Has anyone besides me noticed that their grocery bill has skyrocketed? Where are the days that I could get $50 worth of food and have five bags of food to show for it?  Today, that same $50 just might get two or maybe three bags of food. Food shopping is just the tip of the iceberg too. I won't even get into the price of gas, electricity and any other kind of energy that we just might be using. How do we manage? What do we give up? Where do we cut back? Here are a few suggestions that are working for me. I'm on a rather fixed income too.

Try bundling your phone, internet and satellite/cable services. You often can get some good deals even if they are only for a few months. Your circumstances possibly will change before the price does. If they don't, you certainly will be saving some money. The deals are out there, check them out and how they can fit into your budget.

Stop using the charge cards and ATM cards. This is the hardest to do. Somehow "putting it on plastic" just doesn't feel as if we are really spending money. We are so used to just pulling out the old credit card or cards for all our purchases that it doesn't feel normal to open our wallets and pay cash. If we stop or cut back on our ATM usage we could be very surprised at how much we have left in our checking accounts.

Don't buy bottled water or coffee at the coffeeshops. Milwaukee county has some of the safest water around so get yourself a water bottle and fill it from home. Just this one thing could save you over $200 a year, believe it or not. Also those stops for coffee get costlier and costlier. If you just have to have that specialty latte, cut back to just once or twice a week instead of daily. Get a thermos and make your coffee at home and carry it in your car. If you're a tea drinker make your own iced tea or hot tea. Both can be carried along on your errands or taken to work.

Pack a lunch and reuse your paper bag or get a lunch container. Going out to lunch on a daily basis can cost anywhere from$25 to $70 a week depending on where you go. Over a months time this does add up. Cutting back to once a week also will help immensely. This goes along with restaurant eating for dinner too. Gathering around the table is good for family life even if it is microwaved food. A slow cooker works great too for those that have a busy life and don't have time to create a meal after work.

Grocery shop with coupons and try some of the store's brands. Coupons can be printed online or cut out of various fliers that come in the Sunday paper. They do save money in the long run. Also shop the sales and stock up if and when you're able to do so. Know your prices too.

If your rent is very high and it's affecting your other financial obligations, start looking for a different place to live. Just this morning, I saw on tv a woman who was earning $50k a month and her rent of $1495 a month was consuming her. She was told by a financial expert to find a cheaper place to live. It won't be easy, but ask around to your friends. Lots of rentals never get advertised and get rented via word of mouth.

So, there you have it. These are some things that are working for me and have worked for others. Even if you are only able to do just one of these, think of the monetary savings that will be the result. Be brave and move forward.