An Austin Counselor and Austin Marriage Counselor's Journal: Smile & Move

Thriving During Our Economic Crisis--Archived

3. If you take a lot of vitamins or supplements, go to Cosco. What you can't find at Cosco, get at www.swansonvitamins.com. They have the cheapest, best quality products of any place I have seen expect Cosco. We recently ordered from Swanson's and were shocked by the amount of vitamins we could get for just $35.
2. Find a small group of friends who are willing to host and plan get-togethers on a monthly basis. You'll get more committment from friends who are also trying to save $. At your first party, brainstorm all the ways you can have fun together w/o spending a lot of $. For instance, play a different party game each week, have a country theme for the food you will eat, plan it around a movie theme and watch that movie at the the party. My husband and I started a group and had the first party at our house. We played Balderdash and we were doubled over in laughter. It was one of the best nights ever and only costs the group of 6 people a total of $20.
1. Instead of going out for an expensive meal, cook a gourmet meal. Take the time to fully experience planning, shopping, cooking, and eating your meal. Shift from auto-pilot. Be "in" every moment. Seek pleasure in each of those small moments. (My husband and I used this idea for our date for this last weekend. We cooked a French meal with wine and dessert for $25. At our best French restaurant in town, the same meal would have been $120. And don't forget that every time you go out, your paying a tip. Tips alone can add up fast.)