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Lisa- I think people understand when it comes to holiday gifts if you let them know ahead of time.

Michael- Thanks for the extra tips.

Jonathan- Adding children to the mix definitely changes your finances.

onebigholiday- I have heard of ING accounts I will probably be doing that fairly soon.

Michelle- I plan on moving money into a savings account too very soon, as soon as my credit card is paid off.

Angela- Packing your lunch makes a huge difference. I was spending anywhere from 5 to 10 a day on lunch alone.

janet- Avoiding the malls is a great one, so is the wine at your house.

rachel- Oh you would mention the dreaded B word! :D

ann- I hear ya on the snacking issue, I pack my lunch but sometimes I find myself getting hungry in the middle of the day and occasionally I venture to the vending machine at work.

Andrea- I have heard of that book it's on my amazon wish list (along with millions of other books). I do want to read it eventually. Starbucks is a very rare things for me too these days - even though I love it!

Janet- I should probably start doing the cash thing, I am just not really that into cash I don't know why. I have decided this year for Christmas I am giving cute cards, with a letter of my random memories of that person for the year (maybe some photos) and a lotto ticket. That's my Christmas present on a budget idea.

I started saving when I "paid" myself a certain amount of cash a week and completely stopped using my credit cards.

Bottled water and Starbucks are huge $$ wasters. Make your own coffee and buy a reusable plastic water bottle to refill.

Christmas is the worst. I still don't have that figured out.

The greatest book I read was smart couples finish rich. If your not a couple... it is still worth the read.

The main point I remember was the Latte tragedy. It says how if you buy one latte at Starbucks every day... you can stop doing that and give yourself a $5,000 raise. Needless to say... we don't buy lattee's!

those are great tips. It's funny I was just thinking about that yesterday...I definitely need to stop buying books...I have way too many especially when the library is such a great resource.

I have been packing my husbands lunch for the past 5 years now to save money. But if I am out and about I will totally go and get myself lunch!! That's so crazy! I need to start packing a snack so that I can save that money!

my tip is to make a written budget... i subscribe to the dave ramsey philosophy.

live on less than you make, pay off credit card and loan debts from smallest to largest. put all your excess money that you don't need to LIVE onto your debts!


BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET!

*choose vegetarian entrees, they are often cheaper
*don't pay ANY fees for banking, ever (hate, hate banking fees)
*avoid malls/shopping unless you really need something specific, then go shopping for that
*invite girlfriends over for cheap wine at your house, instead of going out for drinks
*homemade Xmas gifts

Great tips! They look easy enough and doable :)

These are great tips because they're so doable... We have a couple of boxes of books that we really need to list online, and I MUST stop buying more! There's a library a few blocks from work that I'm planning to join soon.

Also, I've started packing lunch for work and it's amazing how much money that saves!

One that I want to implement this year is declaring a certain amount of my paycheck to go into a savings account. I'm going to open one at a credit union probably that has no debit card access, no web access, basically I will physically need to drive to the bank to take money out. I think this will deter me. :)

I think setting up an ING account is a great idea. It's a savings account and you can set it up so that it takes out any amount of money from your bank account whenever you want, so you don't have to think about saving. It does it for you. Another perk, most people forget to check their ING account, so they don't use the money and the money continues to add up with a great rate.

Excellent list of tips - we're going to have to do the same kinds of things to save money soon - only one of us will be working, and the house will be full of children... (we're in the middle of adopting)

Thanks for sharing examples of how you've improved your finances. You've certainly identified small recurring expenses that can really add up. You'll benefit financially by making these changes.

Since you asked for some more ideas . . .

Reducing, delaying, or eliminating big expenses can have an even bigger impact. A car is one example. Here's a question:

What is the most cost-effective car to buy?

Hands down, it's the one you already own. Delay a car purchase as long as you can and you'll immediately reap the financial rewards (lower/no payments, insurance, depreciation)

I have the same problem. Well, one of. I buy everyone I know a Christmas present. It's stopping this year. I'd use the public library but our public libraries suck. Besides, books are my only indulgence.