non-essential spending

I'm tightening the budget just to be on the safe side. Anyone else doing the same?

My wife said no.

Nah, I am the point in my life I have worked long enough to enjoy the rest of my life

I have been spending crazy lately

It seems to be coming naturally by not being able to go anywhere. Plus we haven't gone out to eat for three weeks now.

Ya, my wife isn’t getting paid anymore so we’ve cut back.

YES

Business is running lean, only essential expense.

Done. Everything I'm doing now is on "stuff" I purchased before the lockdown

Exactly

I’m on the gas hard hand. Hell I had 48 hours of OT last week.

Not really

I bought a Dobyns Champion XT during the big sale, I’m taking up drop shooting. So no.

Yes I turned down two pistol buys today

Non essential spending for us started yrs ago in preparation for today.

Same here. We are lucky that my job shouldn’t be affected. But I’m finding out that we are spending less bc of me not going to work. No dry cleaning, very little gas, not eating out for lunch, etc. It’s expensive to go to work.

Slowed it down some. More by choice thaj necessity but I would rather make that choice than have it made for me. Better to be proactive.

Not eating out is basically all we have cut back on

Eating in a lot more and staying off the Lake. Repaired a mailbox USPS is trying to destroy rather than get a new one. Does that qualify?

I'm being mindful. Not ceasing spending but mindful for sure.

For those of us at home, spending curbs itself to a point. No gas, no tolls, no eating out, no random trips to Home Depot or Bass Pro.

I have always had some extra money each month set aside for "Unexpected Expenditures"!

I've been able to live on about 50% of my income for the last 18 months, or so, while rebuilding my savings...so, I'm good with what I'm making. However, we were looking at selling the lake house this year as I just don't have time to go down there anymore, but that has likely been put on hold.

Same here..wisdom

Best way to live and think ..

This is interesting to me. I can’t blame anyone for cutting back on spending.

But, the end result is further harm to the economy. Less goods and services changing hands makes it somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy. The spending behavior is bound to compound things.

I have always tried to have a balance between needs and wants. All good so far not doing without anything but holding out for a few up coming bargains.

My main cut is to gas. I don't drive 70 miles round trip 6 days a week anymore. I also don't eat out a lot anymore. Other than that, I have not changed my spending. My lunch budget has gone to the grocery store instead.

This very true yet people have to do what is best for their situation. Those that can carry on and live their normal life should support their local economy at the very least. Things will get better hopefully sooner than later.

I've always lived well below my means, but it just seems like common sense to not make frivolous purchases right now. I bought a stump grinder a few months ago. If I was thinking about buying it today, I probably would have passed.

Agree. I really miss Mexican food.

I'm now retired. I can get all my creature comforts from my social security and pension.

I know what it like to be strapped. I was born at home. I grew up on a cotton far. I picked cotton. I plowed mules.

We have been very fortunate through this so far, we plan on spending locally to help businesses and individuals that were not so fortunate.

AGREED!

Yea. We've cut down a pretty good bit. Mainly cause we arent eating out. Only had drive thru 3 times in the last month I think. This weekend we finally took the dogs for a spin to get the and us out but didnt stay out long.

I've cut back. But I'm also buying stuff up cheap to sell after this is over.

I bought this a few months back......I WOULD NOT HAVE had I known this was coming.

Definitely mindful of spending, trying to hold on to cash

Nice trailer, first one I’ve seen like that.

I would like to drink a hot beer with you

Phil's in Waco sells them. I splurged because it's pretty much our only hobby. And I've been doing side work tuning motors

Mindful of spending is probably a better way of describing it for us. Then also just not driving as much, not eating out, etc contributes too.

I wish I didn’t buy that new septic system. I think after it stopped raining the yard would absorb what was leaking out. But noooo. You people said that is what the rainy day fund was for.

Plowing mules is only legal in Arkansas, is it not?

We dont spend much anyways. We live on my salary alone and everything my wife makes goes into savings. We did get an offer on our house. As long as the inspection goes good tomorrow we will move forward with building our new house.

nice barn. and trailer!

Deer and Turkey were recently added to the list as well.

Hey Moto, long time no see brother.

Lots of valid points made, although we have made cuts here at home I find myself spending more in other ways. Church tithings are larger than what we usually do and I’m tipping people like crazy. We still grab pizza but I’ve been traveling every other week so eating out gets old and want home cooked meals when I’m home.

This “shutdown” last to much longer than initial projections then I am going to be blowing and going and making it rain.. If I’m going belly up then I’m going to have a heck of a time doing it... might as well..

I had the budget tightened for several months already. Been saving for a truck. The wife works from home, I'm still working. So it's basically been business as usual.

I enjoy a good challenge and like to see if I can spend less money than the month prior.
It’s a fun game. My daughters are the random variable (Ex: yesterday they requested sweet tea-I suggested they put some tea bags in a pitcher of water and set it outside then add sugar/syrup—-they laughed at me and said I was crazy and to just pick up some Red Diamond)

Stand firm man!
They want red diamond, suit up and stand in line!

Eating out and no sporting events to gamble on has been about our only cutback. I have been donating my gambling budget to the kids to help them out during these tough times.

Only in a ventilated room.

Yes, adequate ventilation is mandatory.

Very little change for us, except for eating out. For just over 3 weeks I have fixed all our meals at home. No pickup or curbside. That may change soon if I want to take a cook's day off. If so I'll be supporting local Mom and Pop places - no chains.

Since we're not going anywhere except a weekly visit to Kroger, my SUV is getting about 3 miles/week on gas usage.

Working from home the past 2 weeks has cut the fuel bill to almost nothing. It's 120 mile round trip. I usually fill up every 3 days. All but 1 meal in the past 3 weeks has been at home. We picked up some Mexican food curbside 2 weeks ago.

we have, my wife's job is listed as essential, and she has the best numbers of all the company's labs, but you never know if she could lose her job so we have cut back a bunch.

If this lasts much longer I expect to have my compensation impacted. I've got a healthy emergency fund, but I'd prefer not to dig into it. So we've been tightening up for the last week or so. Plan to say that course until we see some light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully yesterday was the first data point for that. New cases were down significantly from the prior day. Could have just been the fact it was Sunday, but I'm hopefully all these measures we've been taking as a country are starting to pay off.

Ain't spending on any non-essential at the current time...notta!

Trump and his light at the end of the tunnel needs to start being truthful. You cannot analyze statistics on slowing this virus until we see some flattening of the curve. Fauci wanted to expand on reporter's question yesterday, but Trump shut him down. Maybe Trump is a highly regarded Dr of national infectious disease, too, or an idiot. We're fixing to see a death toll in the next two weeks that will scare the helloutta most sensible Americans. We are the epicenter!

Kinda business as usual as we didn't eat out much before this mess. I am saving a ton on gas by not having to go to the office but worried that my company will take away my gas and car allowance seeing as I am not going into the office or seeing customers.

I have curbed my spending a little but that is because I was done upgrading my boat (new TM, upgrading Garmin unit, etc.) a couple of months back. I don't regret it but I wouldn't spend that money now because it has slowed a little with my side business which is what I use for my 'Mad Money'. I do have a couple of rods that I ordered last week that should be delivered today.

My new issue is that it looks like my last order I placed with my machinist may be delayed and I am almost sold out of LiftSavers. I did take advantage of having more time at home to make 30 more Transducer Pole Mounts and they are about gone so I need to make another batch.

Just trying to be positive Okie. One would assume this social distancing would have to start helping at some point. Yesterday was the first decline in new cases in nearly 2 weeks. One data point does not a trend make, but it could be the start of one. I'm hopeful. Deaths lag cases, so I agree that's likely to get worse this week. Stay safe all!

I've plowed a few mules in my day. Not proud of it, but I've been there, too. We used to call them "brown baggers".

Deaths are still on a sharp uptake. On day 20 (Day 1 was the 1st day we got to 100 confirmed cases) the deaths in the US was at 418/ day 25 was 1,581/day 30 was 4,757. After day 34 (yesterday) the number had more than doubled in four days to 9,619. Numbers are from a daily report by Johns Hopkins University.

I feel like we are, but my wife is big on charity so we've been supporting a few local restaurants curbside stuff lately, and I'm still seeing stuff from Amazon.

Her work is still going pretty good, but I've all but crawled to a stand still.

She told me the other day she'd like a pergola built, and I laughed. She said, well not a huge one... I just shook my head.

Food cost by the pound. I need to cut back a little.

Wife and I are both still working but, we have cut back on eating out and I'm saving a ton on fuel by working from home. Trying to take this opportunity to build our emergency fund back up, and also helping my youngest son who isn't able to work right now.