I plan my meals out for a month ahead. Any huge sale items I buy this month go for meals next month. We buy a pool pass to our community pool and use it lots...it is 40.00 for the summer and the pool is clean and fun. We go and take picnic dinners and lunches ...I only do laundry on mondays and sheets and towels on tuesdays...anything that is not in the laundry pile on those days waits until the following monday...this cuts down on half loads just to wash one item. AND I line dry everything except towels and underwear (my dh refuses to allow underwear hung outside...hehehehe). I watch for free activities in the community. Sometimes we can go see a concert by a big name like Charlie Daniels, 32 special, ect...free..we take water and snacks and walk to the town square...I make my own cleaning supplies ...this cuts down on all the chemicals in the air and saves me $$!! I plan our trips for errands ect better than I have before the gas hikes. I always check out the clearance racks at the end of the season ...I always buy my kids their winter coats from the clearance racks and usually don't pay over 10 or 12 dollars each. This year I got my daughters for 5.99!!!! AND it is really cute!! I just picked up a bunch of shirts and sweatshirts from wal mart and kmart for 3.00 and under. I just buy a size larger then what they wear now...and because I always buy my kids clothes a bit big the new clothes fit well into the next year. I wait for payless to have their b1g1f sale or b1g1 1/2 off sale....I actually have friends who won't think of shopping anywhere else but Stride rite...one of my friends bought her daughter a pair of sandels from stride rite for 39.00....my dd had nearly the same pair and we got them for 10.00!!! My friends and I from church have a coupon "club" and we exchange coupons weekly!!

I am LOVING these!

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I shop at Sam's and buy meat in bulk. I have to buy meat just once a month.
I buy other stuff in bulk as well.

Menu plan for the month. I need to work on going to the store once a week, instead of multiple trips.

Visit the library.

Even though we are on the budget plan for our gas and electric, I still turn off lights, etc.. because it will show the next time they redo the bills.

I wash the pots/pans in as little water as possible. That is the only thing that I changed recently, and my water bill was down by $5. Not much, but hey, I'll take anything less. I run the dishwasher every other day.

I mainly buy generic

When I make spagetti or casseroles, I always have enough to freeze for another meal.

I reuse my ziploc sandwich bags. I even reuse the gallon size, unless it had meat in it.

coupons

bring lunch, snacks, water to places we go

go to the dollar stores or half off stores

find the best deals for what I am looking for.

Don't buy on impulse

Walk to places close by

go to free concerts in our area

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Thanks for this thread! I already do alot of the things mentioned, but some ideas are new for me. Thanks!

One thing that I didn't see mentioned is free book club kits from the library. Not sure if every library system does this, but our library has "kits" that they give out for people to have book clubs. You are allowed to check out the kits for up to 9 weeks, and the list of book selections is huge (like 100 books!). The ladies in my neighborhood get together every other month to discuss our book club book and get the next set of books. It saves money/time to get the next book.

Another thing I do is trade babysitting with neighbors and friends. This is a work in progress....we're trying to get a more regular schedule...

Turn the heat dry off your dishwasher

Turn your thermostat up a few degrees in the summer and down a few degrees in the winter.

Look for free and low cost family activities through your school district

Put energy saving light bulbs in

Use ceiling fans in the summer and winter

Don't turn your oven on on hot days

Bake alot on really cold days

Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes

You only need a tiny bit of laundry detergent (saves your machine and your laundry detergent)

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~Happiness is a large family~

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. James 1:19

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

We use our rewards credit cards (Amex Blue- not the cash version, and Citi Rewards) for most purchases, pay it off every month, don't buy things that aren't within our budget, and then cash in the rewards for gift cards. Usually, we can get the equivalent of 1% back. We often apply this approach at Christmas time, weddings, or birthdays to reduce our gift spending in those categories. One year, we used this approach to get materials at Home Depot for remodeling our kitchen and saved about $800 when they had a 10% off promotion.