How Do You Save/What Do You Sacrifice to See Your SO?

[Sierra]

I'm sure some of you guys are in, or have been in the same situation as I am. About 3 years ago I had a massive accident and hurt my severely and since then I've been able to work part time only.

I live paycheck to paycheck, and usually come down to just having pennies at the end of the month, but now that I am in a LDR, I know how essential it is for us to have face time together. We both have decided that we'll pay half the ticket to see each other (he'll pay one way and I'll pay one way), and the plane ticket is not expensive at all, so saving isn't that hard, but I've made many sacrifices and am continuing to try to find ways to save money to increase the amount I'm saving so we can see each other again as soon and as much as possible.

I've started couponing (not very successfully, but I do have great success shopping the sales), and have cut down on going for drives and wasting gas. I started spending mainly cash and any $1 or $5 bills I have I always put in a jar and I save all my change to go to the fund.

After I pay my cable bill this month I'm going to talk to them about reducing my bill, it's pretty high, about $125 a month (ridiculous, I don't even get HBO), but I was wondering what all you guys have done?

We want to spend as much time together as possible even if it is just for the weekend, face time counts and we won't make it through this relationship without it.

[Joyce:)]

I cut down on going out in the evenings, so no alcohol and so on, and that saved me tooons of money, even if my friends complain about me having become a couch potato.
No more junk food while i'm out, i try not to buy myself snacks and so on waiting until i get home to eat.

can't you just ask your SO, if his paycheck is bigger than yours, to help you out a bit more with the ticket?

[NaNi]

My SO and I can only visit each other once a year due to the incredibly high $2500 plane tickets and another $2500 for the holiday house where I have to stay while visiting my SO. Her house doesn't have a spare room and I really don't want to bother her family with me being there for several weeks. I also don't have any more money right now because I'm still going to school and I'm not working. My SO is trying really hard to earn enough money to come see me next year though. Possibly July. She's trying to cut back on the unnecessary stuff and I'm doing the same thing. It's a lot to save though, so sometimes I get bit hopeless.

[MissButterfly]

I try to spend as little money as I can. I'm still in high school and live with my parents, so it's not very hard for me. I have a job on the weekends, and I try to buy only clothes and shoes I really need. Sounds stupid, but I'm kind of addicted to cute dresses!
For this time, we were very lucky. His aunt travels a lot for her work, so she gets tons of airmiles. She paid for his whole ticket, so that's an amazing thing!
Good luck everybody =)

[Sierra]

I cut down on going out in the evenings, so no alcohol and so on, and that saved me tooons of money, even if my friends complain about me having become a couch potato.
No more junk food while i'm out, i try not to buy myself snacks and so on waiting until i get home to eat.

can't you just ask your SO, if his paycheck is bigger than yours, to help you out a bit more with the ticket?

We both live paycheck to paycheck so we're in the same situation, that's why this is the best way to make it work so we can see each other.

I too am not buying junk food anymore, no more going out drinking for me ... I just think - would I rather see my boyfriend or have a beer ... I'd rather see my man.

My SO and I can only visit each other once a year due to the incredibly high $2500 plane tickets and another $2500 for the holiday house where I have to stay while visiting my SO. Her house doesn't have a spare room and I really don't want to bother her family with me being there for several weeks. I also don't have any more money right now because I'm still going to school and I'm not working. My SO is trying really hard to earn enough money to come see me next year though. Possibly July. She's trying to cut back on the unnecessary stuff and I'm doing the same thing. It's a lot to save though, so sometimes I get bit hopeless.

That is a ton of money to save, but I would like to save a significant amount to close the distance, so I understand how it can feel desperate and hopeless. I feel so blessed that we live far enough apart that it's not too much of a burden to make it to visit each other, but when you live off every dollar of your paycheck, it's hard to save a couple hundred dollars.

I'm cutting what I can, he is too. He also understand that when he comes out to visit again we'll be living off cereal and starvation mode, but he doesn't seem to mind. I guess we just have to cut corners were we can and realize it'll work out for the best.

[Mara]

I think the best way to save is to sit down and figure out exactly how much a month you are spending on what then figure out where you can make cuts. With me, I lowered my cell phone plan to the lowest one possible, I stopped eating out, I shop the sales and use coupons, and basically, if it's not a necessity I just don't buy it. I always ask myself do I really need this? If the answer is no I don't buy it and that has saved me a good deal of money.

[13000km]

Join the money savers group! (:

1. Find free methods of communication (twitter, skype, whatsapp, gmail calls...)
2. Aside from food, anything you need to buy, buy USED from craigslist or other similar sites
3. Not snacking. I spent most of my money on food, so cutting down my snacking cut down spending A LOT.

Good luck!

[Sierra]

These are the things I've been doing pretty much now, living on oatmeal and cereal (usually buy two boxes for $5) and then I scour for coupons. All other spending has stopped.

I'm working on lowering my cable bill at the end of this week.

[milaya]

Well guess I can't really be included in this thread, since I pay no money to see my SO.
My SO has a good amount of money and I'm a university student (meaning I don't have much) so he always pays for flight tickets, both his own (Japan to Europe) and if I go to Japan he pays those as well.
To be fully honest - my SO also pays half of my rent every month and pays for everything while he is here. He did that even before we married.

but, if I also had to pay to visit him I would probably have stayed in my father's house to avoid paying for rent & food - even though he made my life a living hell. We students in Denmark receive money every month by the government, so think I would need 3-4 months to save up for a flight ticket.

[London-FortCollins]

Cutting down the cable bill I think will be a big one. I don't understand how in the USA it can be justified to spend $125 a month on tv.

Take it down to the bare minimum package, or even get rid of it entirely - watch DVDs, maybe set up a netflix account. I don't know how much that is but it's gotta be cheaper than the cable bill.

Have a clear out, sell things at a garage sale or on craiglist etc.

Do you have a hobby or talent you can make some extra money from? Selling arts and crafts on etsy or busking?

Storing the change (especially including 5s) will really add up - in fact it'll surprise you how much!

Make sure you have a separate account or pot if it's cash for all the money your saving. Literally seeing it grow will inspire you, and not having it in your normal"expenditure account" will make you less tempted to dip into it.

[kiara_silver]

i don't really think i have the right to post here. For one my Nathans the one doing all the paying, as far as he's buying his plane ticket to come see me and paying for his stay and such. And i don't have a job and live for free, but since moving here nana's bills have gone down alot. Such as dont waste electricity. I open windows instead of leaving the lights on. Can watch most of your shows and movies online. Netflix is cheaper, about 10 bucks a month. Buy food in bulks, meats we get and then we seperate and freeze it, one package of chicken for us can be 3-4 meals, and its cheaper to buy it like that in the long run. save your bottles and cans, take it to the recyclers, after a months saving we get 20-40 bucks, not a whole lot but its still helpful. if you can walk walk. Idk about you, but for me the grociery store, blockbuster, and a few fast food places are only a mile away, takes 5 minutes to walk there, i even walk to the library and such which is 3-5 miles, so close places if your up for it try walking to save a lil gas? umm what else, oh i also dont use the heater and air condition, right now its cold so i bundle up with my jacket and sweats haha, when it gets hot ill just wear my hair up and keep splashing water on me. think thats all i can give, hope it helps. Sorry i can't really give very much advice.

[Madge]

I work. A lot.

My SO and I at first could see each other every two weeks then it went to 3 months until we could see each other again (he had to go back to england for uni and I had to go back to nz) So I ended up working 2 jobs, 13-15 hour days and very little days off to save money up from with drawling all my savings to pay for the ticket 0_o

To cut a long story short, My SO is now in the states working which makes traveling a little bit cheaper and we now go halves with tickets. I have a job back home and they give me hours whenever I come back which is very reassuring.

I don't really go out anymore and I work to save money..I also try and bike more instead of taking my car

[lucybelle]

I am SUPER frugal. I don't have cable, don't have internet, don't heat/AC my apartment, live in a small place, drive a car from 1990 that I bought for $3000 when I was 16 (I'm 24). Hell I walk around in the house with the lights off to save on my electric bill. I don't shop for clothes (I already have enough), in fact I can't think of the last thing I bought for myself (besides food). Plus I've been working since I was legally able to and have saved everything.

[kat4301]

I've lived without cable ever since I got my own place, and I am very busy, but I don't miss it. So much tv is on the internet and usually internet is cheaper than cable. I also use fans in the summer and try not to run the a/c, its hard but makes a big difference.

[Rugger]

I work my butt off and don't spend on frivolous things. I live with my parents so I don't spend anything on rent or food, which is nice.