more than a few months ago. I recently bought a new dress for my daughter and a new blouse for myself. These would have been common occurances in another economy, but it was the first time in a long time we made luxury (aka unnecessary) purchases. On the other hand, everything IS more expensive than a month ago as well. Gas in our area (NYC suburbs) has risen a steady $.10 per week over the past month and is now $2.63/gallon. Groceries are definitely rising as I've noticed about $.20/lb increases across all fruits and vegies. It's hard not to spend more, even when standing still!@