I use Skoy reusable paper towels instead of regular ones, and it has really cut down on buying paper towels.

Shop around for auto insurance every so often. I just saved a TON of money by switching.

Do your own nails and hair dye.

I don't see why cable can't be on the chopping block. With Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu+, I just don't see why you'd pay for a cable package. Find the online provider who carries the shows you want and use that - $10/month. With Prime, we do so much Amazon shopping anyway, the live streaming is just a bonus for us. We'd have the account either if they didn't offer live streaming to go with it.

In other realms, I don't think there are any secrets when it comes to savings. Pick a home, or find a place to rent, at 20% or less of your take home income (after taxes, health premiums, retirement contributions) and if that means going to the burbs to be comfortable, do it. Once you're in the burbs, you've got lower cost childcare - use those $1k/month or less licensed options instead of a nanny. Cook, eat at home, get freezer meals stocked for nights when you would have otherwise done take out.

We do get crazy cheap produce through our farm share and we save a few hundred a year on diapers by using cloth, but that's all peanuts compared to the thousands we have in budget flexibility because we're at peace with living in the burbs and not using daycare in the middle of downtown DC. We're also a one car family, but getting a second one wouldn't really make or break what we already have going since we get simple cars and don't drive into work - the cars are for weeknight errands and weekend use.

Eat seasonally and by the sale flyer. Know grocery prices for 10-20 staples your family likes and keep the latest prices in your phone or a card in your purse so you know if you're getting a deal. Make a list and shop from it - no extras.

Stock up on certain things from certain stores. We find box soup and frozen fruit is cheapest at TJs, canned coconut milk is cheapest at WF, produce is cheapest at shoppers. Produce and dairy we need every week, but meat and grains and sauces we stock up by rotating stores.

1) Drop one car- if you only have one consider doing Zip car instead.
2) Set thermostat 2' higher in summer and 2' lower in winter. Do it again next year.
3) Don't have a smart phone. Get a pay as you go phone for $25 and use it for text or talk - no internet.
4) Eat at home and bring in leftovers for lunch the next day
5) Don't buy packaged cereals. Make your own granola or just have oatmeal.
6) Have potlucks when you entertain at home
7) Use linen napkins
8) walk more, take metro more, drive less- plan your trips in the most efficient way.
9) grow an herb garden
10) Buy fewer clothes and shoes
11) Drop your cable
12) Buy groceries based on sales, stop buying processed and cook yourself, use that bread maker, use that crock pot.
13) Eat more plants and less meat
14) Dye your own hair or don't dye it anymore.

Use ebates and fatwallet for all Internet shopping and get some % money back.
Gas up at Costco (husband and I trade cars so he can gas mine up too since he works near one and I dont)
I buy fruit pretty much only in season or on sale. We don't eat grapes except for two weeks a year when they go on sale. - we still eat fruit just not the fancy kinds (berries etc)

Shop Asian markets for vegetables. We do at least one vegetarian dinner a week - could be all be or breakfast (eggs) for dinner.
Definitely get prescriptions online home delivery so there's only one co pay for 3 months of meds.

Meal plan
Buy toys from thrift stores
Send your kids to DPR camps ($50 a week)
Buy furniture on Craigs List
Sell furniture on Craigs List
Ditto baby and kid stuff that you no longer need
Use Capital Bike share to cycle to work ($75 a year)

We have a 1 gallon container that we use for change - when its full we take it to our credit union's coin counter and deposit the money (usually a few hundred dollars) into our vacation savings account. We've taken some really awesome trips using this method

Unsubscribe or un "like" all tempting shopping sites. As soon as I stopped getting daily YAY GILT sales in my inbox, my shopping dropped off drastically.

Take a hard look at how much you're paying for Internet access.

When you use cash, save all the extra $1 bills and put them aside in an envelope. Every few weeks we usually have at least $20, but I wait until it's at least $50 to do anything with it. Right now we're at $86 in about 5 months, and are currently deciding what to do with it. I've always done this.

Keep all loose change in a coin jar and once it's full, take it to Navy Federal or another bank that will roll it and deposit with no fees, or go to Coinstar and use the Amazon gift card option for redemption (no fees).

Anonymous wrote:1. Call the cable service and let them know that you would like to reduce your cable bill and are looking to downgrade or switch to a less expensive plan. They will usually either reduce the price of existing plan or offer an alternative plan.
2. Spend less time shopping/buy less stuff, even if it is on sale.
3. When you buy something nonessential, ask if you would pay twice as much for it. If not, consider not buying it.
4. Bring lunch from home and/or less Starbucks.
5. Amazon subscribe and save and warehouse deals.

love this idea! i think sometimes we buy things just because they're on sale.

Cut your cell phone plan. Many people are paying way too much money for cell phones.

You can get services with limited talk minutes, unlimited text and data access for as little as $35/month. You can get unlimited talk, text, data for even an iPhone for as little as $50/month. Even in a family, you can get 2 phones for $100 or less. I know of plenty of people who are paying $180 or even over $200 for 2 iPhones.

1. Call the cable service and let them know that you would like to reduce your cable bill and are looking to downgrade or switch to a less expensive plan. They will usually either reduce the price of existing plan or offer an alternative plan.
2. Spend less time shopping/buy less stuff, even if it is on sale.
3. When you buy something nonessential, ask if you would pay twice as much for it. If not, consider not buying it.
4. Bring lunch from home and/or less Starbucks.
5. Amazon subscribe and save and warehouse deals.

Couponing does not have take all day, you might just add couple of steps to your regular shopping prep and save quite a bit of money. It's worth checking couple of sites before you're heading out to stocking up on the deals in Target: target.com, coupons.com, smartsourse.com, redlum.com. Print, cut and go
I also take advantage of Giant gas point program - check if any gift cards offers available, right now you can buy Amex card and receive 5x in gas points. So, buy 500 gift card, pay 5.95 fee, get $2.5 off gallon of gas. Easy, painless saving. I always check they buy x products get YYY points deals section too.

For cable - we switch between competitors every once in a while (or threaten current provider to do so), and we always have promo rate.

Similar threads have gone to extremes: no cable, clipping coupons all day, only eating rice & beans. I'm not desperate but still interested in tips for saving money easily, while still enjoying life!
For example, tips on how to reduce the cable bill are welcome.

A few of mine:
- Chase Freedom card-- we get ~$80/month back
- Using DC's 529 to get a state income tax credit
- Stocking up on buy 1/get 1 deals at Target, Giant, and Babies R Us