Families finding ways to trim budget

DETROIT — If you have more bills to pay than money to pay them, you're in good company. Many families are trying to find new ways to cut expenses as they cope in a state whose unemployment rate is the highest in the nation at 12 percent.

"Either their job has changed or they've lost their job or seen others lose their jobs and fear it may happen to them," says Terry Clark-Jones, a Michigan State University Extension Services educator, who teaches families how to better budget their money.

But the situation is far from hopeless. "It may feel overwhelming, but families can manage if they're willing to make some adjustments," Clark-Jones says.

Here's how some families have cut costs:

Baby-sitting swap:

Shannon Cannon, a 30-year-old part-time accountant from Taylor, Mich., trades baby-sitting services with her neighbor and friend, Shannon Nissen.

Cannon and her husband, Chris, have sons Christopher, 4 <0x00BD>, and Colin, 18 months.

"It's a big help," Cannon says. "If I need her to watch my boys, she does and we return the favor."

Nissen and her husband, David, have daughters Isabelle, 2 <0x00BD>, Kathleen, 5, and Kaily, 8.

A part-time waitress, Shannon Nissen, 30, says she's especially focused on cutting costs because her husband's wages were cut about eight months ago.

Nissen estimates she saves $80 to $100 a week because she doesn't have to take her youngest daughter to day care or pay a baby-sitter.

Buy at closing time:

While many families clip coupons, Ninfa Cancel, 52, of Detroit discovered another way to slash her grocery bill. She waits until nearly 3 p.m. — closing time on Saturdays at Detroit's Eastern Market — to buy fresh fruits and vegetables by the caseload.

"You'll get about 60 peppers in a case when you'd pay $3 to $5 for a couple peppers in the store," says Cancel, a single mom of two — a teenager and a 32-year-old who recently moved back home to save money.

Try discount theaters:

Joya and Richard Dinwiddle of Detroit go to discount movie houses now. The savings is especially helpful since Richard, 32, was laid off from his job as an insurance agent in January.

Hit the library:

A good source of free entertainment is the library, says Dorethia Conner, 35, a single mother of daughters Shonte, 19, and Shonda, 13. In addition to lending books, libraries also lend movies and music for free and offer a variety of programs, says Conner, a health care finance worker and personal finance coach.

"Entertainment doesn't have to cost a lot," she says.

Shop online:

Cannon is a bargain hunter and rarely buys anything retail without searching for it first on eBay, Craigslist, Amazon and other sites, particularly for clothes and toys. "You can always get a better deal by shopping around online," she says. For Christmas, she found a Spiderman playhouse for $15 on Amazon that sold for double that price in stores.

Have a potluck:

Breaking bread with friends can save a bundle, Joya Dinwiddle says.

She and her husband are among four families to host monthly Sunday potluck dinners. "Each family brings a dish so no one has to cook a big Sunday dinner that day," she says. Not only does it save money, the gathering has become its own form of entertainment.

"We used to get together and go out, now we try to get together and do things more inexpensively," she says.