I think you can look at that list and see what you can get rid of, but I'd get rid of: tivo, charter cable, dish - you can increase your blockbuster membership in place of television, or get rid of blockbuster as well and use the library for DVDs
gym memberships - USE THEM until you can pay them off, then walk around the neighborhood, rent workout videos from the library, etc.
gas - drive less often! If you're going into town for groceries, park at the grocery store that's closest to all the other stuff you have to do and walk to the other stuff - post office, bank, etc. Do as much online as you can - billpay, usps pickup arrangement for sending packages, etc. Take public transportation, carpool, and figure out ways to get what you need without going to the source (the internet isn't just for pr0n anymore!).
timeshare - do you actually USE it? Would it be cheaper to stay in a bed & breakfast or hotel while on vacation? Could you pool with another family or two and get a cabin instead? Vacation in your own town - do all the stuff tourists do - the zoo, the aquarium, etc. and go home to your own wonderful bed.
electricity - shut off all lights & unplug anything that isn't being used (chargers take a LOT of power, even when nothing's plugged into them) to reduce your energy intake. turn your water heater down, wash as much on cold as possible, turn the heat dry setting on the dishwasher off, etc.
water - if your kids are still young enough, have them take baths together or shower with you/your husband. If they're not, put a timer on for their showers
and yours. No more than 10 minutes. Don't run the water while you brush your teeth, don't flush the toilet at night, etc. When dealing with a full load of dishes, a newer dishwasher uses the same amount of water as handwashing, so ONLY run the dishwasher if it's a full load, otherwise do them by hand, and don't leave the water running while you do it. Fill the sink with soapy water, let them soak, and then rinse them.
extracurriculars - I think dance & karate are both really important, for self-discipline and balance and coordination and a bunch of other reasons. See if you can volunteer at the dojo, cleaning or doing paperwork filing or whatever, to offset some of the cost. See if your local community center or YMCA/YWCA offer dance for less than what you're paying now. You likely won't qualify for a scholarship, but you might be able to offset some of the cost if you teach a class yourself - bread baking or pottery or knitting or driver's ed or something else that you know how to do and could share with the community. Also talk to the teachers and see if there's some sort of barter you could work out - a few hours per week of childcare, housecleaning, etc. in exchange for a partial discount.
groceries - don't get prepackaged food. EVER. shop the perimeter, make a menu, get what's in season (use frozen veggies and fruit in the wintertime), bake your own bread and desserts, drink water from the tap if it's safe, don't get soda (goes with prepackaged food, IMO), only get juice as a treat and then the not from concentrate 100% juice kind, etc. We're eating very VERY well on $165 in food stamps and supplementing with WIC. I've budgeted well enough that we have $66 in food stamps to last until Oct. 6, and we would have more if I weren't dedicated to getting certain foods organic no matter what.
To make this even longer, since I've read the responses that have come in since I started (I'm chasing a toddler, posts take a while
)
What will you do without expanded television packages? Go to the library, take walks around the neighborhood, explore parks (try to go to every park in your town in the next year), take more classes at the community center, go to dollar discount movie night, experiment in the kitchen, have playdates with the neighbors, work in a community garden plot, volunteer at the animal shelter and the battered women's center, do craft projects, take photographs every day (project 365 is an awesome concept), go to museums on free or discount days, go to gallery openings at look at art, read read and read some more, learn to knit (and teach your kids, too!), go to concerts and plays at the local university, there are TONS of things to do. No, not every community HAS all those things, but if you live in a city of any decent size you'll have many of them.
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