What is the one item, service or activity that you could never give up in the name of frugality?

I'm not talking about in desperate times because you do what you must do in an emergency. But when you're ok financially but trying to merely cut back, what is the one thing you need? One woman I know said she could never do without a weekly manicure and fill for her acrylic nails. She said that she made this clear to her fiance before they married. I only get my nails done occasionally and never acrylics. Just a regular manicure to clean up the cuticles, etc.

Most of us wouldn't give up our Internet connections, although you can get that free at the library if you had to.

What couldn't you give up? Pets? I don't know what I couldn't live without besides my family. I'm pretty open-minded and flexible.

This is an excellent question, Lori!

I think my iphone. I am super attached to it. I think i'd pay for that bill before anything else.

i am looking around me. There are many things I like and want to keep, but very few things I would not give up.

It would be hard to give up a necklace my dad made for me.

In terms of lifestyle, i'd hate to give up living in Arizona. If i had to move to, say, the east coast or midwest to survive, I think i'd be pretty unhappy.

What would you not give up?

I seem to be pretty attached to the internet, but i've learned from camping that I don't need to pay for it at home. Free WIFI is becoming ubiquitous. It's certainly easy enough to sit in a cafe and do what I need to do. And it makes me actually be more efficient, knowing i don't have as much time as I would lolling about at home.

I've discovered I can live on rainwater, without trash service, or propane heating. I discovered I can spend a minimal amount on electricity if I am smart and creative. Eventually I will be totally on alternative power, and it won't be that hard to get there.

I've discovered I can even wash my own clothes, grow my own food, and make my own wine.

People lived this way for thousands of years; it's only recently that we've come to expect technology to take care of us. Not that we should not appreciate it. But I don't think we should blindly rely on it.

I still think the main thing i would not want to give up is my smartphone.

I couldn't give up our dog no matter what our financial situation was.

I'm not sure. Today, the Internet seems pretty essential, just to be informed and plugged into the global community.

I used to joke that it was toilet paper.

I second the pets! There is NO WAY I would give up my two cats. They would be fed before I would eat.

I agree with Kim. My cats would come first.

As for growing your own food or making your own wine I think there is a certain satisfaction you derive from doing those things that more than offsets what you would be giving up. Many times you probably would actually be gaining something.

My coffee!!!

I don't drink it for the caffeine as it no longer keeps me awake.

Something about the taste is like my reward for getting up each day

When times are good - I get the expensive stuff. On the off days, it is the cheap stuff while I complain while drinking it.

Love the question and responses...

Angela, I love my decaf coffee, and used to buy the expensive flavors. And then the coffee prices rose up all at once and I decided to just buy the cheap stuff and flavor them myself. So i add cinnamon and vanilla to my grounds, and it is almost as nice.

The savings add up!

I would never be able to give up my pets or feeding my outside animals (squirrels, birds, chipmunks or anyone else that wanders by) They give me such joy.

I guess I consider pets family so I never considered putting any of them into the donation bin!

I still don't know what I couldn't live without, besides family. Material things don't matter.

I was also thinking like Lori - I don't see pets as objects to give up. I mean, i wouldn't give up my mom. :-)

As far as objects/consumer goods...I miss having a bathtub. I can do without it, but i actively miss submersing myself in warm water in the privacy of my own living space.

Um. Books. I wouldn't give up books, but i mean that in general and not the specific.

Satellite dish (the internet is a close second). All I have left in life that brings me joy and help me forget for just a little while that my life sucks are the Dallas Stars so without a satellite dish I cannot see their games (the internet gives me peace of mind because sometimes the satellite goes off or for some reason the start of a game or a part of a game or the entire game is not shown so i can jump on the internet and see it there). Michael Schumacher is the person who truely was keeping me alive but he is retired now. After my Hockey team only some music and movies help me from having an entirely empty sad life. As far as food goes salt I could never go without with Pepsi a close second, I could gradually stop drinking Pepsi but never eat without salt (i actually want to throw up when food is not salted...and of course that does not include sweet food..haha).

Hi Nancy. I think from your other thread you mentioned not wanting to give up waxing. We probably all have some frivolity we all draw the line at parting from. I think for me, I still buy wine, even though it is not a necessity - it just makes me happy.

Can you give up satellite and just watch the games online?

Hi Jilly! I could watch the games online yes (i thought last night that i had to watch the start of the games there...took me a while to find a place with the American feed...but turned out that they had to wait until the other game stopped and TSN decided to start the game so i was good) but from my experience with Tennis (rarely shown live here...stopped watching when Andy Roddick retired) the feeds often stops or are blocked so you have to try another place, where I go it's on the same webpage but it always take several seconds to just know if it works and if it's really what you want to watch then you have to wait for the commercials to stop blocking the window. So it's better and less stressful (and more comfortable..haha) in front of the television. As far as waxing goes after I stopped waxing my tighs, belly and bikini it was 49$ but even that is starting to be too much, I'll continue until I have no choice to stop that too. You love wine and I love Pepsi, Pepsi too is not a necessity but I love it. Thankfully my parents are buying it for me so I don't have to stop or cut down on it. If I end up moving out and without a job like now I will have no choice but to stop waxing and there won't be any internet and television channels too so I stay with my parents and hope to find a job soon (its a small place here and most of the jobs are seasonal and things i cant do).

Dear Nancy,

I to
live in the province of Quebec.Mont Tremblant 'to be exact.

As far as I am concerned my phylosophy that I live in (buddhism) I must be ready to let go of eveything ,I like ,or attached to.There are 2 things in my life that I would not like to let go ,is my p.c. my only way of communication with other buddhists,
Buddhism itself.Buddhism is my way to stay alive.All that I have learned through this media,changed my whole life.

Loong

Nancy, you are in a good situation, and i applaud your decision to stay home while times are tough! Your parents are good to you. :-)

Loong, I understand totally about internet connection. It's the way I stay in touch with my version of socializing and learning and bettering my life.

Could you guys give up your car?

To Jilly,

I have 8 tares in my knees ,i am 66 years old.The section of town I live in has no bus system.So tell me how to get aound
loong

To Jilly
Tonite it's going to be -28 degrees,5 heart operation.2 minutes in that cold ,i'll stop breathing.
loong

Jilly, there was a time when we were a one-car family. My husband worked several jobs and I was at home with three little ones. I felt stranded because I had to wait for him to come home in order to get the babies to the doctor or to the stores.

I'd walk the kids to the grocery market nearby and to the schools and park but that was it as far as where we'd go. The bus system here is sketchy plus it was too hard to get the stroller or wheelchair on board.

We managed.

It is so convenient to have my own car. Could I give it up? I suppose. But I'm the designated driver to get my elderly folk to appointments now and my DH likes not having to drive me to boring places he'd rather not go.

Stores are within walking distances and we have the flexibility to schedule appointments when my DH can drive me or lend me his car. We discussed downsizing to one car but he said he'd rather I have it in case of emergency.

Lori, I agree that a car is very hard to give up. It makes life so convenient; we can be helpful to others; not everyone can walk or bike.

I've been regularly using my Spending thread (in this forum) to stay accountable and watch my spending habits...and it seems I don't want to give up wine.

Life would be cheaper without wine and beer. I wonder how much I would save in a year?

Life would be cheaper without wine but would it be as enjoyable to you? Or would saving the money make you happier?

I suppose that we can all learn to live without that which we love, but I would be hard-pressed to give up my husband, sons, or pets. Life would be so sad.

Sometimes it does not take a lot to make someone happy or feel good so when it's something like wine (or Pepsi in my case..haha) and you do have the money to buy some sometimes then I say do it. Life is short anyway so when you are lucky enough to have found something you enjoy enjoy it!

They are called "affordable luxuries." The little things that make us feel rich.

It seems that wine is my one 'affordable' luxury. I do buy bottles that are $3-$4. I know that sounds terrible to some people, but it's all i can do.

If I get four of those bottles at Walgreens, I also get 10% off the total. At CVS you have to get 6 to get the 10%.

If I had, to i would give up the wine. Actually, I'd make my own, which I've done and is actually quite cheap if you aren't too picky about it.

I smell an article coming. :-)

I had the option recently to get rid of my unlimited data plan on my iphone for a cheaper plan recently, and I found I just couldn't give it up.

I don't care about talk time, since I don't like phone calls, but don't touch my data plan or texting!

I have the same deal - I hate phones! Emails, texting, I can do...

In person, I can do one on one or if there's a distance between me, say a talk-seminar and a group or audience. No idea, not exactly anyway.

But what i could never give up is what I believe and Love. It may sound hippy-ish, but what's kind of cool is that though it doesn't sound up to date, those are the very things that animals, kids and even strangers find like even in a taxi-ride, or people (when I used to fly) a peace of some sorts.

Well, lol, I'm good at that and cooking, lol. So I've now two great talents and one that seems to always be a pain in the...