1.  Under no circumstances do not let your husband go to the grocery alone.

2.  Keep the thermostat turned down as far as possible.  I agree, you can always add layers of clothing.

3.  Cut the fast food out as much as possible.  This is a real problem for my husband as he could possibly go into some kind of physical withdrawl.  But I'm working on this.

4.  Buy chocolate after whatever holiday has passed.  I buy a lot and freeze some of it as my husband and grandchildren(especially husband) must have a certain amount every day.

5.  I know this won't count for now but this past summer I've found the grass doesn't have to be cut quite as often as we normally would.  I don't like the yard to look bad but with the cost of gas a little more growth didn't hurt.

6.  I've been working very hard to consoidate errands instead of running out every time I think I need something.  I take my Grandson to school every morning and even though it's very early I really try to stop for whatever I need on the way home.  This does take some thinking the night before since I'm barely concious at that time of the morning.

7.  Making the decision that I don't Need to subscribe to 12 different magazines.

That's my seven I can think of right now.

Susan

Jane:  Absolutely thrift stores.  Recycling is great.  Also I don't think I would ever buy anything not on sale.  Generic brands are fine as long as I've tried them and they are good.  But I'm like you about coffee and tea.  And we consume a great deal, especially coffee.  I usually buy Bigelow tea from the company and buy a case at at a time.  The shipping is very reasonable and works out to be much cheaper than in the grocery.    Back to the thrift stores, I often find new things but even if something of good quality looks new I will applique something on it, maybe change buttons and my daughter usually loves it and she loves the things I do like this for my grandaughter.  We also have a very high quality used book store.  I've found new books many times with very low prices.  Books are one of my vices but I always try to buy used.

Susan

This is one of my favorite subjects! My best friend and I spend countless hours talking about this very subject.  There are lots of great ideas here that I include in my daily life.

Here are a few ideas.

Don't eat out all the time. Make it a special treat for the family. Remember that if you spend $20 a week eating out that adds up to $1040.oo per year. If you cut that down to once a month then the figure is $240.00 a year, plus the family appreciates it more. When you do eat out always drink wter.

Always pack your lunch. If a person spends $5.00 a day on lunch 20 times a month that total is $1200.00 a year. If 2 people are working outside the home, and not packing lunch, that amount doubles. $2400.00 per year. How many groceries will that buy???? Pack your lunch!!!!

Cut down the family's soda consumption. It is much cheaper to make Koolaid, Tea and Coffee. Plus we are cutting down on the amount of garbage sent to the landfills. It may seem tough at first but once you are in the habit of making your family drinks each evening, its easy. I also like the name brand tea, but to make it stretch further I use 5 tea bags per double batch. In each batch 2 of those are off brand. No one notices and I use refillable containers to take in it in my lunch. That means no garbage and no stopping to by a drink that can easily be over a $1 each day.

If something you use on a regular basis is on sale stock up. Don't assume bulk is cheaper. Don't assume that homeade is cheaper. INVESTIGATE. It may take you some time at first but after you know, you know.

NEVER SHOP HUNGRY, and try to shop alone. The kids will always pick up a few items and its hard to say No to food. I always give in.

Wash and reuse plastic bags. UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN USED TO STORE MEAT.

Grow your own anything! This year was the 1st time we grew corn , we use it alot. Another  plus side was that the corn turned into fodershocks, free fall decorations, for us and our family.

This tip is from my Great-Grandmother who raised 11 children. You can strech lots of things with rice and macaronie. Try scambled eggs with macaronie, put some cheese on top and its a hit with the kids. (left over mac and cheese…add eggs)

Take advantage of your local library. Buying books and movies gets expensive, and even renting can add up. You can find all of the latest books and movies available FREE.

My Nanny always washed  laundry in cold water. Your clothes will still come out clean, and your hot water heater won't have to work as hard.

Always by 2nd hand. First and foremost this is a way to reuse (recycle) some great things. This includes clothes and furniture. If there is a local consignment store in your area,  you can take the clothes that are not being worn anymore to the consignment store. You will begin to accumulate a credit at the store. You can get "new" items for FREE with your credit. Buying at a salvation army or good-will in your area you can be assured that the money you spend is being put to good use. Not to mention all the great treasures you can find.

The markup on new furniture is huge. You can get a new couch for $1000 or a pretty used one for $100. That also spills over to our cars. Always buy used cars! The mark-up on vehicles is huge. It is always much cheaper to buy a good used car, even if it is its just a year old.

Recently we decided to sell both family vehicles in order to save on gas. We researched and bought a Honda Civic and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid (used of coarse) We need a 4 wheel drive because of the hills and snow here in WV. So I drove 4 hours away to buy this hybrid. But most of the the time our primary vehicle is the civic. It gets over 40 MPG. AWSOME! And it was only $7,500. We were able pay cash so NO PAYMENT!, even better.

To save at christmas when our extended family gets together. We exchange names. Everyone gets one gift. This saves money and time. I went from buying 15 presents to buying 4 (the number of people in our immediate family).

Take your credit cards and put them in a safe place in your home, Your wallet is not a safe place! It’s easy to spend using them. If you can't afford to pay cash for it. You can't afford it.  Emergencies only and online purchases that can be paid that same month!

Cut your families hair. With practice, you can make it look good! Just add up what you spend in a year on that alone. Now send that savings to your credit cards, they will finally get paid off since you are not using them.

Make your own cleaning products! Laundry soap, Windex… Bathroom cleaner…. The list is endless and it saves money. Not to mention the chemicals you are sparing your family being exposed to.

After shaving put petroleum jelly on your razor. That will keep it from rusting.

We love to camp, and that is a great way to take weekend trips for alot less. Plus its a great way to spend time with eachother and see your local area. WV is beautiful with the mountains and lakes. And so is alot of other places. Camping usually costs us $25 a day at the most!

I hope this helps! Good luck, and spend wisely!!!!!!

I can't cut hair either.  DH cuts ds's hair, but we have a college here in town that has a cosmetology program.  We can go and get our hair cut cheap.  The director of the program checks everyone out before they leave to check and make sure  you like the result.