10 things we live without.

10.) Cable. But we do have Hulu and Netflix on our PS3. That's probably the best way we survive. Well..and waiting a day for a new episode and finding it on a website that's.. well.. sometimes "questionable".

9.) Home phone. We don't need a landline but we use a dry loop DSL connection. And our DSL speed is just as fast as the cable speed we used to have. Actually it's even faster AND cheaper!

8.) Eating out. We very seldom go out to eat. We order the occasional pizza online but that's usually coming from our food budget. It's also nice to eat pizza on a Tuesday night as a treat rather than waiting for Friday or Saturday. It's a small boost.

7.) Air Conditioning. Our apartment is basement level and we actually don't need one. It stays nice and cool here in the summer (remember, we don't get direct sunlight onto our side of the building, which I hate in the winter but LOVE in the summertime). We also rarely run our heat because we soak up the other tenant's heat. We use it if it gets into the 20s or 30s. Maaaaybe in the 40s. But if it's sunny that day, the building heats up nicely.

6.) A flatscreen, HD tv like you folks. Ours was a $25 Goodwill find. I mean..it has a flat screen but it's definitely not a FLATSCREEN. The only time it gets kind of annoying is when we watch PBS and you can't see the full screen.

5.) A second car. But we really really really really need one. So, I may have to scratch this one off the list by the end of the year. Taking the bus is totally fine, but not fine when it's 25 degrees or 95 degrees outside and you have a really important appointment to get to. Cause chances are that's the day the bus will be very late. And sometimes not show at all.

4.) Going out. The hubby and I very rarely go out. Before we had the 2 kiddies, we went to a lot of shows. We just can't afford it now. We don't do the whole bar, club thing either (never did). To be pretty honest, even if I could afford an $80 bar tab, we still wouldn't go. We do long to go to certain shows once in a while: comedy club or concert. Maybe one day. One day for sure. And yes, we're kind of boring. But boring saves you money.

3.) A newfangled car with lots of buttons, gadgets, stow away seating, gold plated steering wheel, and satellite radio with a computer that drives the car for us. We have a very simple (because my brain is slightly simple) 2006 Caravan.

2.) A 3rd bedroom. But then again, we really do need one so this is kind of a "can't afford it but we really could live with that" situation. But we manage and the kids love sharing their room. They argue once in a while about space, but we do have 3 other rooms you can hide in- and who cares if it ends up being the bathroom.

1.) Any cosmetic or health and beauty item that costs more than $5. Except the Eucerin. We kind of need the Eucerin. In Colorado, you have to have really good lotion and chapstick. You wear it year-round. But as far as expensive face creams, body washes, perfumes, colognes, makeup, etc etc we never spend much on it at all. I do stare at the Clinique counter when I visit Macy's, but I get my fix that way. And my wallet stays the same- just as empty HA! ; )