Bare Bones Budget?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what would happen if Donnie and I were to find ourselves in a serious financial crisis. We already stick to a budget, we don’t buy a lot of “stuff,” and we’re pretty conscientious about cutting corners anywhere we can. If we had to scale back even further, could we do it?

The short answer is, “yes.” Even though we live frugally, there are definitely areas where we could reduce our expenses further. We currently enjoy plenty of non-essential spending, all of which we could eliminate from our budget immediately if need be.

In the event of a true financial crisis, we could save additional funds by making some of these changes:

• More meatless meals. Very few of our meals are entirely vegetarian. If we needed to scale our grocery budget back, we could easily incorporate one or two meatless meals into our menu plan each week. This would not only save money, but also improve our health.

• Ditch the DVR. Donnie and I signed up for TiVo because we work varying hours, and enjoy watching a few of our favorite shows on a weekly basis. In a true financial crisis, we would forego that luxury.

• No new clothes. Donnie and I already spend very little on clothing. When we do shop, we engage in some pretty serious bargain hunting. However, we still spend more than is strictly necessary. My closet is so well stocked that I could probably go the next two or three years without buying new clothes if I had no other choice.

• Stick to the plan. I’m notorious for not sticking to my meal plan. Sometimes I don’t feel like eating the dinner we had intended to make, and sometimes I just don’t feel like cooking at all. We end up making a last minute stop at the grocery store or our favorite fast food place, just to accommodate my whims. In a true financial crisis, I wouldn’t be able to get away with this!

If you had to go on a bare bones budget, what changes would you make?