How do you cut corners and save money?

I always check around every time it is time to renew the car insurance to get the lowest rate. I shop bulk and at aldi's a lot in order to save money. My husband takes his meals from home to work as much as possible rather then eating out. I shop smart on everything looking for the best deal before buying. I clip coupons and shop sales. I keep the heat down low and shut it off if I leave the house, where warm clothing rather than turn it up. In the summer I only use the AC if absolutely necessary. I pay bills that give a discount for paying in full in full. I have discover to get that cash back as much as possible and pay bills with it just for that extra 1%. Every little bit helps. Finding the lowest cost health insurance plan, internet service, tv services, ect. Cut the phone bill by not having caller id, call waiting, ect.

I allot my money. I have separate envelopes for all my different expenses (e.g. transportation, food, savings,etc). This way, I have an estimate of how much I should spend on those. It works pretty well. Always remember to never forget to set aside money for your savings account, no matter what!

There are certain items [bottle and boxed items] that I regularly use that my local supercenter supplies at a great savings, so I make sure I visit them and stock up. We also have another great local store, that offers meats and prepared dishes that they offer in the early mornings that are reduced 50%, I visit them maybe twice a week to see what is available. Another reason I love this store is because they commission local farmers to produce their meats, which are raised following strict guidelines...SS

I just give myself a spending limit. I give myself 50-75 dollars a week, do grocery shopping in the beggining of the week and if i have extra then i use it to go out to dinner, but never go over my limit

Just like you, when I have to go marketing, I write down a list of necessary items that I need. I try to compare prices from different stores and select the cheapest. I seldom go outings, since it only requires you to spend more for car gas, snacks and little extra spendings here & there. I also recycle, reuse things in the house, even water. Like if I finished washing the clothes, the water will be used to clean the bathroom & some more of it will be used for flushing the toilet everytime somebody uses the bowl, & even effective since it's already with soap. I turned off every electric machine that's not in use. You know water & electric bill is just something you can save too for the long run.

I use coupons i get in the newspaper, pay attention to sales going on, dont eat out much, and overall just try not to spend too much money.

One and most important thing i would suggest you to do to avoid being trapped in debt and to save money is to not to use credit cards. Don't carry it with you if you are going for shopping. Because you will end up buying which you normally don't buy it if you are using cash and hence you could lose money there. You could walk to the nearby store rather than going by car which will save gas as well as its good for health. If you have lots of debts already try to pre-pay it first thing (if you have some money in savings) rather paying EMIs every month, even if they will charge a small amount for that. Because I personally feel that loans and credit cards slowly eat away your hard earned money without your knowing. If you use mobile phones try to limit its usage. You could go for prepaid connection rather than postpaid where you will know the limit per month when to stop or use only sparingly or emergency basis. Keep check of all the bills (electricity, phone, mobile, grocery, etc) you pay and try different ways to cut every month. Do the laundry by your own rather than giving it out for washing and pressing clothes.

I usually but grocery for 2 weeks, spend over $200.00 normaly, sometimes i buy in bulk coz you can save more, at sams club you get a really good deal, I also use coupon, go to www.smartsource.com they had some coupons there that you could really use.

i try and keep the car trips to a minimum. while i'm out doing something i'll run errands so i use less gas. I always reuse the plastic bags they give you in the grocery store for my small bathroom garbage cans. i never buy kleenex, we use napkins instead. you get 500 instead of 150 for 1/2 the price. i only go to the movies when its a matinee show. That is usually 3-5 dollars cheaper. I also have an entertainment book for the area we live in-its filled with buy one get one dinner for free at very nice restaurants. My friends always tease my because i am the coupon queen-but they don't seem to mind when the dinner bill comes!

I find that the dollar stores really help stretch my budget. I know that there can be as much as a dollar savings or more on many items. I also do not just go with name brands. If a product is good and works, then I will use it and take advantage of the savings.

There are a number of little tricks I use to save money. One, I keep very little pocket money. If it is in my pocket, I will probably spend it. If I need to pull out my debit card, I usually don't spend as much. If I pull into a gas station/convienance store, I pay at the pump with my debit card. If I go inside, I will buy a drink and something to snack on. When I enter the amount I spent into my register, I round off the amount. If the charge is 22.34, I put 23.00 in my register. It may only be .66 extra, but over time it does add up. It also serves as a cushion, just in case..... I also buy in bulk. That saves a lot. I pack my lunch, and brew my own coffee. I have been known to walk the 2 miles to work, on nice days. Also, I pick up someone who doesn't have a car, she sometimes buys my gas. (big savings) I suggest keeping track of everything (I mean EVERYTHING) you spend for a month or two, then look at what you can cut back on without makeing a huge difference in your lifestyle. I have only been doing this for a short time, and I can already pay an extra $100.00 a month on my mortgage, which is saving me even more money. WooHoo!!!!

Clipping coupons is good, many stores give double value on them. Also, switching your household lightbulbs over to the energy efficeint ones will save a lot of money in the long run. You can replace a 60 watt bulb with one that only uses 9 watts and still gives you the same amount of light. Imagine switching every bulb in your living area....

Besides a lot of the more common things like shopping dollar stores and using off brands one of the little things that my grandmother taught me was that if you soak a washrag in fabric softner and then throw it in the dryer it stays good for about 30-40 washes. And if you prefer to use the paper fabric softner rip them into 4 strips. You really don't need a full one for it to work.

With insurance, I save hundreds of dollars every year by keeping all of my insurance needs with the one company and i get a multi policy discount on everything..

i categorize my expenses using an envelope. I allocate money for each expenses and put them in the envelope.

I got Net Flix to keep from buying movies. It has helped with that area. I love it and I do not have to worry about late fees or buying gas to get to the video store. I like that aspect.

The gas bar at my super market gives rebates for the grocery store when you buy gas. If you save them yp they actually do save you a bit of money.

I hate shopping. I hate to go to the store for anything. So, I have a list, on the fridge that I write everytime I see that I need something. Before going to the supermarket I review all and add last moment articles. Than I go.... I take the long term articles like Tide, toilet paper, soap etc in big packages. I save money and this article, for long time will not appear om my list. I never counted exactely how much money I save, but I think at leas 100 usd a month.

i know coupons are a very effective way to save money. my mom is way better at it than i am. she once got 6 carts full of groceries for 11 dollars. Thomas Kvamme

I try not to rely too much on 'convenience' foods such as frozen meals and take away. So many of these things you can make yourself at home for a fraction of the cost... and in much healthier ways too! I guess that makes is a double saving as you'll spend less money on doctor's bills and weight watchers ;)