Their weekly budget is more than our monthly food budget.

My recomendation would be the same as the others. Cut out non-necessities, get rid of debt, sell a car to get out of car payments, etc.

IMO I really wish they would pick couples who have more issues than paying for a manicure/pedicure, washing a car and paying for a lawn to get mowed. That stuff is common sense, I think a bigger challenge would be a student, military family, someone on disability who had to find ways to slash their budget.

You know, it just keeps coming back to getting rid of my DH!

Just last week, I asked him if we could get by with one cell phone -- well, no, he wants us each to have one. I was going to get rid of mine . . . .

Getting rid of cable? HA! I think that he in introveneously hooked to the TV!

Buying guns -- how many guns does a person with only two hands need?

Although I do this anyway, he doesn't like having meatless meals -- I'm sure he thinks he'll just waste away.

He's also the one who has to buy a candy bar and a pop at the gas station when he has perfectly good snacks and pop at home.

Oh, and those hunting/fishing mags he has to get when he goes to the store -- do you know they cost more than $6 a pop?

I guess to be fair, I should let him explain my spending habits and what I think is necessary! Either way, my DH and I are MUCH better at spending wisely than the couple on TV this morning! I didn't catch if they both work. I'm thinking they must . . . .

I was glad to see that they enjoyed doing things together as a family when they were forced to! Maybe we could recruit that mom to our Simple Living board!

Marlene

I had to laugh at Marrobinson's response. My husband has adapted well but we would do better if he didn't 'need' energy drinks from the gas station.

I would say to check all the little things. Call around for cheaper homeowners, car or life insurance. Don't rent movies, get them from the library. Use the long lasting energy saving light bulbs. Maintain your automobiles, it is much cheaper than repairs. Don't buy things that are not necessary. Take time to thnk about every purchase. Don't buy more clothes than you can use. Use a small amount of laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. You don't need the recommended dosage. Turn your heat up down a couple of degrees and don't run your air unless totally necessary.

__________________
~Happiness is a large family~

You know, as I think on this more, I believe that we (as a society) will start bartering for services. Like my dh is a professional videographer and could do weddings(chooses not to), memory videos(for weddings, funeral, graduations, birthdays etc) can do electrical, plumbing etc. I have my direct sales business, I am a pretty good cook/baker etc. I am sure that if it came down to it we could exchange services. Like if you fix the brakes on our van we will do your daughters wedding video and give her free makeup for her big day.

KWIM?

I had to LOL at your response

I know alot of People who Have Gotten Help , Just By Asking.

A friend of Mine had an Unemplyed Dh , And She Let the Dr. Know their situation, and that They Couldn't Afford much. She had 3 kids who Always Seemed to Be sick that winter.
He Wrote Her out Perscriptions that Were FREE. Somehow Drs. Can do that - I think it has a name ... I Forget .. but Anyway that saves LOTS of Money!


And While I also Think that getting Rid Of Cable can Save some money.
Sometimes things like that Aren't always so Simple. A
We are in a Cell phone 2 yr. Contract. If I Gave up my phone I Have to Pay a 299.00 early Termination Fee
Two Yrs. Ago we had Cheap Internet Under a Contract. - Same Deal , If I Canceled , I Would've paid $$.
And It isen't always so Simple for someone to Sell a car , or Find a cheaper house to live in.
Houses and Cars don't always sell.

Even though it would hurt every penny pinching bone in my body, I think that getting out of a contract that is killing you financially might be a good idea. If I decided to get rid of my $70/month cell phone and it cost $299 to break the contract, I'd end up saving money if my contract end date was more than 5 months away.
Same thing with "upside down" car payments--sell, but only if you have enough in savings to buy a beater in cash (I'm talking a $1000 piece of junk, not a $6000 late model used car.) It would bite to have to make payments on something you no longer own, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
I'd stop short on selling a house with negative equity, unless you're comfortable with defaulting on the loan, or are able to rent/buy for a small enough payment that allows you to pay your current rent plus keep up with the old house payments. We're almost $100,000 upside down in our house, so we'll be sitting tight until the market inches up at least high enough for us to sell at a price that would let us clear the mortgage--and just kiss the cash downpayment we put into the house goodbye.

I couldn't believe that show. They saved $550 on stupid things totally frivolous spending. I mean they weren't even talking about things like cell phone, cable or internet (not that I think they are stupid). The lady was going to go right back and get her mani/pedi the following week and it sounded like they thought oh they did it but would go back to their old ways. Really sad. I can't believe they paid someone $25 to just wash their car - wish I could get a job washing cars for that much. Most of it was just carelessness on their part.

I can't remember all the things on their list but it was nuts.

Yes we have some luxuries - cell, cable, internet - but DH needs a cell for work and he also needs internet and long distance phone capabilities from home so we will continue to keep those - he needs them for his job and cable is bundled with our phone and internet. We could cut down if we really needed to on the cable. I could drop my cell phone but it is only $10 and figure it is worth peace of mind to have it for emergencies - we have one of the cheapest plans out there - just enough to for our needs. I can't think of too many areas that we could cut.

I think that food is the easiest place to cut back. I am not talking about just eatting mac and cheese but cut out the extras and usually your waist will thank you. We don't buy nearly as many snacks, no soda, and have cut out a lot of processed food. I figure health is also worth it - less medical bills if you eat healthy. Eatting out we don't do often but do occasionally and that is really expensive in comparison to eatting at home - it is not a necessity it is a luxury. I used to love to shop - well I have pretty much broken myself of that habit. Now I usually only buy something that I plan on buying - this last week I needed a new pair of jeans my jeans wore out. I didn't go to a thrift store but didn't buy expensive jeans either.

I want DH to be able to retire early and not have to work until he is 70. I like not having any debt - well except for our mortgage but it is less then $1K so it isn't bad at all for Cal.

I think the hardest thing is for people to determine what is truly a want vs a need. There is nothing wrong with occasionally splurging on a want but do it within reason and within your budget. Also you need to know yourself. For me once I splurge it is much easier to splurge again the following day - sort of like on a diet.

Just in case you missed it you can see it here.

Hulu - Living With Half As Much: NBC TODAY Show

I just rewatched it as I had forgot a lot of the things they did. I sure wish we had a local pool like they do. I take a couple of things back I think there are a few things they will do in the future. I was thinking that they were planning on going back to their old ways and after watching it again I am not so sure - she said she wanted to get a pedi and occasioanally have someone clean her house (ha who wouldn't).

I like how they involved their family - washing the car, pulling out the slip and slide, potluck. I think that potlucks are becoming more and more popular. I love them so much easier and so much cheaper than going out and yet you still get to hang out with friends. This is something we will be doing as we don't have a babysitter (MIL does occasionally but not often at night). We are actually having another couple coming over next weekend - potluck and then poker should be a lot of fun and cheap.