A few ways to save money   

I don't buy music, I alays get my soda t the supermarket and try to only buy it when it's on sale, I have a filter at home so never buy bottled water and the coffee I make at home tastes better than the crap at D&D or Starbucks, so I am good there, but if you'd like to learn how to cook one chicken and get 4 separate meals to feed your entire family, I'll be happy to fill you in. I am also the casserole master. Any big dinner I cook on Sunday will feed us for most of the week because I concoct a different dish every night to use the leftovers in. I even figured out how to fry left over homemade soup!

The pop and the coffee are big ones for alot of people.
I think those save money if they are things you do alot.
Other things are:

Take a lunch to work rather than going out. If you forget one rather than going to a restaurant run to a grocery store and grab some sandwich makings - its cheaper and u get more for the same price youd pay at a resturant.

Buy packs of gum and such in bulk - they cost less per pack then

Make sure you have the $$ in your account before writing a cheque so theres no overdraft charges and nsf charges.

Rent movies rather than buying them

rather than buy packs of 6 bottles you could buy 12 cans of pop for about a dollar or two more and save even more money.

if you are big on chips - buy a big bag of chips for 2.50 and put the chips into snack sized baggies rather than paying 1.29 for a small bag of chips. You get more out of it and in the end it costs less.

Great post! I was just thinking about how much money we could have saved this weekend. Money is tight and is the biggest stress in my life with the economy right now. But on a trip this weekend, instead of making coffee in the hotel room, we went to Starbucks every morning. Although I used my gift card, we still spent over 30 dollars for the 3 days getting beverages there in the morning. What a waste....even though it tastes sooo good. LOL.

That's the thing you have to really think about when you want to splurge on something. I have been repeating a mantra in my head everyday:

Is this thing that I'm going to get a WANT or a NEED?

Do I really need this thing or can I get something like it cheaper? Can I buy it in bulk and split the costs and items with my friend? Can I make this thing and do it for cheaper? Do I have a coupon for it (still working on making sure that the coupons are with me each time I shop).

Plus I have been getting rid of all the things that I don't NEED in my house. I have so many clothes and books. Amazon is a good way to sell things and if you want to buy something....get it used. What is wrong with buying a book that has already been read but is in perfectly readable condition.

Getting rid of most of my extra and outdated items has made me realize that the more stuff you have the more time that you have to invest taking care of them or the more room. Meaning I could downsize a lot of things, which keep my costs lower.

For music....my friends and I had a Pampered Chef music party and we got rid of the old cds that we had already stored on our computer and mp3 player. So why take up space with it? The entrance to the party was bringing 3 music cds and your favorite recipe. We got to use the products and learn cheap and easy recipes to do.

One of the girls gave me a recipe for a really healthy iced tea. It was sooo delicious. Instead of buying beverages when I go out I just bring a travel cup with a secure lid and it stays in my purse while I shop. When I'm thirsty I just take it out of my purse and drink....no need to find a machine and buy an over priced beverage.

Good luck to you fellow penny pinchers...we will all make it through this rough economy if we all share our ideas. So keep posting!!!

plan your meals ahead of time. make your grocery list ahead of time and stick to it. dont go grocery shopping on an empty stomach and watch your hubby's teeth, all that sugar is certainly not good for them!

Hi ebsharer, thanks a lot for all those tips . I have a simple and healthy way of saving money.I walk almost everywhere now. I walk to the market and to the bank and offices. It is a great way to save money.It has also helped me loose weight .
Another way i am saving money is by cooking at home. We have cut down on eating out and i am giving packed lunch for my daughter, which is definitely healthier and cheaper..

It's the bottled water one that I think makes the most sense. We spend so much money on water when it comes basically free out of the tap!
I have been refilling my bottles for a while, and it saves a couple of $s each week as I don't have to buy more bottles every week, but I might start filtering every day like you suggest.
I have also started taking coffee to work in a flask with me if I need to, rather than pay the prices for their coffee machines!

I buy a big bag of chips at the grocery store and then bag thenm up at home. Saves me .75-$1.00 a day when i want a snack at work.

I buy my cokes in the 24 case and take them to work.

I make a little extra every night at dinner so I can take left overs to work the next day.

I always look for coupons, freebies, etc. to maximize savings.

I go to one of those damaged good stores for certain items, and I also only shop thrift stores until I am out of debt.

When I get gift cards to Wal mart I only use it at the gas pump....for that extra savings.

I'm sure there is more that I do, but those are my main ones. The most money saving ideas are the chips rebagged and the leftover lunches. I save loads doing things this way.

I spend alot of time at home and online. We only know how to live on a budget. We always have. We find ways to pinch here and there. Sometimes, we pay in advance for our internet service, when available. We also visit product websites like Dove, Nestle, Pillsbury, etc. These websites offer great recipes and other little goodies that are useful at home and affordable. Also, every two to three months, they send booklets in the mail with coupons and sometimes samples. The coupons work well for us because it is difficult to find stores in our area that take the ones that you print from home. Another way we save money and get free samples is by signing up at word of mouth/sampling websites like Bzzagent.com You don't get paid but every so often, they will send something for you to try based on your profile. I just finished sampling some diet mountain dew. Sometimes you may get make-up, snack crackers etc. to try. Another way to save money and invest in the future is to join Upromise. You can earn money that goes into a fund to help pay for your future education or current loans or that of someone else that you know. This is great if you already are maxing out the plastic in your wallet. Another idea to save money is to visit websites like cellfire or something similar. We link our store loyalty cards and phone numbers and are set. To make things even better, the websites have great privacy policies and customer service when you need it. I know these work for me because I have been doing many of these things for several years. I hope they can help someone else out as well.

Wow, you have some good suggestion. That will help me too.

I myself still live with my parents. I do this to reduce my expenses:

1. I bring a meal to my office, my mother made me
2. Usually i go to watch movie at cinema three times a month, now only once or twice
a month
3. Only if you had to, buy food in the store or food court, not in restaurant or
fastfood store. It'll save your money
4. if you had both car and motorcycle, go to your office by motorcycle, reduce
gasoline consumption and time.

Well, that's what i do. I could save more than $100 a month. Any other suggestion?

I think these are all very nice way to save money. But in all the above mentioned fields we save money. we do not spend on so much cold drinks, coffees etc.