Saving money on the daily

Saving money is an active part of my day-to-day life. Listed below are some additional things that I do in order to save money. Please feel free to share your money saving tips below.

• I still utilize the library. I have an Amazon Fire and I love it but sometimes e-copies are more expensive then paperback (Amazon doesn't tell you that).
• Sites like Groupon and SweetJack are a great way to save money. They offer excellent discounts on a variety of things ranging from dinners, spas, electronics, etc. It's a great way to get more money for your buck.
• I bring lunch to work with me on most days. There are days that the cafeteria is serving something that I really like so I treat myself to it. But paying .44/oz for lunch can become quite expensive.
• We got rid of our cable. I actually don't even own a TV right now but that's a different story. Between Netflix, Hulu and RedBox, you can catch just about everything online. At least consider reducing your the number of boxes in your home or downgrading your service.
• Take public transportation to work. Even though I have a car, the gas, wear & tear on my car and the stress of rush hour traffic simply is not worth it to me.
• Dress for less. Discount department stores like TJMaxx, Kohl's, and Marshalls carry name brand items for less. Don't forget to check the clearance rack while you're in there. Those stores require a little bit more work in terms of organization so prepare yourself to go through the racks. Try not to pay retail as often as possible.
• Avoid contractors from Home Depot and Lowe's like the plague. Look for a local contractors in your area instead. And speaking of Home Depot, if you are able to qualify for their credit card, they frequently have 12-months / No Interest deals on their store cards. Take advantage of that. It's literally the same as cash but... if you pay even 1 penny after the 12 month period ends, you will pay interest all the entire purchase from DAY 1. The billing cycle starts on the day of your transaction.
• Keep your car maintained. I currently live in an area where a car is necessary. It cost much less to keep you care up to date on maintenance than to fix a problem down the road. Regular oil changes are a must!
• For Christmas/Birthday. Ask everyone for a gift certificate from your favorite electronics store. I got this idea from my husband. He asked his brothers for a gift certificate to Best Buy and was able to put them all together to get an expensive item without having to come out of pocket. If you are a new home owner, a gift certificate to Home Depot will come in handy.
• Don't purchase a car that you can't afford to pay off in 3 years. Suze Orman preaches that you should never buy a new car because as soon as you roll off the lot, the value drops. I'm going to leave buying new or pre-owned up to you... as long as you can pay off the loan in 3 years it's up to you. Check out this repayment from calculator bankrate.com and see how much money you save by paying off your loans early.
• Make extra payment towards your mortgage. You can save thousands in interests by paying back most loans earlier than the date of maturation.

These are just some of the things that I do to save money. It's a bit difficult to sit here and think about each and everything because after so many years, I do these things naturally. That's what I'm hoping for you, to start making changes today and keep at it until it becomes just norm.