It's the economy, stupid!

Well, we all know that, for a number of reasons, the economy is seriously in the toilet. I've always dipped my toe in the pool of tightwaddery, but lately I seem to be taking things to the next level in preparation for the crash. Because, let's face it, it's going to get worse before it gets better. We've always had high gas prices in comparison to the U.S., but the other day I noticed that diesel (which is what my car takes) is now at £1.31 a liter, which translates to $9.91 per gallon. Yikes! Everyone is tightening the belt a bit, so here's what we're doing in the Collo house to get more bang for our buck.
1. I have put a moratorium on credit card spending. We don't use our cards much anyway, mostly for booking travel online, which we only do a couple of times a year. But the temptation is there, so I put the credit cards in a ziploc baggie, which I then placed in a tupperware container filled with water. Then I put the whole thing in the freezer.
2. We grow more vegetables. We started doing this before the crunch because I wanted to feed the kids organic veggies. I have since noticed how much less I spend at the supermarket because I no longer buy veggies or fruit (with the exception of bananas and grapes, because we don't grow either of those). So I've given John instructions that he needs to be planting and growing veggies we can eat all year. I'm sick of zucchini though. I've got zucchini coming out my ears!
3. I cook from scratch. I don't buy processed stuff anyway, because Chris has allergies and I hate reading labels. But I cook a lot more from scratch, things I wouldn't have made before, like soups, bread and cakes. Aside from that, I plan meals based on what I already have in the pantry, freezer and fridge, buying only what I need to make a recipe or to restock the pantry, fridge and freezer. I shop with a list, and go by myself. If I take John and the kids, I end up spending twice what I'd planned.
4. I don't use the dryer unless it's pelting it down with rain. This may present a problem come winter, when towels and jeans are so stiff they can get up and walk away on their own if they've been dried indoors on a drying rack.
5. I buy ice cream. Seriously, the ice cream man comes by, my kids want ice cream and it costs me $3. If the ice cream man comes every day, I'm looking at $15 for ice cream. Forget that! For less than $5 I can buy a 1/2 gallon of ice cream and some cones. This reminds me of Eddie Murphy's standup routine that he used to to about McDonald's, and how the other kids in the neighborhood would get McDonald's, but his mother would make him a welfare burger. I don't care. Get over it kid.
6. I use Freecyle, and I am not averse to the odd dumpster dive if it's something we could use in the garden.
7. I shop sales. I've always been a sale shopper anyway, but I've restricted my shopping only to sales and the clearance rack recently. This isn't a bad thing. I recently got two new dresses for work from my favorite shop. They would have been around $200 at the regular price, but I got both for $60. I'm happy about that.
8. I clean my house with natural products like vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. As I mentioned, the boy has allergies and I don't want him exposed to chemicals, and I can buy a monster bottle of vinegar at Costco for a bargain and no, my house doesn't smell like a fish and chip shop.
9. I combine errands so I only have to use the car once to save on gas. No one is allowed to turn lights on during the day. That's what daylight is for.
10. I color my own hair instead of having the hairdresser do it. This may or may not be a money saver, depending on whether or not we'll have to redecorate the bathroom because of all the Miss Clairol Number 128 I've splattered all over the place.