What Would You Do?

If you quite suddenly lost $500 in monthly income, what would you do? Would you be able to survive? This is the question facing one of my dear friends. This is not an extravagant family; in fact they are impressively frugal. So, today I've been pondering this question, as an already frugal person, what else could I do to trim that much cash off our budget. The neighbors have discussed giving up the satellite tv, the living room furniture payment, and the second car.

Personally, I've had to find ways to save money since I'm not working. My frugality allows me to be a stay at home mom. Things that have helped us are:

Hard Core Coupon Usage - I've been told that I am obsessed

Built a Stockpile - I am back to square one on this one after the move :-(

Completely Changed the Way We Shop - I am no longer brand loyal to anything! If I can get something for just pennies or free, I buy it. There is always somewhere to donate things to. I will not step foot into a store without a list. Also, my binder goes with me even on trips to run in and grab milk...you never know when you'll have the perfect q's for an unadvertised deal.

WAY Less Eating Out - Now eating out is a rare treat for us. I've learned to make quite a few of our favorite restaurant meals at home. We eat out while staying in.

CVS - This wonderful little store has saved us SO much money. I do not pay for any type of health/beauty supply anymore. This is a savings of hundreds of dollars annually. Not only that, but I get other things the family needs as well, without paying a dime. I am so thankful for CVS and the ECB program. If you'd like more info on this, just email me.

Everything else is just how we've always lived. We don't rent movies unless it's a Redbox freebie. We do not go to the movies, instead we play board games with the kids. We travel very little, be it out of town or just to and from the store...saving on gas is a big concern. We shop at garage sales as much as possible. I cook from scratch and menu plan. That's about it.

I am always looking for ways to be more frugal. Often, I find a hint I never would have thought of alone. There are lots of things I want to experiment with as well; like once a month cooking, to see if it would save us more.

So, I ask you, if you suddenly had $500 less a month how would you get by? Could you do it? Please share any tips, comments, experience you may have. I can't wait to see what ya'll do to live frugally!