Anyone have any ideas on trying to save for treatments etc. How did you "cut back" or did anyone give up anything to save more money. We are currently renovating a house, which is bleeding us dry, and I need help saving some extra cash. On top of that, my employer cut my pay by 5%. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated
Re: ideas on trying to save for IUI
I don't think there is any magic forumula:
No vacations, no eating out, no cable, no shopping, no gifts.
I wish there was something fantastic that would make it easier! Is there a chance of you working overtime or finding a second job to supplement your income?
Started TTC 05.08
Me: Stage II endo, borderline high FSH
DH: perfect
1 lap, 5 IUIs = 4 BFNs and 1 c/p
2 IVFs, 2 FETs = 1 BFN, 1 c/p, 1 ectopic and finally a sticky BFP in May 2011!
1 FET in Aug 2013 = BFP!
Bring all your lunches/snacks.
Make coffee home.
Have pot luck dinner parties with friends. Enjoy the leftover food.
Cancel gym memberships and walk/run outside.
Join costco and buy in bulk.
Skip going to the movies and get netflix.
Track your spending. This is key!
TTC since 2008
One blocked Tube
Ectopic pregnancy November 2008
M/C at 6 weeks in January 2010
M/C at 8 weeks (blighted ovum) May 2010
3 IUIs with Gonal-f, Sept, Oct, November 2010 = BFN
IVF#1 1/2011 - 32 eggs retrieved, 26 fertilized, 2 trans. = BFN
Time to regroup and heal and FET at some point
Good ideas from pp.
Definitely track your spending. Even tracking it for 2 weeks, I noticed I am more aware of what I am spending.
If you do go out to eat, don't order any alcohol
Make cards for birthdays and special occasions.
Make a birthday cake instead of buying one!
My biggest weakness was going to Target for a "few things" but I stopped that only go when I need to go for my grocery/household needs
We looked at our budget and cut back everywhere we could. Definitely a lot more eating at home. A lot less entertainment spending. We try to spend less on gifts now. We switched our cell phones to a cheaper plan and we don't have a home phone.
I agree with pp, tracking your spending is so important! You always spend more than you think you are!
beta#1 3/21 (14dp3dt)=413, beta#2 3/23 (16dp3dt)=785, u/s 4/11
EDD 11/25/12
**SAIFW**
never go to the store. I try to go as little as possible to curb my spending.
I never buy drinks (even soda) when going out to eat and cut back on that.
Do you have any focus group places? I do all these independent survey/focus groups that pay for your opinion on products or services. This month I just got paid $30 to try something new Wendy's is developing and $100 to tell my opinion on a new concept for a baked bean commercial.
iui #5 2/7 + 2/8 = BFP!! 11 dpiui
Beta #1 2/18 11dpiui= 46, Beta #2 13dpiui 150, Beta #3 16dpiui 584!!
u/s revealed triplets! Baby B 3rd loss 8w2d. Twins! EDD 10/31/11 * c/s scheduled 10/12/11 My NEW BLOG
Its not necessarily cutting your spending but I watch my account online and transfer all the change into savings. I try to always have it at an even amount. (OCD maybe??!!!) Example: If there is 12.98 I transfer $1.98. It can add up quickly.
I agree with everyone else about cutting unnecessary items. I haven't read all the responses yet so I don't know if this has been mentioned but mealing planning and having a shopping list can help a lot. There are many benefits; less money spent, less waste and you don't have to think about whats for dinner.
Good luck!!
Try to cut eating out, cable, cell phone planes (if you don't use them as your main #), lawn services (if you can do it yourself.). You can cut your grocery bills by planning your meals around what is on sale that week and making sure you eat meals at home instead of out.
If you feel like you want to treat yourself to a meal out, try taking yourself out to breakfast instead of dinner. It's usually way cheaper than dinner. Or, we'll just go out and share a piece of cake (do dessert only). It gives us the feeling of being out but without the expense.
We also do cheap entertainment. We have netflix, so usually we do a movie night with some homemade pizza. We also pull out the board games, wii, and invite friends over for a games night. Instead of buying books, go to the library. You can also borrow great dvds from the library (and they're free for a week!).
Basically, sit down and look at what you are spending and decide is it a need or a want?
Also, can you pick up a second job? I wait tables one night a week (Saturday) at a local restaurant. I have been using that money to pay for acupuncture and fertility drugs.
7lbs 13oz 20 inches long
Me: 32 - Stage II Endo / DH: 36 - Low count and morphology (1%)
IUIs 1-3 BFN, lap Dec. 2010, IUIs 4-6 BFN
IVF w/ICSI #1 - ER 2/8: 24R 19M 9F ET 2/13 2-5 day blasts (no frosties) = BFP - b/g twins!
E & C Born 10/19/2012
DH and I set up an ING Direct savings account that directly withdraws money when we get paid and puts it in a interest-bearing savings account. It is really easy to get the money out when you need it, too. You could also look into getting flex-spending dollars at work to save some of the taxes.
DH also started coming home for lunch instead of buying everyday, so that saved us some money. We also have this goofy routine of never spending dollar bills. If we have silver change or singles in our wallets, we empty them into a jar at night and we end up with a good chuck of money each month. Normally, the singles just get spent on coffee, sodas, or other impulse items, so that saves us money in the long run, too.
GL!
TTC since March 2009 // Me and DH - 28
Testing Summer/Fall 2010 - Unexplained IF
IUIs #1-4 ~ Clomid/Ovidrel/TI/IUI ~ all BFNs
IUI #5 ~ Femara/Ovidrel/TI/IUI ~ BFN
IUIs #6-9 ~ Research Study Meds/Pregnyl/TI/IUI ~ all BFNs
IVF Consultation, More Testing
Diagnostic Cycle ~ Mucinex/Progesterone/TI ~ BFN
IVF #1 ~ Menopur/Bravelle/Ganirelix/Novarel/Progesterone/Lupron
7R, 6F // 2 transferred // 3 frosties ~ BFN
FET #1 ~ Estrace/PIO/Lupron
3 thawed // 2 transferred // 1 lost // no more frosties ~ BFP!!
Beta #1 - 456 // Beta #2 - 1176 // Beta #3 - 2933 // Beta #4 - 6753
EDD: May 16, 2013
Bedrest for SCH // 6w2d through 10w1d
Elevated TSH and Lazy Thyroid DX @ 10w - Started Synthroid
Finally released from RE at 13w
~~ My IF Blog ~~
I agree with everything the PP's have said. Also, budget an exact amount of $ for certain areas a week. Ex: grocery, spending, dining. Take out the cash for each area, and at the end of the week, deposit into your savings wha tyou have leftover.
I know this sounds a little silly, but we have saved a TON of money this way!
"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted what I asked of him." ~1 Samuel 1:27
"Whatever it takes, we walk together." ~Pittsburgh Penguins
My IF-turned-baby blog