Don’t know where to start when trying to save money in these tough economic times? Try these simple, money-saving ideas that add up big! Use that extra cash for things that really will improve your life and pocketbook.
1. Cut little luxuries during the workweek.
It’s just a cup of fancy coffee. But at $2.75 per day, it comes to more than $700 per year. 
Lunch out? At $8 a day, you’ll spend around $2,000 a year. A travel mug and brown bag never looked so good.
2. Don’t use so much gasoline.
Break out the bike. Carpool. Or try public transportation. You could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars — and reduce your impact on the environment.
3. Get a grip on credit.
Pay off your credit cards. And pay monthly balances in full. Say you owed $1,500 on an 18 percent interest credit card, and you paid $75 per month. If you stopped using the card, it would take 24 months to pay off at a cost of $1,800. That’s $300 in interest. Also, choose your card wisely. Look for no-annual-fee cards with low rates and benefits such as money back or frequent-flier miles.
4. Stick with water.
When you eat out, skip the wine and drinks. It’s where restaurants make most of their money, and where you’ll blow a big piece of your budget. Save the glass of wine for when you get home.
5. Freeze an extra meal.
When cooking, make an extra pan of food and freeze it. Then when you’re not in the mood 
to cook, you can pull a homemade meal from the freezer. It saves you the cost of carryout, and it can be healthier.
6. Pack the snack.
For family outings to a museum, zoo or park, bring your own snacks and drinks. You’ll save a lot of money without missing any of the fun. You’ll also have a healthier day.
7. Share tools to save.
Collectively buy tools with your neighbors, friends or family. Follow the example of five Boston neighbors who bought a snowblower at low cost, and then turned winter storms into parties.
8. Get real with your budget.
Take the time to figure out your monthly expenses. Know what your disposable income is. Pay off debt. Decide what kind of spending gives you the greatest pleasure and cut out other luxuries.
9. Be sale savvy.
Buy clothes at the end of the season. Watch for furniture sales. Comparison shop on the Internet. And remember, you often can negotiate non-sale items.
Tips from P&G.com
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips! Every cent I can save is a miracle!
I agree!
With every kid we have setup a jar fund where we put all our little change. Tyler cashed his in when he was 15 and he had $600 bucks! All pennies, quarters, dimes, and nickels. Every cent does count!
Lori´s last blog ..Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves
That is HUGE! I’m so guilty of just “throwing” away change. Need to get on saving it more!
Great tips! I absolutely love my Tassimo, which makes lattes, teas and other drinks. I buy my packages at Target for like $6, which really saves $ instead of going to a the coffee shop!
I’d love to try the Tassimo! I’m so into lattes and would love to make them at home!
Great tip, right on. We were doing so well on our budget till we started eating out more. If you have tips for someone who hates to cook on how to save that would be awesome!
Pepper´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Point of View
Eating out “eats” up so much of your money! We are guilty of that from time to time. We seem to go in cycles. Eat out a bunch – then stay home – eat out a lot – then stay home. We need to stay home more!
Great tips. Getting real with your budget I think is the most important. Evan if you got to live very tight fist to get on track it ends up being worth it. I love our budget sheet that I have up.
We also moved closer to Tobei’s work which saves TONS on gas money and he has more time at home now with the family.
I’m used to be really bad about “getting real” with our budget – but am getting better all the time. It’s a process, for sure! We moved closer to my husband’s work as well – a huge saver!
I actually do a lot of these already! Whoo hooo!
We also do what Lori above does – we put all of our spare change into a huge glass jar. It helps immensely with Christmas shopping!
Creative Junkie´s last blog ..I’m on the radio And Nate smashed the crap out of something
I sooo need to put all our spare change in a jar – great tip for sure!
These are really good tips. I really like the one about freezing an extra meal – this is something I definitely need to start doing!
I need to freeze some extra meals for the weeknights. I’m always lost as to what to make.
$700 a year on coffee! A few bucks a day doesn’t seem like much, but $700 a year is a reality check.
Great tips! I especially like #5 and #7. We just started cooking a little extra so we can either freeze or take it for lunch the next day. And also about sharing tools… when we settle down in a house we’ll definitely consider that with our neighbors!