what are tips and tricks have you used to save money

Cut out unnecessary expenses like internet, cable, and eating out. Ride a bike instead of driving and fill up on gas in your car in the early morning or evening. Stock up and freeze sale items at the grocery store...

Make your own Laundry soap - I'm sure there are different variations however I use the duggar family recipe. Initial investment may be higher than a large jug of store bought but thats it. After you buy the ingredients you can make like 10 years worth of detergent from it lol

I also make sure I live within a mile or two from where I work(not always possible for everyone)

I don't buy ****...I'm extremely frugal...my wife has to force me to go buy new clothes and what not if they start to look a bit worn; for me, if they don't have holes in them, they're fine. I finally replaced my one pair of work dress shoes that had a hole in the sole for the past 3 months...only because we finally are having some rain and my socks keep getting wet with the water coming in from the bottom of my shoe. Other than that, the shoes were nice and shined and perfectly good. I don't own much in the way of material goods...to me, it's just more **** to take care of and move around or whatever. I also don't really care about branding...I get whatever looks decent enough, fits, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Most of my income is spent on my kids...and I actually do splurge quite a bit on my fitness.

I've started to use coupons ever since I lived on my own and it's great. Little bit time consuming, but it's worth it. You can also get good deals through email which is even better!

Hi...interesting topic....here are some things I do that aren't extreme, but do add up:

We always pay bills first and we pay on time to avoid late fees. We pay everything we can online and can, in most cases, track the account info and payments there, too. We similarly bank online and check it often.

We rarely ever pay the minimum payment on credit accounts and are trying to pay them down completely. We don't use them anymore, but do keep a card for emergencies.

We put a little bit away in savings from each pay day. It might not stay there long, but we have to think before we use it.

I use a list most of the time when I go to the store, not only so I "stick to the list" (which I mostly do), but also because I can plan ahead, make the list as things occur to me or as they run out, etc, and then get everything at once. The result is that I make fewer trips to the store and spend less. I go "big" grocery shopping once a month and make very few trips for other items or milk, etc, throughout the rest of the month. My husband found me a free app for my phone that allow me to make different lists for whatever store I want - for instance, I grocery shop at Winco, but Walmart is where I go for non-food household things like toilet paper, etc. I can make the list on my computer, sync it to my phone, even share it with my husband. I use it for to-do lists, too. There are many tools like this available.

During the summer, we get most of our produce from a garden (it isn't ours, but we help to maintain it and for a small investment of time, we are able to take what we want).

I cook mostly from scratch. This makes a huge difference. I mean, I use a can of this or that in a recipe or whatever. I'm not a pioneer. lol But if my husband wants egg rolls or chicken wings, for instance, I can make them at a fraction of the cost - and they are usually healthier and better than those at a store or a restaurant.

I buy bread from the day-old store and freeze it. We can absolutely not tell the difference and it's SO much cheaper. Bread that might be four dollars in the store is 5 for $5 there. You can ask which days are the best for selection, depending on the drivers' routes. I have never gotten anything stale or moldy, not even close.

I buy almost all dry goods and spices from the bulk bins. That doesn't mean I buy a lot at a time, but I just refill my containers or whatever. It's SO much cheaper. Also, if I only need a teaspoon of a spice I rarely use, I can buy just that much.

I rarely buy anything on impulse. I consider it for a while, shop for good prices, make myself wait. Often I change my mind. I do this at the store, too. Before I head to the checkout, I look at what I do already have and make sure I still think everything is a good idea. It isn't uncommon for me to put an item or two back. And no, I'm not the one who leaves the frozen food in the canned good aisle. : /

We look online for deals, especially for larger purchases (which is probably anything over $20 for us lol) or traveling/lodging costs.

I shop sales where I go, but I don't run around from store to store for small items unless it's a phenomenal deal.

We occasionally check prices on services I already have - Internet, phones, car insurance, etc, to make sure that they are still competitive.

We try not to confuse needs with wants or think we have to have the newest, best everything. Maybe we don't need to have one at all.

We drive an older car and similarly try to avoid anything that involves long-term payments, interest, or extra costs like higher insurance.

We try to fix things instead of replacing them.

We buy store-brand or whatever of a lot of products. There are a few certain items where we want the good stuff, but mostly we're satisfied with just bridging the gap and we don't feel deprived.

We buy a fair amount of used items from thrift stores and yard sales.

Airfare is a lot cheaper when purchased ahead of time. On the occasion that we are going to travel, we try to save for it ahead of time so we don't use credit and to plan hotels, etc, in advance - rather than just settling for whatever we happen across when we're tired. Plus, it's fun to think about and anticipate.

We almost always use generic versions of both OTC and prescription medications.

We use Netflix instead of more expensive cable channels, rent movies and have friends over instead of going to the theater - except for a rare treat.

We invite friends over and have a bbq or a home-cooked meal, or a "potluck" at the park. By doing this instead of always choosing a restaurant, we can also include friends who may not otherwise be able to come.

We get books at the library, at yard sales, and from friends, instead of buying them new.

We look at local mags or online for free or inexpensive activities.

We eat at home or at a restaurant before (or after) going somewhere food is expensive like a stadium, theater, etc.

We try to be cognizant of hot water, heating and cooling costs as these run up the bill quickly.

We live in a pretty simple home and are okay with it.

I try not to carry cash - I spend it too easily and have a harder time tracking it. My husband is the opposite....if it goes on the card, it's not even money. lol Know what works for you.

Well, those are some things I thought of - I hope that helps.

I only spend my boyfriends money and put mine into a savings account. I will be making him sign a prenup so if we divorce he can't touch (my) money I've been saving.

The very first thing that I did was cut out unnecessary extras. Subscriptions I barely used, cable (replaced with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc), became more conscious of my utilities (no more constant 70F in the summer...), and making meal plans that are based around grocery store sales.

Stay single and don't have kids

Too late now! Where were you 25 years ago when I could have used this advice!!

Bumping to read later. :drinker:

Make a budget.

Track actual spending.

See where actual deviated from budget and take steps to help make sure the variance doesn't happen again.

Basically just like calorie counting, but with money.

I'd use software for this, but that of course, may not fit the budget.

Periodically, take a hard look at what recurring expenses you can do without, think creatively about ways to eliminate them, such an example listed above is Netflix + Hulu + Amazon Prime in lieu of cable (not really an option (legally at least) for sports fans)

For me, it was stop dating. So expensive to date.

I love to read, and I was spending lots of money on new books until I found and joined PaperBackSwap.com. You post books you want to trade (paperback and hardcover), and you "order" books from other members with the credits you get for sending your books. It is not free in the sense that you pay shipping to mail your books (media rate), when another member orders from you and you earn a credit when they receive it, that you then spend on a book you want. It comes out to about $2.58 to ship one paperback.

I use coupons and shop the sales at my local grocery store.

We only go out to dinner maybe once a month, most meals are home cooked.

I've been shopping at the thrift store while I've been losing weight, for clothes in my "in between" sizes.

Bring your lunch everyday versus going out to eat; order water versus soda or alcohol; use coupons for groceries; shop at consignment/thrift stores.

bump

I make my own laundry detergent. 1 bar of fels naptha soap. I grate it, (large grate, so it's easy), and then put it in a food processor and grind it up. (I purchased a cheap little processor just to make my detergent. It was $7.00) . Add 2 cups of Borax, (yes 20 mule team borax), and 2 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, not the baking soda with the fels naptha in a container and shake it all up. I use two tablespoons per load, that's about 6 cents per wash.

I don't use fabric softener. I bought a Downy ball and fill it to the line with white vinegar. White vinegar does so much, no home should be without it. It removes any extra soap in the wash in the final rinse. It does not make your clothes smell like vinegar, and it's good for your machine.

I don't use dryer sheets. I use dryer balls, and I use about 6 of them. They fluff up the laundry and make it soft naturally.

Use white vinegar in the dishwasher instead of Finish, which is ridiculously expensive. I think it's just blue vinegar.

I cook from scratch all the time as I have a ton of food allergies. Always cheaper.

When you can, pay off whatever monthly payment is the smallest. So I have a CC I'm going to pay off at the end of the month, finally. That payment I used to make every month to them I'll put to the new lowest monthly payment. I'm trying to get out of debt and this is where I'm beginning.

By used or older versions. I got a great HRM (Polar f11) on ebay for $60 bucks. It was new, but it's an old version. It listed for $178.00 back in it's hey day. I don't need to buy the latest and greatest version of anything. If it does what I need it to do, then it's fine with me.