So these days just about everyone is feeling the crunch of the crappy economy. Many people are trying to find ways to cut their cost of living signifigantly. I have always had to stretch my budget because my income really doesn’t go far when providing for a 10 year old.

How do I manage? Well, first of all I do all of my grocery shopping at Aldi’s or PriceRight. Both stores have thier own generic products for everything (Although PriceRite does get some name brand items occasionally) and their prices are dirt cheap. For things that aren’t food I usually shop at Big Lots which gets lots of close out items from other stores.

I also don’t have cable TV or internet. I have a membership to Blockbuster online that for 15.99 a month gives me unlimited dvds and I can get online at one of my neighborhood coffee shops, my job or my best friends house. I can also watch all the shows i’ve missed online at Hulu.Com.

I don’t drive so I don’t have to worry about gas prices so much (although I do have a gas furnace) nor do I have to worry about car insurance.

I keep my heat at 66 degrees. If we get cold we throw on another sweater or curl up on the couch with our fleece blankets.

So what do you do to economize?