It's In The Stars

Here's my horoscope from Yahoo for today:

Are you feeling a little bit more thrifty than usual? It's not surprising, given the recent fiscal headaches that you have been dealing with. But before you swing into full-on panic mode, stop and take a deep breath. Something inside of you is pulling you toward a more cautious type of fiscal behavior, and all you have to do is follow it. Your interests are moving away from acquiring material goods -- you want more substance and less flash from life.

It's really dead on. Doc and I have both tried to make incremental adjustments in order to save money. It's literally a nickel and dime strategy. We've made all of the big moves we can: we both are working, we've consolidated our debt, we've cut up our credit cards. We've basically dammed the river of debt. Now we are patching up the holes like busy little beavers.

Stockpiling Food
Doc works at a bakery at a grocery store. He spends a lot of time there and knows when things go on sale and right when bread and other baked goods are marked "reduced" because he's the one who marks them that way. He also keeps an eye on the dented cans sale. Every night he brings home a small bundle of stuff for our pantry. So, we always have food in the house.

Buying Cheap Beer
I've finally drunk the PBR Kool-Aid. Doc's been buying PBR and savoring it for a while now, but I've struggled with it due to the lack of good flavor. I'm not much of a drinker anyway so it's not a big deal. But I've finally acquired the taste for PBR, so much so that Budweiser tastes like a quirkly little microbrew from Luxembourg and I enjoy one very much when Frank offers me one upon occaision.

Going Green
I've learned to love working in the yard. Living next door to an amazing landscaper has helped augment the things I've learned from my Mom, an amazing gardener. The cool thing is that our yards have sort have become communal. If I pull out a plant I don't like, Frank grabs it up and transplants it and vice versa. I gave him the little bush that could...he gave me some Lilac trees last year. The lilacs line the walk to the back of the house and I actually have some blooms on them. You can always count on Frank to have the one tool that will make the job easier (see: Halo Hoe). Working in the garden keeps me out of Target. It's also a cheap workout.

Handy Man's Corner
When we have stuff that breaks, I used to throw it out. Now, I take it apart and see if I can fix it. Or I give it to my overactive neighbor boy to take apart and fix. Either way, it's a good hour well spent and the item either works again or is broken beyond repair and I don't feel so bad pitching it.

We're hanging tough 'til our ship comes in and aside from a few leaks in our current boat, things seem to be moving along. Everyone's happy. The yard looks great and the mailbox is no longer a source of panic.

What are your cheap bastard moves?