I installed a tankless water heater.

where on earth are all of those bank fees coming from, ben? :-D

Wait a minute... you bought something off eBay? Isn't that kind of like Ed Begley Jr. buying his solar-powered car from Monsanto?

Carpooling now, which is nice, also modifying my driving style, so far I have noticed a 10% increase in fuel economy. In general my spending wasn't wild so there wasn't a lot there to cut but these two have helped.

Kudos to anyone trying to plug some leaks - but I realized a long time ago little things DON'T make a big difference.

Rather - how you live your overall life in general is the biggest factor. Those who live above their means, dress to impress, and need to drive a fancy car will always be at a loss if they can't afford it (or even if they can) despite the fact they take the advice of a pithy top 10 list telling them to cut out your daily Starbucks and save $50 a month.

BUT - a family who consistently judges their wants vs means, lives debt free, shares an older model reliable car, feels proud to bike around town, and doesn't need to live in a castle they can't afford will not even HAVE to worry about a few dollars misspent here and there because in the long run money is stacking up in their savings and 401ks.

I try to live the latter - which gives me money for things I consider pleasures in life like lattes, travel, and more free time for nice dinners with friends and family.

So yeah - in some cases the little things DON'T make a diff. Logical?

I am eating more beans and converted my car to natural gas.

Finding cheaper and cheaper foods for self-made lunch.

Otherwise, save for emergencies, I'm doing fine.

Haven't really changed my spending habits. If anything, I've increased my discretionary spending (granted, I did just pay of a couple of college credit cards, so that helps).

My partner has a big appetite, and so I've just let him eat what he wants to eat and I eat what he doesn't want to eat. Seriously. We've already saved money by me eating soups, Boca burgers, etc., but he's decided he likes hummus now. So much for that.

I have a feeling I'm not explaining this well. I buy stuff I know he won't want to eat so there's food left for me. Then he can eat the stuff we BOTH like.

This is the weirdest comment I've ever written, anywhere.

I limit my restaurant outings to McD's and BK. Plus, I only order from the $1 menu. This saves me a lot of money.

@Assimilation: Doesn't sound weird to me... but my husband is a BOTTOMLESS PIT.

We're cutting back on the takeout a bit, but partially because I'm planning on gradual school, which unfortunately is expen$ive.

Dropped my land line for Skype - $114 savings/year
Dropped my TV [Hulu/Netflix FTW!] - $540 savings/year

Renewed my XBL subscription not through MS and in a bundle deal with MS points - $20 savings

Doubled payments on 3 small student loans - $430 savings
Doubled payments on Bike - $240 savings

I've been taking a lot of advice from here and from our good friend that owns his own debt consolidation firm. Been knocking out student loans, consolidating and just absolutely trying as hard as I can to wipe my debt clean. Raised my credit score almost 150 points and working the reward card deal now and it's working out great!

Only 2 years to go and all my student loans will be gone!*

*of course permitting I don't get married, have a kid and/or not limited to moving out of the states for work.

Stopped buying crap I really didn't need. Cleaning out a flooded house after Katrina helped, I saw all the junk I had accumulated and never really used. I had a few choices, throw it out, clean it up and try to save it, or buy another one. My wife and I had a rule, if we hadn't used it in the past 12 months then it went into the trash. If we used it, but infrequently, then we tried to clean it up. If it was something we used a lot, we replaced it. I'm still using a few tools I cleaned up, compressor, wet saw, pressure washer, and a some others. It really changed my perspective.

My big saving come from carrying my hPDA again to track my credit card spending and keep my allowance (loosely) enforced. I might go 25% over what I tell myself I can, but it's way better than what I spend if I spend if I just tell myself "I think I've skimped enough to buy this this month!"

Ditch your Mega-bank altogether. Switch to a credit union or a local bank. When we first moved to Texas we deposited our money at our local small bank. Two weeks later they call because our first round of bills were coming in to be processed. We had $25 in checking and several thousand in savings. The local branch called to ask if we wanted them to transfer some money over to checking. Do you think Chase (You Down) Manhattan would have called?

@skittlbrau = baa: "...because I'm planning on gradual school, which unfortunately is expen$ive."

Gradual school, eh? I guess that's what you'd call what I'm doing - one class per term.

I sort of accidentally started spending less on clothes. New job that requires suits 5 days a week = 5 suits = no need to buy jeans or casual clothes anymore, sadly.

i started making some of my own beauty products from stuff in my kitchen--they work better than the expensive salon stuff!

also started bringing snacks with me on long outings so i won't have to stop and buy food while i'm out.

oh! and checking out free stuff up for offer on craigslist. most of it's junk, but sometimes you catch someone who is moving or doesn't have room to keep something really cool.

Downgraded cable = $40 a month
Added insulation to attic - hopefully some off the gas bill
Planted a big ol Garden- hopefully will save some money at grocery store

packing lunch for work and not buying bottled water works

I have made a number of changes, though it seems my bottom line isn't any bigger.

- shop around for my cell phone plan: 20/month
- cut caller id on my land line: 9/month
- cut long distance on my land line: 5/month
- stop eating out so much: 350/month
- trade in truck for fuel efficient car (keep payoff date): . Payment: +100/month
. Fuel: -200/month
. Insurance: -60/6-month
. Maintenance: -400/year
. TOTAL: 143/month
- Shop with grocery lists: 150/month
- Lock up all credit cards: 50/month
- switch from netflix to "redbox" when I want to see a movie (only really watch couple a month, if that): 12/month
- Dropped the "everything" pack on DirecTV: 40/month
- Reduced driving (biking more, combining trips, etc): 50/month

I still eat out too much, but in January I charged 800+ at restaurants on my AMEX, feeding just my partner and myself. Last month, that was $250, and I have lost weight in the process.

The little things begin to add up, and I can definitely see a difference in my savings account.

I pack my lunches instead of eating out. That saves at least $50 a month. But I stopped going out for drinks, and that's saving me untold millions a week.

I just begged a nice lady at a hotel to give me back my non-refundable room reservation. I'm definitely not too proud to beg for my own money. Morally, I'm against the idea of them taking my money and giving me nothing in return if I can't make the reservation - I'd allow it only if they could prove they weren't able to rent the room out in the 21 day interim. Anyway, nice lady gets a thank you card. Made my day.

Also, I'm rehabbing a termite infested, squirrel-ridden house and I'm finding it a lot easier to negotiate prices with the contractors. Screw just giving them their asking price anymore.

Also, switching to $1 menu at McDs. Living off fat stores between meals.

At new house, will be dropping land-line, insulating with closed-cell foam, and hopefully installing tankless water heater.

I never took piano lessons because I couldn't fit the damn thing in the shower.

i stopped buying gas & instead just pull up next to a parked car in a dark lot, puncture the tank with a pick, & dance & laugh hysterically as i save ~$200/mo.!

ok, not really b/c that would be a really assholic. instead, i pack all my calories into one (maybe two) meal(s)/day, stopped hitting the bars, canceled my poker games every friday & i don't go to the casino anymore.

oh, & i solicit in back alleys instead of on the main drag. j/k.

i've lost twice as much in fun as i've saved in money. :(

Mooching three meals a day off of work. Of course, I work 10-14 hours a day and will probably be working at least 2 six day weeks next month, so they owe me. :)

No more HBO. I didn't watch it all that much anyway. I'm considering dropping a tier in channels and dropping my cable modem speed to the next level downas well.

Switched from diving to work to taking transit. I used to spend $120 a month in gas, and now spend $20 for a MARTA card (my employer subsidizes $35 of the cost).

Getting rid of cable television and hooking up an old computer so I could use netflix was the best idea I had last year.

You're paying for channels you mostly don't watch. Why are you doing that?

We traded in our minivan for a Toyota Camry Hybrid. In addition to saving on gas, I find I enjoy the Camry much more. I love watching the display that tells me what mode it's in, and trying to drive to maximize the efficiency is almost like playing a video game. It tells me how well I did at the end of the trip. The kids griped about losing the DVD player in the minivan at first, but they've adjusted. We also did little things, like reducing our Netflix.

My wife and I have begun using cash all the time now. We were (well, my wife was) spending so much money on lunches for work. So we put ourselves in a sort of allowance for lunches. She works Monday through Friday so we agreed that $40 for her lunches would be enough. Funny thing, after the 1st week she had like $12 left of the $40 and I asked her why? She said because by paying cash she realized just how much money she was spending on lunches without even feeling it. It was so easy to just swipe the card and not even look at the receipt. So the first time she bought her lunch with cash that week, she felt bad when it was like $13 for a sandwich/salad/soda. So she has been buying less expensive stuff, ordering from "value" menus and just drinking water. As for me, I need to lose weight anyway so I just buy 5 salads from Trader Joe's (the ones I like are no more than $4) and drink water from work.

The two of us used to spend about $120 in lunches together a week (yes I know, HORRIBLE), now we only spend about $60. I realize it could be much better, but we don't have the time or energy to make our own lunches. It's a good compromise. That plus we have been cooking dinner at home for over 2 months now. We are definitely seeing the savings.

Honestly though, the biggest savings was moving just 2 blocks from her job. We got rid of one car and spend less in gas/insurance/maintenance. That one was the best but of course, not everyone can do that.

One thing I am trying to do is eat out less.

Other than that, I live pretty frugally.

I own an old, reliable car that I drive for trips out of town or if I am
going mountain biking.

It's usually less expensive to repair your old car than buy a new one every
3 years (trust me, I was a car salesman and saw it a lot)

I ride my bicycle to work.

I cook things that I like at home instead of going out to a restaurant and
ordering the least expensive menu item. I end up spending less and getting
more leftovers.

Cooking doubles as entertainment, so I cook large batches of things and make
it as interesting as possible

Pick berries in the summer and make lots of jam and pies

I have the Netflix $9 a month plan, stream movies to my laptop and play them
on the television.

Play pick up soccer games and board games instead of going out to movies or
mini golf

I buy most things second hand, If I can't get it second hand I buy at a
discount store (Marshall's, TJ Maxx etc)

I avoid drinking at bars

I have an inexpensive cell phone plan

I scrutinize my cell phone, credit card, and bank statements for extra
charges and can usually get them removed

I don't buy brand name foods at grocery stores

I avoid pre made foods (frozen dinners,

I fix my old items and keep them in good working order

I don't buy things on impulse. If I think about buying something for a week
chances are I probably need it, so I keep my eye out for a good deal on one.
I rarely buy the first one that comes along.

There are a lot of little steps you can take to save money, rarely do you
come across one that saves you a very large amount of money. Save a little
everywhere and you end up saving a lot. Patience saves me more money than
coupons ever could.

-Elliott

Also, I signed up for the GroceryGame.com and I was amazed when the first time we tried it at Walgreens and Ralphs we saved something like 60%. I'm sold.

lately, we've: stopped eating out except once every week or so.

Dropped the local newspaper subscribtion, dropped most magazine subscriptions.

Bought some used exercise equipment and dropped the gym.

Planted tomato and pepper plants, plus sunflowers for the birds this coming winter.

Cut out almost all non-essential groceries.

We aren't doing it for any specific reason, just a continual sort of thing to simplify & use less.

Heh. We just signed up for AT&T's fiber-optic TV/internet/phone package, which means we'll have TV now for the first time ever. Screw the recession, let's spend some money! :)

Funny thing, though? The internet and phone bill will be less than it was for DSL/traditional phone, for far better service (flat rate on all calls, bandwidth that actually resembles advertised speeds). That, and we're getting a month of TV free and $200 cash back. So hey.

We've always lived pretty cheaply, anyway, since we're a one-income household -- he bikes to work and eats microwave soups for lunch, I bike to the grocery store when I can and cook bulk meals for the freezer. The mortgage and utility bills are low and there's only one student loan to pay off. When you keep your basic/recurring expenses low like that, there isn't much to worry about.

Also, our '98 Ford Escort gets 30 mpg city/40 highway. I don't know why Detroit's whining so much about fuel efficiency standards when they clearly were capable of making an efficient car ten years ago.

Not changing one damn thing.

My Office is moving ~3 miles from my home, so I am going bicycle to work during the summer (only during the times that I don't have class, as that is about 60 miles away). Our current office is ~11 miles from my house, and it is way to far away to bicycle there (in general, I only bike no more than 5 miles from my house, because I am really needed at my job. It sucks to work in IT sometimes).

This will save me about 100 - 150 bucks a month (with an estimated 100 bucks a month for gas still being used). Also, not eating out and eating at home has saved me about another 100 bucks.

Also, after all of my saving, I should be debt free by the end of this year.

Wow, this year is going to be HUGE!

@ptkdude:
Does MARTA still stand for Moving Assholes Rapidly Through Atlanta like it did when I lived there?

Switched internet provider when uverse came to the area - $20/month
Switched cell phone to SERO (I know, Sprint sucks, but it's cheap) - $15/month
Canceled boyfriend's cell phone since he gets one for work anyway - $35/month
Canceled DirecTV box in a room we barely use, cut out HBO all over the house - $18/month

Next up is car and home insurance. We can't refinance the car that is at a highish interest rate - yet, but will be this fall.

ptkdude - no, but you're close. Asl Lenox Square how their shoplifting rate exploded after MARTA got a station at the mall.

@jamesdenver: I think Elizabeth Warren wrote a book about this - that its not the "latte factor" but the basic expenses of life that were bankrupting people. I do think it's very hard to get by with wages not going up but all basic expenses going up. I live in an area where housing was expensive, and even living as part of a two-family, collecting rent, not buying any furniture, etc. our basic monthly housing and heating nut leaves very little left for savings. I do cut where I can but when I do a monthly budget it's just laughable what that would save us. We just keep doing what we're doing, living our lives and hoping not to run into too much financial trouble. I think a lot of people are in the same boat. We're not poor, and we don't deprive ourselves of every little thing. But basic costs are tough to keep up with - It's not always about your frivolous values, as your post implies.

I put in a geothermal heating/cooling system. Massive energy bill savings.

Used the cordless electric mower for half of the front yard instead of the tractor, which was also good exercise. I'll charge the battery and attempt the whole front yard next time. (That's gasoline savings.)

Can't cut back the eating out -- we always go out once per week, and that seems like a luxury. Who really goes out to eat several times per week? And by "going out" I can only imagine you don't mean fast food, right?

I dsiagree with on of the posters here. little things do make a big difference.

My triming.

Cut extra hd channels from cable. =$7/month
Called cable co to lower the rate =$10/month
Dropped post paid to prepaid. =$50/month
converted vonage to cheaper plan = $5/month

total so far =$72/month total = 864 dollars a year

Sorry, but I just finished years of paying off credit cards. I'm now putting a bunch of money into savings every month and I recently bought a new washer/dryer, a new tv and a new couch.
I paid cash for all of them.

Sort of related - I'm thinking about switching my mobile phone plan to pre-paid. I figure I can go from paying $50+ a month to less than $10, since I don't use my mobile that much. Question - can I port my number to a prepaid carrier (or within carriers, in the case of T-Mobile)?

@dry-roasted-peanuts:
I'm in the same position. Finally got a decent job after five years of struggling, and now I'm actually able to afford non-essential items.

That said, my spending habits have changed drastically since the booming 90's. I've lowered my standards on clothes, buy things off the clearance racks, and pack my lunch most days.

@spinachdip: As long as you're outside of a contract, I think so. They may give you a bit of a hard time though.

Do you qualify for any corporate discounts? Shaves a good $13 off my bill every month.

@BlackFlag55: Or how the shoplifting rate did NOT go up at Perimeter Mall after they opened the Dunwoody station in the parking lot. But this isn't an article about MARTA or shoplifting. For the record, the buses are now much more utilized than they were a year ago.

1. not eating out every weekend, now only every other for just drinks and dessert
2. no unnecessary driving
3. more canned food, less fresh (sadly), planting vegetables to try to compensate
4. also had to forgo our usual week shore vacation this year, just need more savings padding :(
5. changed to a cheaper newspaper subscription, dropped mag subscription
6. generic, generic, generic