to avoid dry cleaning, sometimes a cheap steamer can freshen up these items...especially if you are bad like me and don't hang them up right after wearing them.

Here are two other things that I HEARD work to get you more for your buck at the pump. NOTE: I haven't fact checked any of it but I've noticed a change in how often I have to fill up: 1. Go in the morning. I read something about the density diffence of cold vs warmer gasoline. In the end you get a higher volume of gas in your tank. 2. Pump SLOW! Pumps have a safety mechanism that pulls the vapors from your tank. The only problem is that if that gas has been allowed to settle it would have turned back in to gas. By pumping the gas slower you create fewer fumes and get all of the gas you paid for.

The switching gas grades can be bad for some cars though. Check your owners manual before you use this suggestion.

if you need 411...call 1-800-FREE-411...it takes a little longer but it works!

Text Google at "Googl"(46645). It's free and I get a response in seconds usually.

I had the same insurance company for 12 years (since I got my license!) but decided to shop around when my fiance and I realized how much we were going to be spending each month for our two vehicles and my mortgage. I checked with my bank and we are now saving $130 PER MONTH on our insurance rates. And it will be even more savings when we get married!!

If you own a house, paying a crew to mow the lawn is very expensive. If you can have them mow it every other weekend, you are saving yourself huge amount of money. I find that I actually like doing it now, gets me outside in nature :)

you can also dial 1-800-call-411 for free 411.

I love the 'Dryel' Kit, works great!

You can also use 1-800-Free-411 for directory assistance if you don't want to text. It's automated but very accurate. I have it saved in my contacts and use it any time I don't have access to a phone book.

Definitely agree with the water faucet filter as opposed to bottled water... MUCH cheaper and better for the environment since most people will just throw away the non- biodegradable plastic bottle instead of recycling it!!! And it is true... pumping gas in the cooler part of the day allows you to get more of the gas you're paying for due to it being denser when cooler! (ie on the way to work in the morning instead of after work in the afternoon in the hot part of the day when your car has been baking in the sun all day long)

These are so common sense...it is almost insulting.

how about switching to compact flourescent lightbulbs (the twisted ones) from incandescent? This may cost more up front, but they use a fraction of the energy of standard lightbulbs and last way longer. If you plug things like TVs and computers into power strips and turn off the power strip when you're not using them it'll save lots of electricity (they still use electricity unless you do this or unplug them from the wall!). Also, keeping your thermostat warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter, even by a few degrees, will help a lot. Not only are these all good for your wallet, but they are all good for the environment too!

Heaven Forbid I stop doing any of these things! I do ALL of them and it doesn't save me a dime. I don't know an American who isn't trying to save cash and who doesn't do these things. Nothing new here! I just wasted my time... and electricity reading this. If I didn't do all of this I couldn't feed my family. So much for 150 bucks in my pocket... it's in our tummies! And still in debt. The only one I don't do is the dry cleaning thing. I don't own anything nice enough to have a "Dry Clean Only" tag in it! LOL! So I feel like I REALLY cut the costs there lol!

I work for an electric company in Oregon, and this answer is BOGUS! Those small space heaters are not cost effective, they actually increase your bill quite a bit. Just close doors into rooms your not using and put a towel to stop the drafts.

You SHOULD buy premium gas, it may save you per gallon but you get better gas mileage using it so in the long run it's better.

Well I already do these, except the space heater which can actually end up costing you more money if you have an open spaced house. I also clip coupons. Skip dry cleaning all together and never buy bottle water. Guess I wont be saving money. good adivce for the most part though

Some of these tips are misguided. If you transfer your balances from high interest cards to a new lower of 0% interest card you are risking your credit score. Opening new cards and transferring balances can make it plummet if you do it regularly. Same with department or specialty store only credit cards. Each new one you open is an automatic deduction of 5 points from your overall score. So it isn’t really worth it to save “15% on your first purchase” today and then work for years to rebuild your credit. Also, downloading movies and music for "free" online through a torrent like Limewire is illegal, also known as copyright infringement. They’ve been prosecuting a slew of people for that as of late, especially for the music. I’d rather shell out .99 per song on something like iTunes than risk paying huge fines, serving time in jail or being on probation. Or better yet, you can still listen to the radio or Pandora.com for free.

I know this may be hard for some, but my husband and I moved about a month ago. With the move we knew we would have lots of unpacking to do, a few rennovations, the holidays coming up, etc. and well we decided to go without cable for awhile. This is saving us $70.00 a month. We still have the internet and infact we have found out we can watch 99% of our favorite TV shows online through different websites. We aren't big sports fans, but for those of you who are and can't miss the big game; you could turn game day into a date to some place that has it on the big screen, or even use it as an excuse to go see your buddies at there place! Incase you are not a fan of watching TV on a small computer screen there are also converter hookups available for less than $10 to hook your computer up to the TV (some newer TVs already have the correct ixtensions to make the TV your computer monitor). We are heading into month two and so far we don't really miss the cable, infact we find ourselves much more productive without it :)

Not sure I agree with the heating bill. Yes, blocking drafts with cut down on your natural gas or oil usage. BUT using a space heater all the time to compensate for the lower thermostat....up goes your electric bill. (I used to work for an electric company)

never use 411 again. call 1-800-free-411. you have to sit thru about a 15 sec ad but it's free and they'll direct dial you to the number or text the number to your phone. Great free service!

I've tried this before and can tell you that not all credit card companies are willing to drop the int rate.

Try www.shop4freebies.com - They have a list of companies offering free samples. Laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, dog treats, pads/tampons, even perfume and lotion samples. They also offer restaurant coupons too! Also most of the samples come with coupons for the product so if you like it you can buy it at a discounted price!

Try an insulated blanket for your hot water heater. You'll be surprised how many fewer times it will kick on to heat the tank. I agree with the faucet water filter-- or better yet, put a filter on an incoming water pipe (from street, well, etc)

PegasusLady has a great point--most of us have already done these and STILL need to save more money. My DH and I don't have a TV, watch free hulu on our laptop, buy groceries in bulk once month, and still have trouble saving money. We both work, and we are both college educated. Any other ideas?

You can also get rid of cable... If you have netflix and or the internet what's the need? Most of my fav shows I can watch online and I can get my shotime and HBO shows when they come out on bluray through netfix... We have 2 laptops and our computer tower hooked up to the TV for better viewing size.

regarding the gas tip - most gas stations have "volume-corrected" to a certain temperature so the time of day you choose to fill up is moot. It says so right on the pump. I found these suggestions to be unhelpful. My common sense already told me to do these things

good

My husband and I do not have cable at all. It's saving us anywhere from $70-$100 a month. We're on a family plan with his family and it's saving us $40-$80 a month. We don't have a single credit card, which is saving us probably thousands a month; we pay for everything in cash/debit/check card. We also have our bills drafted out of our account. Also, we unplug appliances that we are not currently using because that saves energy. Furthermore, we have energy efficient w/d and our water bill is only $14 a month! Our gas bill is even lower than that! AND our electric bill is lower than $90! Neither of us have car payments, and our vehicles are older, our insurance for that is also lower than $90 a month. We also go on cheap, but amazing dates! For instance, our town has a $1 theatre for movies that have just come out! After the movies show in the big $20-$30 theatre for a few months, they move to the $1 theatre--we can wait till they get there and have as just a good time at the cheap theatre! :) Hope these help. Honestly, if you are willing to make lifestyle changes, it can save you THOUSANDS of dollars.

I tried using a lower octane in my vehicle, since it requires 91 and I was paying for 93 because there were no stations near my home that sell 91. Turns out I ended up getting better MPG using the higher octane, so in the long run I was spending less money on the higher octane less frequently.

NEVER,NEVER, NEVER share a home internet connection with anybody other than your spouse. That's a case of ID theft just waiting to happen! Also, make sure your personal wireless network is secure and password protected, so people can't surreptitiously log on without your knowing.

beckyhelene, I was waiting for somone to offer that advice. I canceled my cable and went to netflix for $13.00 a month and saved almost $100! Most TV shows you can watch on the network websites. I never miss my cable and get so much more done when I'm at home.

I can cut my grocery bill in half my using coupons matched up with in store sales. I find the match ups on www.southernsavers.com. That website is awesome! Also, I use websites like groupon.com, eversave.com and livingsocial.com for gifts & date nights. A little planning ahead saves a lot! Happy Savings!

Like the article says, I realized I was paying too much for my cell phone on stuff that I don't even need. That's why I switched to Net10. I prepay for minutes, so I only pay for what I need. And there's no contract so also no overage fees. Definitely worth a look if you feel you are paying too much for your cell bill.

When my husband lost his job, we did some major searching for ways to save money. Here’s our most useful: Only use your own banks atm’s to save on out of network fee’s ($6 a pop for us), Stopped renting movies and reduced my NetFlix account to the lowest unlimited membership they had (only $8 a month), Reduced our cable bill by eliminating unnecessary channels (HBO alone was costing $16 a month!), We upped the deductibles on our car insurance to reduce our monthly bill (risky incase anything happens but cheaper in the meantime to get us through), use www.retailmenot.com to find online shopping coupons for almost any site, negotiated with our credit cards for lower interest rates and higher credit lines (2 out of 3 agreed), started going to Planned Parenthood for my birth control (saves me $50 a month), sat down with Verizon Wireless to make sure we didn’t have any unnecessary minutes or costs in our plan (saved us $20 a month). Hope that help some.

My husband and I use an app on our computer and iphones called "ynab" (you need a budget) It is about $60 for the computer app and $10 for the phone but it has been a miracle. It links with any of your bank accounts and you can make budget folders for every little thing you spend money on. We even have folders for eyebrow threading and vacation money, along with groceries, toiletries, gas, bills, credit card payments, etc. I work in the fashion industry so shopping is a big part of my life, by giving myself an allowance every month it helps me use discernment for my purchases and not drain our bank account! YNAB has been a life saver, every time you make a purchase you log it in the app on your phone, say we had a budget of $200 for groceries this month and I spent $50 at target, after I log it the app will show me that I have $150 left for the month. That helps me make better choices at the grocery store, use coupons and save money. At the end of the month we put whatever is left over in some of our budgets and put it into our savings for our house folder. Every night we sync up our phones with the computer and every time we have money go into our account we split it up between the folders, and we always make sure that we have enough money to pay our billsand tithes before putting money into our entertainment or eating out folders. Another huge way we save money is at costco. It is worth the $50 annual fee. I have started buying things in bulk that we can always have on hand. And they have great coupons every month!! Also you can buy two movie tickets for $15.99, that saves us about $8. I like to keep those on hand so that if we are just itching to go out and do something we never have to pay full price at the theater. Also groupon and livingsocial are amazing for eating out deals or date ideas! My husband bought me a $1,200 laser hair removal package for $125 for my birthday.

Use coupons!! We save hundreds every week. I used to HATE doing the shopping when we needed laundry detergent, toilet paper, soap, shampoo & conditioner, razors, etc. Now, we pay almost nothing for them (and when stacked with the right sales, we actually get paid to buy these things)! I don't understand why more people don't do this-- it is so simple! -Coupon Junkies www.couponjunkies.net www.facebook.com/couponjunkies

We've already cut these 10 bills...rather basic and disappointing article...

want a REAL tip on saving? Get things you need and share things you don't for FREE - www.freecycle.org Let's all do our part and keep things in use longer!

RE: Premium Gas. Someone below mentioned lightly but yes please do be aware that even if lower-octane gas does not harm your car it does get lower gas mileage if your car was made for Premium. It evens out to no savings in the end...but I guess it might make you feel better to see a lower number on the pump (I honestly do it just for that reason!) Another saving tip (from a girl who does everything to save so I can use the money for fun!) Use cold water for laundry whenever it's not too dirty, it doesn't make a difference in the cleanliness but it does in your power bill. Also, obvious but many forget, use generic store brand or WalMart for everything that tastes similar and definitely any household product like soap, detergent, rubber gloves, etc. And reuse your grocery bags for EVERYTHING imaginable if you still get plastic grocery bags... dog poo pick-up to save on dog poo bags, lunches for work, double bag and tie to use as a ziplock, small trash can bags, etc. Absolutely replace cable with Netflix, it'll save you tons and it's a great system, and instead of paying for TiVo, download Mythbuntu MythTV on a desktop computer and connect it to your TV! It's free!

Another good tip on gas prices is to fill up your tank on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Prices are usually down a few cents. Avoid if possible filling up between Thursday afternoons until Monday mornings. Some gas stations will also give discounts if you pay with cash. Also check your gas stations to see if you can get discount prices with a grocery store savings card. Shell gas stations will with a Kroger card. I saved $0.10/gal last night with my Kroger plus card!

Trust me, after many tank fulls of gas, premium fuel will pay for itself. I had/have a Mazda, VW and Audi and you make up in mileage the extra cost and then some.. This is poor advice.

We canceled cable (kept internet) and signed up for netflix and saved $70.00 a month. The live streaming through the wii gives you hundreds of movies and reruns of great shows. For our current episodes of our favorites (gray's anantomy, private practice and more) we get them for free on hulu.com (and for 7.99/mo you can get them in HD)!!

This article is making me not want to read your stuff anymore. I wasn't born yesterday, I've heard this all before... I agree, it's insulting. Wasted my time.

Old dirty tennis shoes can be washed (with cold water!) in the washer and left to air dry. They look (and smell!) like new!

follow #GoodDeedoftheDay on Twitter to learn how to get happy without STUFF and how to save money and do good at the same time. For example, try CREDO mobile and Better World Club instead of AAA.

I started to ride my bike 2 miles to and then from work. It adds some time to my commute, but it is definitely worth the savings in gas and even parking as well. My cell phone bill was weighing me down as well so I switched to a basic prepaid plan, Net10, and now I pay for only what I need. It's nice to have that extra exercise in the morning and that extra cash in my pocket.

An even better way to save on electric bills...unplug anything and everything when you're not using it!! 75% of energy used by appliances and electronics, etc. is when they are off but still plugged in! We unplug everything except the fridge and stove when we aren't here. We have an apt, but only pay about $45 a month for electricity! Plus it helps the environment!

If you don't know this stuff, then you either have too much money and don't need to care or you are just an idiot, tell me something that actually is useful

Another way to save a little is ordering from Amazon.com and use their subscribe and save program. It gives you an additional 15% off if you select to have an item automatically sent to you every 1,2,3, or 6 months. However if you need it sooner you can still order it and get the discount. This is available for a variety of products from grocery to laundry to baby products.

This tips is very useful. You should use them in your life. Also you can read term paper about saving your money.

With the whole gas thing.. with my car, using premium actually saves me money. The extra 20-40 cents I spend extra per gallon... I get better mileage when I use premium and save that a couple times over. Of course, this could depend on your car. Some cars are made to burn premium gas more efficiently, and using low octane can also cause you get to get build up in your engine due to incomplete combustion, which in turn makes you get even worse gas mileage. Also, never wait til your tank is empty to fill up. It puts stress on your fuel pump and can make it malfunction, and boom your stuck with hundreds in repair costs.

These really didn't help me. I already do this plus more. We never eat out, make our own cleaning products and use things sparingly (paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, etc). For a while we even used candles instead of turning on the lights at night. Our electric bill was $25 that month haha

If you live near a water company like I do, you can get 5gallon jugs of water for $.50 and then just buy one of those water holders for like 50 bucks, it beats spending 3.99 for those 24 packs of water for not even 3 gallons of water. You can see how much you can save in a year.

I really wish someone could come up with some new ideas on how to cut costs. Ive done all of these tips my whole life.