If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Be sure to leave your comments and suggestions! I read them all! Thanks for visiting!

Like everyone, I’m noticing big changes in the costs of nearly everything I purchase lately. This topsy-turvy economy has everyone a bit worried. What can you do to easily save money on everyday purchases and help put a little extra money in your pocket?

Here are 25 Quick Tips for Saving Money on Nearly Everything in a Tough Economy:

1. Save money by saving gas. Make sure your tires are properly inflated, and that your oil has been changed recently. Both measures help to ensure that your car is running smoothly and efficiently and an efficient car is a car that uses less gas.

2. Collect all of the change in jars, pockets and purses and put it to work! Bring the change to the bank where you have your savings account and deposit it! It does nothing for you sitting in an old jar or at the bottom of your purse. If you are a customer with an account, most banks will waive the change-counting machine fee for you. If they don’t, ask!

3. Use what you have before you buy more. If you have half-empty shampoo bottles and partially-used tubes of lotion, make a point to use up what you have already. One hotel-sized shampoo bottle is usually enough for two to three hairwashings. Put away all other bottles and use ONLY the little ones or the partially-used ones before bringing a new one out. Waste of product is a waste of money.

4. You’ve heard it before…switch to compact flourescent lightbulbs. Sure, they cost a little more to buy, but they last MUCH longer and in the meantime use less energy. Buy them in multi-packs if you can and look to your local energy provider for rebates and other incentives.

5. Use rechargable batteries. If you have kids, you know how everything seems to run on batteries. Again, there is a small financial outlay at first to buy the batteries and charger (look to price clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club for bulk deals on batteries) but in the long run you will purchase fewer of them and help save on batteries ending up in landfills.

6. Bottle your own water. Not only will you help save the planet by producing less waste, but you’ll save money too. Purchase a faucet filter or pitcher with a filter and refill a plastic sports bottle instead of buying water in small bottles.

7. While you’re at it, make your own coffee. I know, this is sacriledge for some people but I know it can be done. Even if you splurge on the fancy creamers, you’ll still save money over buying your coffee at Starbuck’s or another fancy coffee place.

8. Hang your laundry. Most people can hang their laundry outside in the sun and warmer weather. Hang just three loads of laundry a week in the great outdoors, and you’ll save over 2 hours of dryer time a week.  That’s a nice chunk of electrical savings each month.

9. Quit smoking. If you are a smoker, let’s face it, you’re not doing yourself any favors here. Not only are you spending money on cigarettes ($1800 a year for most people!) but you’re probably increasing the premiums for your life insurance (most ask if you are a smoker) and possibly even your medical insurance. Quit for good and reap the money and health savings for life.

10. Cancel your gym membership. This is a tough one for some people. For those who actually use it, you might think that there is no other way to work out. Run outside, play with your kids, ride your bike, or even purchase a piece of equipment used on Craigslist and work out at home. The average gym membership is over $50 a month for just one person. That’s $600 a year. Most people who use their gym tend to use the same pieces of equipment every time they go. Purchase used versions from the newspaper or Craigslist and you’ll likely spend less than that ONE TIME and reap the savings for years to come. Plus, more than one person can use the equipment saving even more money on memberships.

11. Buy stuff used. By “stuff”, I mean anything and everything. Craigslist is a great place to find most anything used. Your local community might also have a free stuff giveaway board like mine does at TwinCitiesFreeMarket.org. Things I’ve personally found for free or cheap on boards like this include a $600 Oak desk (in perfect condition and complete with executive’s desk chair…both free!), a high-chair for my son ($40 instead of $100), a pack and play again for my little one ($40 instead of $120) and other items. On Craigslist you can also see listings of local garage sales and many sellers will post what they will have at the sale and let you inquire and ask questions by email before trekking to the sale. That’s how I found a $75 travel baby swing for just $25 (and in perfect condition).

12. Sell used stuff. This is the flip-side of tip #11. Use that tip and turn it around to get rid of gently-used items either via a direct sale on the board or by advertising your garage sale. Typically, buyers expect to get at least a 50% savings off what the item would cost new, and if you’ve had good use of it, a 50% refund on your purchase is better than letting an item get old and out of date and not getting anything for it at all. Plus, you’ll be helping someone else save money in the process.

13. Call and ask for discounts. Call your mortgage company, your credit card companies, cable company, phone company…all of them….and just ASK for a discount. If you have been a good customer, simply state that in order to remain a customer you’ll have to save money on the service and that you would like to ask for a discount. If you are refused, stay polite, but ask to speak to that person’s supervisor and ask politely again. I’ve personally done this several times and have only been turned down once. In all, my requests over my adult life have probably saved me thousands in fees, interest and overall costs.

*Update on tip #13: I called my cable company and was able to save $15/month on digital phone, $15/month on high-speed Internet and $15/month on digital cable, just for asking! They even said that we are paying LESS than their cheaper versions of all three services! We now have faster Internet, 200+ digital channels and unlimited long distance and all of the other bells and whistles. All I did was ask, and NO, I didn’t have to beg either! Do it today!

14. Use coupons. C’mon, all you coupon-haters…they’re free money! I’m in shock every time I hear that someone takes the coupon circulars out of their Sunday paper and tosses them in the recycling without even looking at them. There’s money in that pile! Even if you only save $2 a week on coupons, that’s enough to make your Sunday paper better than free in most areas. Save $5 a week in coupons and that’s $260 a year in savings that took 3.4 seconds practically to achieve. My opinion: You are CRAZY not to at least try to use coupons. Seriously, it’s easy.

15. As long as you’re in a coupon mood, use virtual coupons too. Coupon codes are again…free money! Why pay for shipping if all you have to do is enter a little code to get the charge deducted from your total? Free shipping, percentages off, dollar amounts off….they’re all available and always changing. Before you hit the checkout page, it pays to do a quick search to see if you can trim something off your total.

16. Save on health costs. Call your health insurance provider and simply ASK them if there are ways you can cut costs. Are there generic medications you could take instead? Do they offer a mail-order pharmacy that offers discounts? Do they offer incentive programs in exchange for visiting a doctor, using a gym (for those that are too stubborn to lose their gym membership, you might be able to get a discount from your health insurance company for verified attendance) or maybe taking a class. When I was pregnant with my son, I participated in our insurance company’s “Healthy Babies” program. A nurse called me once a month to see how I was doing and ask about my prenatal care. That’s it. And I earned a nice $100 check just for agreeing to take the calls. Easy!

17. If you can’t eliminate something, just reduce it by half. Love your cable TV? Don’t cancel it, just call your cable provider and see if there is a cheaper package with *most* of the channels you like. Love your cell phone? Don’t cancel it, just switch to a pre-paid plan (if you current contract has expired or is expiring) and use it less. Love your Netflix membership? Don’t cancel, just go down to one movie per month instead of three. There are ways to save money on almost anything without really feeling the loss.

18. Make what you have already work better. Change the furnace filter to help it run better (including in the summer since your air conditioner uses the same ductwork and filter). Clean the gasket on your fridge with vinegar to cut through grease and grime that can keep it from sealing properly. Thoroughly WASH the filter for your dryer: take it out and put it in a basin or sink with HOT soapy water and let it soak for a couple of hours. Then brush it with an old toothbrush to get all of the residue off. Let it air dry overnight before using it again. Hint: This is a good time to hang your clothes outside in the meantime.

19. Swap services with friends and family. Know how to cut hair? Do it for free for a friend in exchange for a night of babysitting. Know how to build a website? Offer the service to your business-owner neighbor in exchange for some lawn mowing. Use your imagination. Times are tougher for everyone now, and there are few people who would turn down something they need for something they can do for someone else. Check if your local community has a bartering board online and see what you can do to get what you need done.

20. Maximize the money you already have. In addition to gathering loose change and bills in your house and actually depositing them in a savings account (see tip #2) check to see if the accounts you have are really paying a competitive amount in interest. Chances are that if you are depositing the money in the savings account that funnels into your checking, you are losing big-time. As of this posting, ING Direct was paying 3.00% on their Orange Savings account, down from a high of at least 4.50% before the Fed started cutting interest rates. Even though 3% might not sound like much, it adds up if you leave the money alone and also make regular automatic deposits.

Hint: Would you like an additional $25 to get you started? If so, email me at “info AT automaticmoms.com”  and mention ING and I’ll send you a savings bonus of $25 for opening the account. Give me a day or so to get that ING invite out to you before signing up with them because you need to use it at the time you signup and not afterward.

21. Hold a swap meet. Get the local moms and friends together for a toy and clothing swap meet. Here’s how it works: Everyone brings toys and clothing they no longer want that are still in good condition and puts it in a pile. Each person draws a number out of a bowl and then the lowest number selects first, then number two, then number three and so on until the pile is depleted. Once the pile is distributed, let the swapping begin. Make deals with other moms like, “I’ll trade my Baby Gap overalls for your Gymboree jumper”. One rule: Everyone has to go into it knowing they might not get everything they want and no hard feelings allowed. As long as you go into it with those expectations, it can be a fun social gathering too.

22. Save some real money with a mortgage overhaul. It’s one thing to call your company and ask if your adjustable rate home equity line interest rate can be lowered, but we’re talking a major redo. If you’ve been in your home for awhile and expect to stay for the next five years at least, this might be a great time to refinance your mortgage to save real money month after month. Resist, however, the temptation to take out your equity even to pay off bills. Instead, take the savings each month from your new rate and payment to pay down debt and get close to a paid-off mortgage sooner.

23. Avoid fees and save postage. Start paying bills automatically via direct debit. Almost all major creditors and utilities offer the option to pay automatically via a direct withdrawl from your checking account. This can be scary for people at first, but after doing this for the past four years it has actually saved us so much money. Just think: if you have ten bills you pay regularly via the mail, you are probably accustomed to realizing almost too late that a bill is due and you forgot to pay it. Instead, don’t risk a late fee or additional fees for paying by phone and just set the bills up to withdraw the money automatically. Plus, those 120 stamps you use all year long will cost you even more this year as the rates increase. As of now, at 43 cents, you will save almost $52 in postage alone! I wouldn’t step over $52 in the street would you? Why throw it away on postage when you don’t have to?

24. Have it delivered and save. A Sunday newspaper in my major metropolitan area has a cover price of $1.75 and worth every penny considering all of the coupons in each issue. But we have it delivered to our door for only $37 a year! That’s only 72 cents an issue and it’s delivered TO MY DOOR! Check with your local newspaper and ask for the yearly paid-in-advance rate. It’s lower than you think and saves you the effort of going somewhere else to pick up the paper. This also applies to magazines. Magazines in the store are like $3 or $4 a piece! That’s $36-$48 a year for just one magazine. Check out magazine delivery deals for yearly subscriptions that are less than $5 a year at Best Deal Magazines.

25. Come back here for more tips. Yep, that’s my final answer on this list because I’m not finished by any means. This is just a start on helping you save money in easy, painless ways! Bookmark now or go grab my feed from above because I have 25 more tips coming soon!

Technorati Tags: money saving tips, save money, economy, tough economy, how to save money, money saving tips