1. 1. Instead of paying outrageous phone bills for your landline service, consider switching to VoIP. Voice Over Internet Protocol works just as good as regular telephone service does, yet you pay a lot less. You can still use your landline telephone but instead of your calls being carried over phone lines, your calls will be processed using the Internet. You still get all the calling features that you get with the telephone company yet you pay a fraction of the cost.
2. 2. Almost everyone spends some money on entertainment from time to time. Instead of buying expensive books, CDs, and DVDs new, shop for used versions at online auctions and at other online venues. You’ll still get the same great entertainment, albeit used, but you’ll pay a fraction of the cost.
3. 3. While trolling through your Sunday newspaper for coupons is a good idea, you can also save the cost of the newspaper altogether and print money saving coupons for free from the Internet. Not only are there several coupon sites that will let you print coupons but many manufacturers have websites where they post free coupons as well.
4. 4. Sign up for emails from the restaurants and local stores you patronize. Often, you will get offers for free appetizers, two for one deals, and notification of upcoming sales.
5. 5. When you do purchase new items on the Internet, look for coupon codes that will offer an immediate discount. Also, if you shop at the website of your local store, you can usually use the same coupon online that you can use at the store.
6. 6. Buying insurance online can save you a lot of money, especially if you take the time to compare rates. While no one wants to make twenty phone calls, it is easy to compare insurance rates online.
7. 7. Going on a trip? Book early and book online. Check out package deals, last minute specials, and sign up to receive notifications of sales from the airlines and hotels you patronize.
8. 8. Many individuals have dropped their cable TV service to watch television online. Many of the major networks stream some of their most popular shows online and you can watch them for free. You can also watch TV from several of the cable networks and if you buy an inexpensive cable, you can even hook up your computer to your television set.
9. 9. Track your spending and stay on top of your budget by using free budgeting software, which you can find online. You can either make manual entries or register your debit or credit cards and have your expenditures tracked for you.
10. 10. Forget the gym membership. Watch online exercise videos for free and work out in the privacy of your home without having to buy expensive videos.

As you can see, there are many ways you can save money by using the Internet. Take advantage of as many of them as you can and see how your savings stack up.

This guest post was brought to you by the team at BroadbandCompare.com.au, an Australian site where you can save money by comparing the cheapest broadband plans available across the market.

Most people presume that having fun at christmas time involves having money, however it does not. In the good old days, fun was for free and you didn’t need to be rich to have a good time at christmas.

Here are some of my ideas on what to do:

1. Get the kids to make xmas decorations. Colored paper at the local newsagaent is still cheap enough. I pay about 80 cents a sheet for a huge piece of cardboard. You can also use bits and pieces you usually keep for recycling. Also buy some glue, sticky tape, and some glitter…It isn’t xmas without the glitter. If you don’t know how to make anything, Google it…There are loads of free ideas out there.
2. Instead of buying gifts, make some. People appreciated anything you give them, well they should, and especially something you have hand crafted. What about baking some xmas cookies, very cheap to make and look great when wrapped in clear cellofane paper. Photos are an easy gift. You can put a photo into an old frame, decorate it, stick a photo on a magnet, and more.
3. Print out xmas activities for the kids. There are heaps of free printable sheets on christmas and it keeps the children in the spirit of christmas just when you need a well deserved break.
4. Print out christmas songs and have a singing competition and give out small prizes for the winners. This can be very funny.
5. Make your own christmas bon bons, you know the things you pull or tug on to get gifts. This is a great way to have a laugh. You can put a message in there, a joke, or even a dare for the person to do.
6. Play christmas trivia, and let the person who answers a question pick a prize from a lucky dip. Prizes can be anthing you like…Could be a christams message, a small toy, or maybe a chocolate. People do not care what they get because it is fun. You can even find prizes at the $2 shop.

Of course there are so many others things you can do to make christmas fun, and asve money at the same time.

1. Leave in Conditioner and hair detangler – Mix your leftover Conditioner with water and put it in a spray bottle. Probably one part conditioner to 4 parts water. Maybe even less conditioner if it is a high quality one. Now you can spray it on your kids hair when you are brushing it to detangle and condition at the same time. If you make it a bit stronger it works as a leave in conditioner. Both a hair detangler and a leave in conditioner are very expensive luxuries that you will not need after you have tried this.
2. Hand Wash – Make your own antibacterial hand wash with your leftover shampoo and conditioner by adding water and dash of detol or even eucalyptus oil to the mix. Put it in a spare soap pump bottle and save a truck load of money. Its better to have more shampoo than conditioner. And when you mix it there will be bubbles but they will soon disappear.
3. Stain Remover – Use shampoo to get rid of blood stains from clothing, carpets, and almost any fabric. You can also mix a bit of shampoo with some bicarb soda for those tough stains on clothes. It is also a great degreaser.
4. Fabric softener – Put leftover conditioner into your washing machine and use as a fabric softener. You can also add a bit of eucalyptus oil to the mix to make it smell nice. I have also been known to put strawberry scented oil with conditioner for a fabric softener for my kids clothes.

And as I figure that most of my readers, whether they have big families or not, go grocery shopping now and then, I thought I’d pass along some of my favorite tips. These are not all my original tips — I’ve picked up dozens over the years from magazines, books and websites. But these are the best of them, plus some I’ve figured out on my own.

So pick and choose from among these tips, which I hope will be of use to you and your family:
Always go with a list. If you go without a list, you may as well just throw your money away. Better yet, donate it to me — I probably need it more than you. Seriously, though, you need to prepare a list of everything you need, pulling from your weekly menu (next tip) and checking to make sure you don’t have it in your pantry, fridge or freezer. Make sure you’re not forgetting anything. Now stick to that list.

1. Plan out a weekly menu. This is the best way to ensure that your list is complete, and that you have enough to serve your family dinner for the week. I often plan a weekly menu and then duplicate it for the next week — this way I can shop for two weeks at once. Be sure to plan a leftovers night.
2. Don’t go when you’re hungry. This is a common tip, but it’s true: when you’re hungry, you want to buy all kinds of junk. You’ll end up spending a lot more. Eat a good meal first, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your list.
3. Have a budget. When I go to the store, I know exactly how much I can spend. Then I try my best to stick within that limit. If you don’t know how much you can spend, you’ll certainly spend too much.
4. Do a rough running tally. Related to the above tip, if you want to stay within your budget, it’s best to know where you’re at. Then, when you can see you’re going to go above it, you can decide whether you really need that 10-lb. box of bon bons. I keep a running tally on my grocery list, just rounding off so I can do some quick math. An item costs $1.85? I say $2. Then I don’t need a calculator or all those complicated math skills.
5. Keep a list on your fridge, and write things down immediately. When you run out of something, don’t leave it to your memory. Jot it down immediately, and you’ll never have to run back to the store because you don’t have eggs.
6. Make a pantry checklist. Make a checklist of everything you normally stock in your pantry. Keep it posted on the pantry. Put a slash next to each item for the number of items you have (if you have two cans of stewed tomatoes, put two slashes). Then, when you use something, turn the slash into an x. This makes it much easier when it comes time to make your list.
7. Keep things stocked for quick-n-easy meals. Easy meals for us might be spaghetti or mac-n-cheese or a quick stir-fry. We’ve always got the ingredients on hand, so we can whip something up fast when we’re feeling lazy.
8. Buy in bulk when it makes sense. If you can save money, over the course of a month or two, by buying in bulk, plan to do so. But be sure that you’re going to use all of it before it gets bad — it isn’t cheaper to buy in bulk if you don’t use it.
9. Keep your receipts, then enter into a spreadsheet. This will be your price list. Use it so you know when bulk or sale items are a good deal. It’s also a great way to comparison shop between stores — buy your baking goods in Store A but your fresh fruits in Store B. The spreadsheet can also serve as a checklist to use when you’re compiling your shopping list.
10. Buy frozen veggies. While fresh veggies are a little better, frozen veggies are almost as good, and much better than nothing. And since you can keep them in the freezer, they rarely go bad.
11. When you’re running low, write it down. Don’t wait until you run out. when you see there’s only three toilet paper rolls left, put it on your list. Because when you run out, it will be too late.
12. Cut back on meat. Meat is expensive. We have vegetarian meals several times a week (think pasta or chili) and for other meals, you could just use a little meat as a kind of seasoning instead of the main ingredient — think Asian, Indian and other such cultural food. Actually, I eat vegetarian all the time, but the wife and kids do a little of each.
13. Pack your own lunch snacks. Buying pre-made snacks is convenient, but a big waste of money. Buy little baggies and buy the snacks in bulk, then it will take just a few minutes to pack some snacks for lunch each day.
14. Make leftovers for lunch. Plan to cook a bit extra for each dinner, so that you’ll have leftovers for your lunch and for the kids’ lunches. Pack it right away, after dinner, so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning.
15. Cook a lot, then freeze. Alternatively, you can cook a whole mess of spaghetti (for example) and freeze it for multiple dinners. A great idea is to use one Sunday and cook a week’s (or even a month’s) worth of dinners. Plan 5-6 freezable dinners and cook them all at once.
16. Always have batteries, toilet tissue and light bulbs. And other necessities that you always seem to run out of — buy a whole bunch when they’re on sale, or buy in bulk. Be sure to check to see if you have these items before you go to the store.
17. Try crock pot dinners. We discovered these in the last year, and they are easy and cheap and tasty. Cut up a bunch of ingredients, throw them in the pot in the morning, and have dinner ready for you when you get home. Can anything be more perfect than that? I submit that it cannot.
18. Clip coupons. I know, sometimes they seem like too much trouble. But it’s not really that hard to clip a few coupons and toss them in a coupon envelop to take on your grocery shopping trip. And you can save 10-20% of your bottom line with coupons. Check store entrances, newspaper and flyers for coupons.
19. Only use coupons for items you were already planning to buy. Don’t let them trick you into buying something that’s not on your list, just to “save” money.
20. Look for specials. Every store has specials. Be sure to look for them in the newspaper, or when you get to the store (they often have unadvertised specials — look on the higher and lower shelves for deals). Don’t buy them unless they’re things you always use.
21. Try the store brands. Brand names are often no better than generic, and you’re paying for all the advertising they do to have a brand name. Give the store brand a try, and often you won’t notice a difference. Especially if it’s an ingredient in a dish where you can’t taste the quality of that individual ingredient.
22. Cut back on your “one-item” trips. They waste gas, and almost inevitably, you buy more than that one item. If you plan ahead, make a weekly menu, and shop with a list, this should drastically reduce the number of trips you make for a small number of items. But if you still find yourself running out for a few items, analyze the reason — are you not making a good list, are you forgetting some items from your list? Stock up on the things you frequently go out for.
23. Sugar cereals are a bad buy. Lots of money for no nutrition. Look for whole grain cereals with low sugar. Add fruit for better flavor.
24. Be watchful at the register. Keep an eye on the scanner — you’ll keep the cashier on his toes, and catch any mis-priced items.
25. When there’s a sale, stock up. Sale items can be a great deal. If it’s an item you normally use, buy a bunch of them.
26. Comparison shop. Look at the different brands for a certain type of product, including store brands. Sometimes there will be a significant difference. Be sure you’re comparing apples to apples — you need to divide the price by the amount (ounces, pounds, etc.) in order to get the comparable unit price.
27. Go during slow times. One of my favorite times to shop is late at night. But during working hours or other non-peak times is good too. Avoid right after 5 p.m., on paydays and near major holidays.
28. Know when the store stocks its fresh fruits and veggies. In my area, that makes a big difference. Fruits and veggies can go bad quickly, because they have to be shipped. So I know that the store re-stocks on Thursdays, and so I usually go on Thursdays or Fridays, otherwise I’ll be getting old items.
29. Plan one big trip a month for bulk staples. You can get fresh items at another store on other weeks, but doing a big bulk trip will cut back on the expense and amount you have to carry for the other three weeks. Avoid buying on impulse at the bulk store too — just because they sell a lot of it doesn’t mean you’re saving, if you weren’t planning on buying it in the first place.
30. Avoid trips to the corner store. Or the gas station! These are some of the most expensive stores. (Ranking right up there with airport stores.)
31. Try co-ops. You can often save a lot of money at these types of places for staples.
32. Consider shopping at two stores. There’s no store with a monopoly on savings. Each has savings on different items on different weeks. You might switch between two stores on alternate weeks.
33. Think deep freeze. If you really want to save, you’ll need a big freezer. Ask around — someone you know might have a relatively new model they don’t need anymore. You can use freezers to stock up on meat, frozen veggies, and similar staples, and to freeze big batches of pasta, casseroles, and other dinners you prepare ahead of time.
34. Use everything possible. Got a bunch of leftover ingredients (half an onion, a bit of tomato, some pasta, a few other veggies?) … combine them for a quick meal, so that these don’t go to waste before your next grocery trip. The more you can stretch the food, and the less you waste, the less you’ll spend in the long run.
35. Don’t waste leftovers. Have a list on your fridge of what leftovers are in there, so you don’t forget about them. Plan a leftover night or two, so you’re sure to eat them all. Pack them immediately for lunch, so they’re ready to take the next morning.
36. Don’t buy junk food (or buy as little as possible). Junk food not only costs a lot of money for about zero nutrition, but it makes you and your family fat and kills you. Talk about a bad deal! Opt for fruits and veggies instead.
37. Rain check. If an item is on sale but the store has run out of stock, ask for a rain check.
38. Go when the kids are in school. When you bring kids, they will pester you and pester you until you buy some kind of junk food. Even if you’re able to stick to your guns, it’s not pleasant saying no 10 million times. In most cases, you’ll save money shopping without the kids.
39. Go for whole foods. The processed kind is lacking in nutrition and will make you fat. Look for things in their least processed form — whole grain instead of white or wheat bread, fresh fruit instead of canned or juice, whole grain cereal or oatmeal instead of all other kinds of cereal. You get the idea.
40. Read labels. Look for trans fat, hydrogenated oils, high amounts of sugar, saturated fat, lots of sodium, cholesterol. Then avoid them like the plague. Look instead for fiber, good fats, protein, vitamins, calcium.
41. Clean out your fridge. You’ve got stuff growing in there and turning from solids to liquids.
42. The leftovers have begun to organize their own political party. Toss em out and make room for the new.
43. Stick to your list. Avoid impulse buys. They are almost always bad, and even if it’s just a couple dollars, they will add up to $50-100 for a trip. Over the course of a year, that can mean thousands. Tell yourself you will not buy anything that’s not on your list unless it’s an absolute necessity (why isn’t toilet paper on my darn list?).
44. Use store savings cards. These can add up to big savings over the long run.
45. Cut back on your restaurant eating. It’s never cheaper or more nutritious than eating at home. Plan your dinners (see above tip) and bring your lunches to work and save a ton of money.
46. Avoid frozen dinners or prepared entrees. Again, these cost way more and are usually much less nutritious.
47. Drink water. If you regularly drink iced tea, Tang, sodas or other types of drinks, cut those out completely and just drink water. It’s much better for you, and much cheaper.
48. Prepare your grocery list by aisle. If you regularly shop at the same stores, organize your list so that you can easily find and check off items as you walk down the aisle. We always shop from right to left, so we’re not constantly running back and forth in the store.
49. Get cloth grocery bags. You’ll save tons of plastic over time, and help the environment tremendously.
50. Pack healthy snacks for the kids. Whole wheat crackers, popcorn, cut-up fruit, raisins, and other kid-friendly snacks are much better than the junk you often see in kids’ lunches. And cheaper.

http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/50-tips-for-grocery-shopping/

Well I am one of the lucky families that are managing to be a single income household, and before you ask. No I do not make a nice six figure income. The only way I make a six figure income is if you start counting decimal places. I do make a pretty good living, but it doesn’t allow my family any great luxuries. I’m married and have two children, and I‘m very grateful that we are able to keep my wife home with the kids. Let’s see the house is nothing special maybe 1200 square feet three small bedrooms and one bathroom.

Did I mention I live in Connecticut? Which lets just say isn’t the cheapest state to live in. I sometimes wonder how my wife and I are able to pull this single income household off. We are not financial wizards we don’t have our families subsidizing us. We just try to live within our means. This seems to be an alien concept to most of American now days. We had to prioritize what was most important to the household and that’s how the money would be spent. There isn’t much of a budget for frivolous spending anymore. I’d like to have that part of the budget back as much as the next guy, but it’s just not happening.

Let’s see some of the ways we try and save money. Like I said we are not financial advisors or anything of the sort just regular people trying to make ends meet. So here we go a few of our techniques we use. I’m sure these will probably be redundant as you’ve all heard of these before. The problem is people don’t use them. I believe the reason that most people don’t use these available options is because of pride. Pride can be a very positive thing when it allows you strength to overcome obstacles you might face. On the other hand you can be blinded by pride, and not ask for help when you need it, or not take some of the options available to you because you are too proud.

Lunch: Bringing you lunch to work. This one has been huge for us. I try and bring my lunch to work everyday. Once in awhile I’ll treat myself and buy lunch. I used to buy lunch everyday and maybe a coffee in the morning. It was costing me at least $10 a day.You might be saying that doesn’t sound like much. It doesn’t when it’s one day but it works out to roughly $200 a month that’s a lot of money. So needless to say bringing your lunch to work can be a great way to save a decent amount of money.

Wholesale Clubs: While these can be a big help you need to really check the prices as some of the items might actually be cheaper in your local grocery store. My family uses these clubs and they can be a great help. I’m just saying to investigate the price per unit as it might be cheaper else where. Sometimes you just don’t need 15lbs of ketchup.

Groceries: Use coupons! They work I know in my younger days I’d be to proud to use them. Not anymore. You don’t always have to buy the brand name product. A lot of the time the generic is just as good. Sometimes it’s not close, but you’ll just have to experiment.

Clothes/Shoes: If you insist that your kids have to wear all name brand high end clothes look outside of the department stores. Especially if your kids are young they’re going to outgrow the clothes and shoes in a week. Try Ebay you can find tons of clothes if you know what you’re looking for. I must say my wife has been doing this for years now and has pretty much clothed our kids for nothing. Other sites like ours help people to find Deals On Infant & Toddler Clothes also try second hand stores. I guarantee with a little looking you’ll find some very nice clothing whether it comes from a thrift or consignment store.

Baby Food/Diapers: These are incredible expenses go to the company of your choices website and sign up for their mailing list or coupon list. We receive a few five dollar coupons a month and every little bit helps.I wish you all the best. Even if you aren’t able to be a single income family hopefully a few of these tips will help out. Just don’t be to proud to use some of the tips.

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