K. - Thanks for posing this question - I am always looking for these kinds of tips. Here's what I'm doing (although I have a great job and good pay, I'm very tight due to fertility treatment costs):
1. Get any kid gifts from Freecycle.org - this is a free Web site, where you type in your ZIP code and register for listservs in your area where people give away stuff they don't want. It's great - keeps stuff out of landfills and gets stuff to people who need it. For Xmas, I got about 40 gifts from freecyclers. All like brand new - stuffed animals, purses, jewelry boxes, picture frames, books. I didn't spend a cent!
2. Check the Illinois unclaimed money site from the Illinois treasurer's office: http://www.treasurer.il.gov/programs/cash-dash/Owner/Owne... - I was on there yesterday and although I didn't find any for me, I found money owed to my deceased grandfather, my grandmother, my deceased great aunt and my younger brother.
3. If my boss takes me out to lunch, I always get something big that will last two meals and take half home for dinner.
4. When my company has staff lunches there is always leftover food, I will put some away for lunch the next day or take some home for dinner.
5. I shop at resale shops. I recently got some like new socks for .25 each and got some clothes for my nieces b-days that were like new but cost between $1.50 and $4 a piece for shirts.
6. Dominicks has a great clearance meat section. When meats are reaching their expiration dates, they mark down the prices very cheap. I recently got some ground beef for .99/lb. and some chuck roast for 1.99/lb. Then I just freeze them.
7. Spring Brook Market on Geneva Road has the cheapest produce and deli prices around. You can get cheeses sometimes for $1.99/lb!
8. Check out Craigslist.com - they have a free section where people give stuff away, they also have a barter section where you can get someone to trade you goods or services for something you have to offer and people sell stuff there cheap. In October, I bartered my 99 Escort in exchange for a painter to paint my house and garage exterior. (i'd bought my grams' old car.)
9. Coupon clipping is always helpful. At my job, we created a coupon bowl where people can put coupons they don't want and get coupons they need. You could do this at a church or anywhere.
10. Sign up for Mary Hunt's Cheapskate newsletter at www.debtproofliving.com - people give great tips there for saving money.
11. More home cooking - trying to have more prepared meals so during the week I have stuff made and am not tempted to eat out, order pizza, pick up Chinese food, etc.
12. I have a boarder - I'm single and have a large house, so I rent out a room. Been doing this for years - I charge $500 and half the utitilities. I find all my roommates on www.roommates.com.
13. Use the library to rent DVDs for super cheap - like a $1 a rental and to check out books instead of buying.
14. Check out www.bankrate.com for the cheapest rates on home mortgages, CDs, credit cards, money market and checking accounts. I found my mortgage here six years ago (5.13 percent 30 year fixed), my money market(online account with highest interest rates around), and a zero percent interest credit card.
15. Make home made cleaning products - vinegar and water is great for cleaning windows and mirrors; baking soda is a great cleanser. And you're not getting all the chemicals.
16. Get a programmable thermostat so you can set it to automatically go down at night when you're sleeping or when you're not home. I used to have a regular thermostat and sometimes I'd forget to turn it down when I left the house, or I'd get home and the house would be freezing. Now mine's set to come on 30 minutes before I get home - love it! And they're very, very easy to install. I did it myself.
17. Buy juices in frozen concentrates that you mix with water- it's much cheaper.
18. Consider buying appliances gently used off of someone on www.craigslist.com. My dishwasher recently went kaput (15 years old) and someone recommended I check out craigslist. People often get rid of appliances just because they're redoing their kitchen. I got a dishwasher for $200 that was 2 years old and had only been used part time by a guy who traveled a lot. It's great and matches my kitchen. Save a lot of $ there.
That's all I have!
L.