Here are a few I can think of off the top of my head
-we use bill pay or auto pay for about every bill- I hate writing out checks- I just had to reorder checks after 5 years of marriage.
-instead of buying garbage bags- use the paper ones from the grocery store. My parents always did this- my dad would just fold down the handles or about an inch of the top of the brown paper bag and it fits right into the kitchen garbage can. It saves not having to buy bags- but if yoy toss anything that is wet or messy- you need to change the bag often. I use the brown grocery ones to collect garbage from the rest of the house- like from the bathrooms- so I don't change the plastic bags in the bathroom cans but once a month.
-I do a ton of free rebates- even if I don't use what I am getting- I may give it away to someone who does.
-We cut out cable- we have cable internet- so we are able to split the cable form the modem and ran it to the tv's in the house. This was a tip from the cable guy- since we already had cable internet- he said we shouldn't pay the $ for basic cable.
-I went over all our bills and saw where i could cut- the telephone was the most- I called and had them cancel call waiting $3 a month and caller id $8 a month- I mean that is $132 a year and I hardly answer the phone as it is- I will call back if someone leaves a message- but we get a lot of solicitors- so I don't pick up the phone often- even though we are one the states 'Do not call list'- JOKE!
-I can't say enough about coupons- I love them- but I don't use them on things I don't normally use. Unless I can get a different item- like a different speghetti sauce for free or close to it- I stick to the ones the family likes even if it is a bit more.
-I try to combine my errands and stay home as much as I can mentally tolerate. Around here in MN it can make for a long winter if you don't get out much- last winter I only left the house once maybe twice a week and I could tell if affected my mood.
-I cut my dryer sheets in thirds- but want to try those dryer balls- anyone heard of them? They are suppose to work as well as dryer sheets or better- but I am not sure how long they last- I think they are at Linen's and Things or Bed Bath and Beyond- and then I could get them with their coupons- but I think the are regularly around $10- so about the cost of 2 or 3 boxes of sheets. Any opinions on them?

Hmm this is off the top of my head- please add- I love reading other tips on how people cut back or stretch the buck!

Here are some things I do.

We don't have coupons in NZ, so I try and live off the sales. I keep my pantry and freezer well stocked and only buy meat when it is on sale. I plan my menu from what i already have in my cupboards and try to stock up on sale items whenever I can.
I also try and limit my leaving the house - petrol in NZ is very dear and so i try and go out on certain days. I also plan my journey so i don't double back.
We budget really carefully, and I put upcoming expenses in the appropriate weekly page of our budget book so that we can work around stuff and not be surprised with a whole lot of expenses at once. If i know we have an expensive week ahead - with birthdays, medical appts etc, then i will try and cut down our food/petrol budget so we can still make our week balance.
My local supermarket has a christmas club where you buy $5 stickers and at the end of the year you cash them in, with a bonus$2 for every $30 you save over the year.
I do what we can afford giftwise rather than what the ettiquette is. If they are true friends they will know that the price of an item is not an indicator of how much we value their friendship.
I only use the dryer when it rains for too long and the clothes aren't drying fast enough on the inside clothehorses. If its not raining the clothes are outside on the line. I never use dryer sheets (what are they for anyway?) or fabric softeners and my clothes still seem fine.
I buy lots of stuff in bulk - we can get some good deals on cleaning products online - i buy the stuff in concentrate and then dilute it twice as much as they recommend. I also get all my spices, stock powders and basic pantry stuff (eg icing sugar, cornflour, rolled oats etc) from the local bulk bin store. Most of the stuff there is way cheaper than getting it in the supermarket.
I keep my eye on trademe (which is NZ's own version of ebay) for stuff i know we need in the future. I have managed to get some things heaps cheaper because i check for stuff ever few days.
I cook from scratch with almost everything. I only get a few things ready made, like tomato pasta sauce, or frozen pizzas (when they are on sale) for those emergencies when when I dont' have the energy to cook. When I am cooking, i add heaps of vegies to meat dishes = eg grated carrot, finely chopped onion, grated zucchini and mushrooms to meatloaf. It spreads out the meat and makes things cheaper. Of course i only buy the vegies in season that are the cheapest.
I think for me the biggest tip has been to be organised. Be one step ahead of where you want to be so that you are not spending money at the last minute because you are rushed.
I cant think of anything else at the moment.

Those are some great tips! Thanks!

It's soo true about being organized! That is something I am really working on and I already see some benefits. I loved reading all these tips. Thanks.

I only print in black and use the fastprint option if what I'm printing is just for personal use. It takes me well over a year to go through a black print cartridge and at least two to go through a color cartridge and I do a lot of printing

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Kimberly mom to Kayla (12/07), AJ (4/04), and baby Ben (10/07)

Project FTJ

"A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside."~ Denis Waitley ~

For bills, such as car payments, morgages, and credit cards, when I can only afford the minimum payment I always round up to the next dollar. I get paid twice a month so I make two half payments on all of my payments that are charging me interest. This saves me money on the interest in the long run. I also pay more than the minimum payment when I can afford to pay off the card immediately. I also try to find cards with the lowest interest rate and that offer points or rewards when I purchase things. Also I never get a card that has an annual fee.