As the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned. The point being, it is as useful to save money you already have as it is to earn more. Now, seeing how many people are utilizing coupons to save money these days, this saying seems more powerful than ever. So, I thought I’d dedicate a little time to talk about ways we can all save the money we have already earned. Here are a few of the ideas I came up with:

• Keep a change bowl by the front door. Every day when you get home, empty the change from your pockets into the bowl. Consciously saving your change will add up. I’ve already saved around $20 in less than a month. I never realized how much money I was losing  by disregarding my change!
• Speaking of change, shake up your grocery list once in a while to save money. You never know when you might be buying expensive groceries out of habit!
• Take advantage of online bill pay. All those stamps and envelopes add up! Plus, paying your bills online is the green thing to do 😉
• Use alternative transportation. I have a car, but lately I’ve been saving money by taking the bus or riding my bike when the weather is nice. The average cost of driving is somewhere around $0.50/mile (depending on vehicle type). If you do the math, you will probably find that public transportation is much more budget friendly. The idea of relying on public transportation worried me a little at first, but now that I’ve got the hang of it I really enjoy it. I use my time on the bus to clip coupons and organize my grocery shopping lists!
• Shop around for deals and bargains. Don’t spend your hard-earned money unnecessarily! You can get almost everything you need for less by using coupons for groceries and household items, Craigslist and eBay for things such as books, furniture, clothes, and even cars, and taking a little extra time to check thrift stores, garage sales, and outlet stores. You can also save money with online swapping services, such as OutGrowingIn.
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I’m a strong believer that doing the right thing for the environment always pays off. Making a conscious effort to reduce you carbon footprint will usually lead to less spending.  A good place to start reducing and reusing is by taking your own reusable bags when you go shopping (some stores give you a discount for bringing your own bags) and using all your extra grocery bags as trash bags.
• Shop in season. There is no need to spend extra money on out of season produce, not to mention you won’t get the same quality as when it is in season. Check our month by month guide to grocery sales to find out when your favorite produce is in season!
• Follow our Facebook and “How to Save” blogs for tons more saving tips. Before you know it all those pennies will be turning into dollars!

I hope these tips and suggestions help you all save some of your hard-earned money. How do you save your money? Share your ideas with us in the comment space – we love to hear all of your wonderful money-saving ideas!

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