Hopefully my tip isn't too frivolous  but... um... if you have a favorite designer, go to the store and try on everything you like and make a note of the things you absolutely must have (maybe a party dress for next year's company party?) and what size you want, and then put in a search on ebay with an email notification.  I always get last season's high end stuff at ridiculously low prices this way.  There was a $640 dress that I had to have (ok, didn't have to but really really wanted because it will make my evil SIL green with envy. Meow. ), but of course I wasn't willing to spend that ridiculous amount on one dress. I just got it for a 6th of that price.  Just make sure not to buy from China  High volume sellers from LA or New York are usually safe to make sure you get the real thing and not some cheap knockoff.  Plus, what you spend in shipping you might be saving in sales tax.

Ok, here's a less frivolous savings tip....  This site is really handy for such things as finding the right credit card, mortgage, investments, etc ... http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/

Okay, I've been keeping a list of my money-saving practices for a few days.  I imagine most people already do these things, but what the heck, I'll list them anyway:

Shopping

* buy bread at the breadstore (not supermarket)

* clip coupons (Sunday paper & online coupons)

* do as much holiday shopping for next year as I can the day after the this year's holiday (ex: shop Dec. 26th / Nov. 1st / day after Easter, etc.)

* I never buy clothes at full price - at least 50% off in stores and I love yard sales! I also buy WAY ahead of time if it's a great deal...I have up to size 12 clothes packed away for my 6-year-old! Luckily I think boy fashion trends don't change as quickly as they do for girls.  We'll see....

* If I find a pharmacy coupon (usually fill a new or transfered prescription & get a store gift card), I keep it just in case someone in the family gets sick & we need a Rx filled before the coupon expires.

* I check ebay before I buy something I want, but don't need right away. Ex: I bought a Furminator (dog grooming brush) at PetSmart for $35...came home & checked ebay - got the same, new brush for $20 which included shipping. Returned the Furminator to the store & saved $15!

* I buy toys on clearance for any unexpected birthday party invites

* I try to combine as many coupons & discounts as I can. For ex., Target will combine their own store coupons, plus a manufacturer's coupon. If I'm lucky to find something on sale or clearance & use the coupons, I can get a great deal.

* I never push the "PAY" button on an online order until I check around to see if there is a coupon code or free shipping code I can use.

* After I receive my online order, I always call within 14 days (or whatever that company stipulates) to see about a price adjustment. Many times, several items I ordered have dropped in price and I get the difference credited to my account.  I do this for shopping in stores, too - save my receipts because usually if something goes on sale within 2 weeks of  buying it, I can take my receipt back in and they credit the difference.

* We order our checks from Costco.com.  They don't have a big variety, but they are reasonable: 4 boxes of duplicates for less than $20 with free shipping.

Credit Cards

* It's crazy not to have a credit card that earns you something. My Discover card earns me cash back, but I can forego that cash and convert it into a gift card. As an incentive (I'm sure) the stores they partner with let you cash in your money for a higher amount gift card ($40 for a $50 gift card). This is like free money if you KNOW you're going to shop somewhere. 

* Whenever I've had a late fee, I call the credit card company and ask them to remove the fee from my bill. They usually will. If they won't, I tell them to cancel my card because 99% of the time I pay my bill on time and in full - I'm no risk to them (although I'm sure they'd rather be charging me interest!) I usually get what I want even if I have to take it to the manager.

Utilities

* We don't subscribe to cable/satellite; we only get 4 over-the-air channels and I still find plenty to watch on TV! And it saves a lot of $ every month!

* We also canceled our long distance on our land line & just use a calling card or our cell phones to make long-distance calls.

* We have no extra's on our land line - canceled caller ID & no call waiting, etc. And you know what? I don't miss it!

* Use digital thermostat to program temps.

* Turn off heater / AC when on a trip.

  

WE buy our meat in bulk at Sams or costco and divide it into freezer bags.  Just enough for a meal.  I cannot buy from grocery stores anymore.

I shop for groceries at Publix and they have great buy-one-get-one-free sales on items that I do buy.  If you only buy one item then you get it half off (no need to buy two).  Today I saved $19.50 without any coupons.  It was on things like cereal, pasta sauce, cheese, bread etc.  The trick is to not buy things just because they are on sale.  If you don't normally buy them.  KWIM?

I use metropcs for cell phone coverage.  They are in large metro areas.  I can call anywhere in the US, anytime of the day, unlimited minutes for $45 a month. There are no contracts.  If I can't pay my bill for a day or two, I just go without my phone until payday and then they automatically reconnect after I pay my bill with no penalties.  The only trick is that you can't usually roam with it.  So if you travel lots it wouldn't be the best option.  I don't go far and when I do, we use DH's work phone.  We have thought about getting rid of our home phone altogether, but we need a basic line for our security system.

I buy kids clothes at consignment sales.  Usually I can get almost a whole season of play clothes and church clothes for about $60 per kid.  sometimes less.

I'll have to think of more.  this is a great thread.

I read this online once  it said to eat out of your fridge/freezer and pantry till it was alllllll empty. That way nothing will expire and you save $$$$$ 

 I'm terrible with money, but we have cut down since I'm a stay at home mom.

 We make our own bread (not cheaper than the 'boulangerie', but saves on petrol, as we don't have any shops in the village).

We don't pay for television, and our telephone is free with our internet provider : 30 euros a month.

I buy all of our kids presents and a lot of their clothes on e-bay (and french equivalents priceminister and leboncoin) and at local second-hand sales.  I often get clothes that I would not be able to buy new and the girls grow so quickly that it is worth it.  The toys are often new or as new and until my children are too young to know the difference between a new toy and a second-hand one.

 Hope this helps, thanks for all of your ideas!

Alice17 

I am on level billing for gas, electric and water. That way all of my bills are the same every month, and I don't have to worry about a huge gas bill in the winter, or electric bill in the summer. My dh and I have also opened up the dependent care savings account which takes money from our paychecks before tax to pay for child care. It's less out of pocket expense.

~ I make my own laundry soap. Costs me about a $1 per 64 loads! AND I know what is in it, my clothes are clean and smell/feel great. Works perfect in any machine and mine is HE. I have the recipe....only 4 ingredients!! EASY!

~ I have the cheapest neighbor in history! I love it!! She has given me the greatest tips for shopping in my new town and I love it! I now buy my veggies at a "Farm Market" that is actually an all year type grocery store (amazing quality at grocery store prices)

~ Find another family and go half on a side of beef/pork/buffalo. This will fill your freezer for almost a year (family of 4) and the price is MUCH better. You will also know what you are eatting and you can choose where your meat comes from and how it is fed/cared for.

~ Bake! Store bought goodies are expensive and who knows what's reallty in them! I also have a recipe for homemade chocolate bars that my kids love! They are also wicked easy.

~ Eat out as little as possible

~ Check the back of the phone book for coupons. We always have found coupon that are helpful when feeding a crowd....like pizza coupons!!

I am a horrible saver. Doesn't help that we have a very tight budget since we bought a new house and have some property elsewhere that is for sale but just won't sell! Anyhoo, instead of getting a mortgage we got a Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC). This way we can pay off as much as we want/can (has a minimum of course, the interest) and we are doing this in conjunction with guarenteed investments and the plan is to have the house paid off in full 15 years rather than the usual 25-30 that a mortgage takes. Also helping us save for the future/retirement.

~ I with everyone else where I love picking up gifts on awesome sales for the gift closet. I also stash items in there that I have gotten as gifts that I know I'll never use. Like another bath pack.

~ I love Winners, Home Sense, Jysk, and clearance stores. I try hard not to shop at regular stores for things I can get here for much better prices.

~ Keep an eye out on the flyers. They will let you know when great sales are coming!

~ End of season.....just like everyone else said! Now if only I could get better at this one than I am now.......

Awesome tips everyone! Keep them coming!

My husband and I did the DAVE RAMSEY program! It was very beneficial. Paid off all of the credit cards and learned a lot of great information on how to save. I download his podcasts onto my ipod and get some great tips everyday!

 All great tips! I came to this thread b/c we are in trouble!! We're about to do the DAve Ramsey thing full fleged!  I can't believe I'm even posting a tip b/c I am the LAST person to give advice, but I will say that you should never buy clothes at Target or Old Navy especially regular priced.  Their clothes ALWAYS go to clearance, sometimes only a few weeks after they've been out.  It's hard to resist for me b/c the new stuff is always the cute stuff and the prices are already cheap, but I've learned the hard way that it pays to wait!  Sometimes my Old Navy's have a half off clearance sale and I can get kids' stuff for $2 or less.