1. Prepare more meals from raw ingredients

2. Look for programs that require proofs of purchase. Collect them for nearly free items.

3. Ask the fish department if they could give you a break on the price. It is surprising how generous they are. This is highly effective later in the evening.

4. Call the 800 numbers on the back of your favorite products or write them. They send all kinds of stuff. Remember to leave compliments.

5. Find coupons online.

6. Skip shopping from time to time to use up the extras already in your cabinets.

7. Watch the price scanners at the register and check your receipts. They make mistakes.

8. Make your own salad dressing. The recipes are in any cookbook.

9. Learn to quarter a whole chicken or start buying chicken parts with the skin on that you can remove. Skinless chicken is high priced. Sometimes it is better to buy boneless if that is what you need. Compare by pound.

10. Grow your own herbs.

11. Reduce your meat portions, have a vegetarian day.

12. Try the store brands.

13. Avoid prepared foods.

14.Compare deli prices with prepackaged deli items.

15. Do not buy nonfood items at the grocery store.

16. Make a grocery list and stick to it.

17. Do not shop on a hungry stomach or you will end up buying more goodies then normal.

18. Pay attention of unit prices. Most grocery stores have them calculated next to the price.

19. Keep visits to the grocery store short and sweet. The more time you spend in the store, the more money you will spend, that's what they want.

20. Cut out those sodas and drink more water.

21. Buying in larger quantities but make sure that you purchase the item with the most shelf life left. Milk is a good example.

22. Buy items when they are in season such as fruits and vegetables.

23. Buying items in bags is not always the best deal. Weigh out an individual of the same and compare the difference per lb. with the bag.

24. Give up getting sodas in cans. Plastic bottles are the better payoff.

25. Brown eggs are no different than white but they do cost more.

26. Take your lunch to work.

27. Stay away from vending machines, especially at work.

28. Take a thermos to work to refill with water or bring it filled with your favorite coffee or tea.

29. Be prepared and have things stored so you don't have to run to the store.

30. Use up all the things in the freezer. Saves money & also rotates all the stock. Means freezer can be cleaned out & defrosted.

31. Date items placed in freezer.

32. Use stale bread for French toast, croutons, crumbs, strata, bread salad, bread pudding.

33. Buy herbs by the ounce.

34. Make your own spice mixes from herbs and spices bought in bulk.

35. Start a freezer inventory and plan meals directly from the freezer.

36. Search the cupboards before going to the grocery store.

37. Always check the cost per oz, per pound, serving, etc.

38. Look for generic vitamin supplements, C is C and Iron is Iron.

1. Many stores have the "We will match any price plus 10%" policy. Use this for big-ticket items. You will have to ask.

2. What did consumers use before the "new and improved" came out. Think about this before your make the purchase.

3. If you are not fussy about your haircut, look at beauty schools for hair cuts. They have Saturday appointments and they are inexpensive.

4. Check out rebate programs at drug stores. There are many "free after rebate" items.

5. Check out the rebate coupons just beyond the cash registers at computer and office supply stores.

6. Buy holiday gifts all year around and label them so you don't forget who you bought them for.

7. Buy items after season for better prices.

8. Do not throw away anything that you can donate for a receipt.

9. Save an empty bottle of hand soap and when you buy a new bottle, split it up and delute it by half with water. It works the same and last twice as long.

10. Visit companies on the internet, fill out their questionnaires, guestbooks and surveys.

11. Send a small donation ($1.00) to charities and get free address labels. This will also get you on their mailing list. As they try to make you a member, they send all kinds of free stuff.

12. If you like a product, go to their web address, call, or write and ask to be put on their mailing list.

13. Stop subscribing to magazines and newspapers. Use the internet.

14. Get rid of cable TV.

15. Do not pay ATM fees. Grocery stores will let you write a check for over the amount. Cards that access your checking account directly can also be used to take out money at a grocery store without a fee.

16. Do the yard work and landscaping yourself unless your time is worth more than what you will pay the landscapers.

17. Ask your neighbor for help and pay him back later

18. Spend time to wash your own car or get the kids to do it.

19. Everything goes on sale, just be patient.

20. You do not always have to buy something when you go shopping. Get in the habit of just looking.

21. Make a budget for something that you plan to buy and stick with it.

22. Don't forget to check out the newspaper for deals on furniture.

23. With higher ticket items, try bargaining with the vendor.

24. Plan on buying major purchases at the end of the month or at the end of the quarter. This is when the vendors have to meet quotas.

25. Consider purchasing the floor model.

26. Avoid impulse spending. Always take a day or two to think it over.

27. Compare mail order prices with in store prices.

28. Never shop at the last minute. The sales clerks see your sense of urgency.

29. Compare the sales tax difference from county to county. On big items, this can add up to hefty savings.

30. Join a buying club. You can make up the difference on one purchase for the cost of the membership.

31. Buy in bulk quantities only if you think that you will use it all, and of course, if you really need it.

32. Buy items off-season such as cards and clothing. This works with items that you know that you will definitely buy anyway.

33. Do not fall for advertisements that give gifts with the purchase of a certain item. Usually you would not have bought the item to start with.

34. Return purchases that do not live up to your expectations.

35. When you buy something and find out later that you do not need it, return it. You will end up giving it away years later anyway.

36. Get furniture that requires some assembly. It is less expensive and it usually simple to assemble.

37. Never pay for someone from a computer store to assemble a new computer. Everything is color coded with step-by-step instructions so do it yourself.

38. Do not get a new computer unless you are sure you need one.

39. Use half of the fabric softener sheet in the dryer instead of the whole 1one. The clothes will still smell great and the sheet will still eliminate the static electricity.

40. If you want antibacterial just use a little bleach and water.

41. Wash the kitchen sponge in the dishwasher to deodorize and sanitize it.

42. If you have a shower door, get a squeegee to cut down on the accumulation of soap.

43. Wipe down the shower when you get out to avoid spending so many cleaners later on.

44. Wash plastic shower curtains when you wash the car.

45. Try to dry 2 loads one right after another because the dryer will already be heated up from the first load and will take less time to dry.

46. Look into buying all white towels instead of colored ones. This way you can use regular bleach instead of detergents that protect against discoloring and fading.

47. Use an apron in the kitchen so there is not a possibility of ruining good clothes.

48. Fold the clothes immediately out of the dryer to save on ironing which also eats up electricity.

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