Photo by r000pert

Merit increases were doled out last week, and there were looks of disappointment throughout the department.  “Shock and Awe” would be a better description.  Many people didn’t get raises, and those who did were bitching about how small they were.  As far as my own increase, let’s just say that I got what I expected.

We’re on the verge of yet another layoff, which has become an annual event in my company.  Most of the people have no other source of income, so all of their eggs are in one basket.  Expecting a raise during these harsh economic times might be wishful thinking.  So what can you do to soften the blow of a shitty merit increase?  How about cutting your spending?

Brown Bag It

You can save some dough each week by bringing your own lunch.  I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s saved me a bundle.  Estimated savings: $1,000 per year

Drink Water

Maybe now is a good time to cut down on your coffee drinking.  Or, take to the extreme that I’ve taken it, and kick the habit.  Three cups a day from the cafeteria at work used to cost me around 5 bucks.  Estimated savings: $1,250 per year

Cancel Subscriptions

Do you really need all of those magazines?  How many movies do you watch a month under your Netflix plan?  Does anyone really need a newspaper anymore?  Try dropping the daily paper, a couple of magazines, and/or Netflix.  Estimated savings: $500 per year

There, I just got you a $2,750 raise.  You’re welcome!  Spend it wisely.

Little expenses can add up.  I didn’t even broach the subject of alternate  income streams.  What other areas can you think of cutting in order to make your dollar go further?

• Americans Who Permanently Cut Their Spending SqueakyMarmot Many people have adopted a cash-only lifestyle in response to one financial catastrophe or another.  It could be tied to a job loss that shuts off the cash flow, forcing people to take a hard look at their outstanding debts.  But even though they may have put their......
• Top 5 Least Stressful Cities Photo by vramak Forbes.com recently listed America's most stressful cities.  You can follow the link to the original article through Yahoo! Real Estate.  The factors taken into account were unemployment rates, cost of living figures, median home price drops, population density, sunny and partly sunny days, and air quality. ......
• Us and Them The division where I work was formed from the merger of two separate companies. Each company had a distinct product line, and there wasn't much interaction between the two sides. This did not change when the people were co-located in the same building. In fact, I think the close......

• When A High-Paying Job Was $10,000 Per Year. Remember back when I wrote about inheriting my grandfathers' old tools? Well, this past weekend I finally got around to taking every tool out of every toolbox, arranging them all over my workbench and the floor in order to clearly see what I had on my hands. Turns out it......
• How To Hedge Your Bets: 10 Ways To Diversify Your Income Jonathan Leane is today's guest blogger here at Rich Credit Debt Loan. Jonathan writes for Debt Loans. Why Diversify Your Income? Most people are familiar with the idea of diversification—it is common knowledge to not “put all your eggs in one basket”. However, this advice is most commonly applied to......
• Going Carless Isn't as Painful as I Suspected For approximately one year now, my old friend Dave and I have had a running bet. I bet Dave that he would go completely nuts when he gave up his car for public transportation for an entire year. Now that the weather has been below freezing in the DC area......