It was always the little stuff...

The first time I was laid off, it was the parking that galled me. The second time I was laid off it was the fancy dinner only a few weeks earlier.

One of the best lessons I had in my journey toward ultimate penny-pincher, was being laid off. It was very easy for me to think of ways my bosses could have saved money instead of giving me and my colleagues the ax. With this foundation I have looked at every expense we incur in the same vein. The (not-so) recent poll I posted is case and point.

It's my time to "upgrade" my phone. Verizon keeps calling ad nausea um to have me do it automatically and recommit for another two years. Since I have been with Verizon for 10 years -- that fact scares me -- the likelihood of me switching carriers is slim. Still, I don't want another long contract, unless I have to. I considered getting a BlackBerry since Verizon has a super sweet promotion right now, buy one at $49.99 and get the second free. How life would be sweet if I could gchat and update Facebook while at the playground or sitting on couch watching "Yo Gabba Gabba."

But to upgrade my service would cost an extra $30/month on top of the already $70/month we pay for our cell phones. That works out to an extra $360 (plus taxes) a year. I'd rather have that money for a car payment or to go toward my (never ending) student loan.

When I asked in the poll who paid, it was to get a sense of how many people pay for this service themselves. It's one thing if work wants you to be constantly available, but to pay the extra money yourself, why? This is an EASY thing to eliminate if you are looking for ways to cut back.

But Mary, I can't live without email????

Try texting. And guess what, your friends can "email" you there instead. I know with Verizon my number @vtext.com arrives as a text. And this was Twitter before Twitter, since it only allows 160 characters. And when you text, you can always email as well, just manually add the address. Unlimited texting varies by plans, but I know I pay $10/month. Before you go calling me pot, I *could* live without it..believe me, it was definitely on the top of the list had my husband not been hired when he was.

People told me my ideas for cost cutting with my previous employers* would never work, it would save too little. I disagree. Perhaps these tips would not have saved the jobs that were lost in the end, but I think they would have ensured shared sacrifice and an awareness of the gravity of our economic situation. When you are aware of the situation -- really aware -- you work to save.

As you are looking for ways to save, especially since the holidays are approaching and we will all have extra expenses that add up, think about your cell phone. Do you need to email all day? Do you need to have unlimited minutes? Have your family and friends call you at HOME first, and if its not an emergency, just leave a message.

***It needs to be noted that my most recent former employer did a fair share to keep me on. While I was ultimately let go, I do not fault them and hold no bitterness. After all, they hired me 7.5 months pregnant AND gave me maternity leave. The same cannot be said about my initial layoff. Two years later, I still have a draft email to the head of the company in my email. It will never be sent, but I will likely never delete it either. Their absolute lack of appreciation for reality is what has driven their stock prices down 85 percent from the date I was initially hired in 2003 until today. It is a perfect example of why the economy -- both in broad terms and individual finance -- is in the shape it is.