How to save money

1. Be a control freak.
Get a good grip on your finances by making a budget. Make a list of what payments need to be made yearly & monthly. These tend to be where a significant portion of our income goes to. Next get a handle on what is being spent on a weekly and daily basis, for fuel for the car, to lunch and snacks. Even tracking these costs for an average week can reveal some surprising cash guzzlers.

2. Use what you have to do what you can.
This will vary hugely depending on what resources you have available to you. and resources here doesn't mean money. It means You. It means your time and skills. It means strong sunshine. It means that bicycle in the garage with the flat tyres. It means friends and neighbours who have different resources and skills. Can you trade some of your time for some of theirs? If you have space and sunshine, you can grow some food, even if all you have is a window ledge, there is a variety of herbs you can grow. As well as adding some flavour to your meals, there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in being that little bit closer to self sufficiency. Also, many herbs have healthful effects, such as those of the thyme family.
It's not practical for everyone, but by doing my daily commute by bicycle instead of taking the car; i get an extra 15 minutes in bed in the morning; I don't spend 30 minutes fuming in traffic; I stimulate blood flow to body and brain, arriving more alert and relaxed than I would had I been driving. I get 10 of my 30 minutes a day of light to moderate intensity exercise needed to maintain good heath. Each way.
I save about €30 per week on travel cost. I get to be smug looking at fuming car drivers as they sit in traffic hell. If your climate is anything like Ireland's, then I'd recommend getting a decent rain jacket and trousers. Waterproof shoes are good too.

3. Shop around
It doesn't matter what you're in the market for, before parting with any of your hard earned cash, make sure you're getting the best deal. Don't be afraid to tell the salesperson you're doing so, particularly for larger items such as washing machines or T.V.'s. In many cases, they'll drop their price to match local competitors, simply to win your custom. For food items, be prepared to visit a few different supermarkets in order to get the best deals. In general, buy larger quantities where practical, but be sure to compare the price with that of the smaller size. Some retailers have bumped up the price of the larger sizes (tesco, i'm looking at you!), realising that consumers believe larger size means better value.

4. Go 'own brand'
In my 3 local supermarkets, a can of red kidney beans varies from 25c to €1.29.
Thats a big difference in price for no noticeable difference in quality. Considering I'd use 4 cans most weeks, this adds up to about €200 (US$3oo) per year saved on 1 item. This also applies to many pharmacuticals, so next time you're getting your prescriptions filled, ask your pharmacist about generic versions of your prescribed medications. They're often significantly cheaper than the brands you see advertised, and your pharmacist will be able to tell you if there are any side effects which are different to your existing brand.

5. Attend a fitness class.
Regular exercise is good for you, and can combat diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Cravings for junk food decrease. Odds of quitting cigarettes improve. Mood and self-esteem improve. Immune function improves. Medical costs go down.

6. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
A lot of the price of our goods is in the fancy packaging. Frequently unpackaged goods are cheaper (though in supermarkets you can end up paying a premium for this), so trips to a greengrocer can pay dividends in this area. Are you throwing out things which you could be reusing? Lots of kitchen waste can be composted at no cost, providing you with a great base for growing herbs or more substantial foods. Large yogurt cartons make very handy pots for starting plants. Once you start thinking about reusing things, it's amazing what you can do. Some of the most interesting uses i've seen include old newspapers made into reusable coasters, and toilet paper center tubes converted into herb gardens. If there are publicly available recycling facilities in your area, use them. See if you can combine your recycling trips with some other journey, such as food shopping. In many areas, kerbside recycling costs a lot more.

7. Remember Mal's mantra... If in doubt, remember, waste nothing... NOTHING!

Do you have any tips that should be on this list? I'd love to hear them..