Your No 1 Frugal Tip for a 'Beginner'

go shopping at thrift stores. a lot of people think 'ewww used stuff' but believe it or not, there are tons of NEW things there at most thrift stores! i have gotten a ton of new things there. i recently bought a purse there (brand new) for $1-!

1)Turn things off when you arent using them..lights tvs etc. 2)reuse things as much as possible 3) make a list of items you "want" keep it for a month then if u still want it then u can get it.

Many people can cut down on the eating out. Have your friend make a meal plan for a couple of weeks.

Hmm, interesting topic GreenMoo... let me see, I will make a list of the things I did to cut down costs; your friend could modify those methods: 1. I discarded my extra mobile phone. 2. I converted all my old saris into salwars. This is because I hardly use those saris, while I wear salwars all the time. I still have plenty of saris left. This means I don't have to buy clothes for ages. 3. I decided to grow my own food. 4. I stopped eating out completely. (this alone saved plenty of money per month) 5. I stopped purchasing snacks and other junk foods completely. This is also good for health. 6. I walk short distances instead of hailing a taxi or catching a bus. This is an easy way to save money as well as burn fat. 7. I had a vehicle in the past; I sold it because using public transport is cheaper. 8. (I don't think your friend can try this) I quit my job and started earning from home. I am a freelance writer. This saves me in clothes, commute, and a dozen more extra expenses I had to bear when I was working at a regular job. 9. Remember to switch off the lights, fans, and other power consuming items when they are not in use. 10. We had two Internet connections at home. I had one for myself, and the total Internet and phone bill used to cross 1K. I terminated one connection and arranged things in such a way that now I have to pay just half that amount, and I am planning to cut even that down. Cheers and happy Mylotting

Make a daily/weekly/monthly list of every single cent she spends. Go over that list every week and see where she can cut back/cut out the expense. Breakdown the expenses into how much she spends on those items per month/per year (to give her a perspective of how much she can actually save by just cutting back) Simple things like using an ATM at her bank or a free ATM can save a couple of hundred dollars a year, with just a little advance planning. Use coupons at the grocery store. A Sunday newspapaer is a couple of dollars, the coupons in it can easily save her 2X, 3x or more in saving at the store! Other money saving ideas... bring lunch to work a couple times a week or everyday if her situation warrants. As soon as she is able to really cut back on everyday expenses, she should really try to save whatever money is left. Open an online savings account with ING (or a similar site w/ a decent interest rate) and have the money deducted once a month. A forced savings is great way to have money put away for an emergency, or an important purchase. If she drives, try to car-pool to work to save gas. Plan out one day to go food shopping, running errands, etc to save on gas. My #1 tip would be make the list...every single penny needs to be accounted for. If she's honest about making the list, she'll see exactly how much money she can save herself just by cutting out a few daily expenses. (I used to spend $4 a day on coffee before work, now I bring work in a travel mug everyday and save over $1,000 a yr, just from cutting out this one expense. I wish her the best of luck.

Eat at home! Be aware of prices per kilo, and try to work out a cheap and healthy way to eat by buying raw ingredients. Bake your own biscuits or cookies (if you eat them), it's much cheaper. Eat more fruit as a snack. Save leftovers.

Utilize used/thrift stores for items like electronics, utensils, household items, etc. I save a ton of money doing that. I have one particular store I know will only sell good items that are in working condition so I have no worries.

If they are coffee drinkers - get a coffee pot and a thermos. Forget places like Starbucks. I used to spend a fortune on coffee, now I buy quality coffee and bring it with me. I probably save $60-70 a month doing this.

I think the best way to start saving money is to make a list of where all your money is going and save from there. Cooking all your meals at home can save a ton too. Good luck to your friend. Send her here and we will fill her with great ideas and enthusiasim about saving money.

This will go against what almost everyone will say but for me it helps. Get rid of the plastic store it away, hide it away. No credit cards, no debit cards. Use cash, put it in your hand work with it see it and no that this is all you have, where plastic always has a way of lying to you.

Save on food! It's getting more and more expensive. Look at the circulars and see what's on sale. Plan your menus (yes, plan! every meal and snack!) around the sale items. If you see something you use often that's on sale at a big savings, buy extra. After you plan your menus using the circulars, look and see what you need in your cupboards--salad dressing, beans, canned veggies, condiments? Write it down. Now look through your coupons and see if you can use any. Beside each item you can match with a coupon, put a "C" so you'll remember you have one. Paperclip the coupons to your grocery list or, better yet, your cash or debit card that you're going to use to pay for them. (Notice I left out credit card! Cut them up!!) Try to organize your list so that the first item is in the first aisle, etc. By speeding through the store in a focused, controlled way, you won't spend more than you wanted to and can't browse the things you just want rather than need. Lastly, try to use cash. Figure out what that food will cost and then take that amount in cash. Or, if you can stick to a set amount budgeted you can do that. Add up the food as it goes in your cart and if you're going over budget, start putting things back. That's my advice. It works for me and helps me put a nice sum in the savings account every month.

My number one frugal tip would be to look at very simple dishes that need very simple and inexpensive ingredients Moo..ive been living fairly frugally for years now,and im so used to it it nevr has any effect on me.But if you take my sister..who i absolutely love to bits!!..she has no worries re the pennies and spends it as if its going out of fashionlol..ive always wondered what on earth would she do if she had to come down to brass tacks and live on a budget.I myself think if you can cook good basic and tasty meals on a shoestring then you are half way there already.There are so many dishes that need very little meat and a lot of veg,and if you use the veg thats in season,well its a good way to do it.Hubby is a meat lover,yet a while ago i mae a `chicken` curry,now the chicken had literally one a sprint through the curry,and it was packed with bits and pieces of allsorts,he sat and declared it was lovely,he could have eaten it twice over!!!The cost of it was just really not a lot more than pence!!!

Making changes like that is difficult for those who are used to a better lifestyle. They don't want to give up their little luxuries even though they must. My tip would be to cut up all the credit cards. I'm so against credit cards at this point it's not funny. Cut them up, pay them off, and never think about them again! If they're currently making 2 car payments, they may want to find a way to get rid of 1 car. Instead of financing or leasing a car they should buy an older model outright so they owe nothing on it. If they have a cellphone AND a homephone, they could get rid of one or the other. They can also shop around for cheaper plans, maybe sign up for an unlimited calling plan so they don't get charged for their minutes. They can get rid of cable TV, you don't really need that. You can borrow movies and CDs from the library for free. Instead of eating out they can buy ingredients to make stuff at home, like pizza. It's cheaper and tastes just as good made at home. I hope that helps. I think I have some more tips on my blog.

1) If your friend has any credit cards, advise her to cut them up and return them. It's too easy to rely on them when you're short, in the hope that your situation will improve later and you can pay them off. Instead, you're more likely to go into a spiral of debt. I wish someone had told me that ten years ago. 2) Switch off lights in rooms that she's not using. 3) When grocery shopping, keep an eye out for bargains. Supermarkets are always promoting loss leaders - two for the price of one etc. One place near me was recently doing a two for slightly less than the price of one offer! Also, things like tins of beans etc. A lot of supermarkets do their own brands, which are usually cheaper and very often just as good as the name brands. Focus on cheap foods, and tot up the price of what you're buying mentally as you shop. I save a pile of money that way.

I guess i would have to say conservation. turn off lights, get energy efficient lightbulbs (they last for a long while and will knock down your electric bill)..stuff like turning offlights when not in use...Unplugging things not in use. Dont cook too much food, make a big enough portion to feed yourself and whoever else lives with ya. Recycle, any plastic bottles, cans or glass bottles you use... cant get alot out of it...but its a good way to get a lil cash...out of the stuff you've already used. all conservation.

Get rid of all unnecessary services - cable or satellite TV an cell phones are the first that come to mind. Quit eating out and do not use convenience foods when cooking at home.

GreenMoo, I forgot to tell you about a program I recently learned about. My sister works with a county in Florida and had flyers printed for her clients after I told her about Angel Food Ministries and she checked it out. For $30, you get about $75 of food! Good stuff, too, from all reports--things like bags of chicken, bacon-wrapped steak, vegetables, fruits, etc. Here is the link: http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ Check to see if they have that in your friend's area. When my mom moves back with me during hurricane season, I'll start ordering from them. Can't pass up that bargain! And they have extra boxes you can buy, such as a box of meat or something, at terrific prices. Hope she can use this or you know someone who can. I don't know how they do it, but everyone I've heard that uses them loves it.

Rather than give you one good tip, here's the link to a discussion I started yesterday that has several websites/newsletters with great information. http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1509887.aspx Hope you (and your friend!) can get something from it.

One of my standby meals is so ridiculously cheap, I can't not put it here. Make spaghetti, I use Angel Hair, but any will do.(Just make whatever portion you are going to eat, its better fresh anyway) Put italian dressing over the noodles and stir until all the noodles are coated. This totally depends on how much pasta you are making, but a serving of pasta(like an actual serving, not whatever the nutrition people think is a serving) shoud take about 3-4 tablespoons of dressing Drizzle Parmesan cheese over the whole thing and stir. You can use real parmesan cheese, but the kind in the plastic jar is actually better. Sometimes, If I'm not lazy I will grill a piece of chicken, cut it up and put in on the pasta. Enjoy! (I'll admit it sounds a little odd, but I've been eating this for about 15 years now!)