Top 10 Ways to Start Saving Money

With all this talk about living a frugal and simple life, reducing debt and wisely using the resources that God has provided, I've been receiving a lot of e-mail asking me to share some tips and strategies of how to go about reaching some of these goals. So I've decided to open up this opportunity for not only me to share how I do things, but also for everyone who reads this blog to share their strategies of how they save money.
Here are 10 ways that I save money...

1. Make A Budget - as Dave Ramsey said, "give every dollar a name"
2. Plan Your Meals - I have 5 weeks of menus that rotate every month, by doing this I know exactly how much of what I need to last a whole month
3. Shop Wisely - Shop using coupons and look out for sales
4. Cook From Scratch - not only is it healthier but it really does save you a lot of money
5. Thrift Stores - shop at thrift stores whenever possible. I've found a lot of treasures in my time just by shopping at second hand stores.
6. Do It Yourself - Why pay others to do things when you can do it your self (minor home repairs, hair care, birthday cakes etc, etc)
7. Use Cash - it's easier to keep track of how much you are spending when you use cash.
8. Library - did you know that you can use the library to check out books, movies, video games and magazines all for free?
9. Go out for desert- When going out with your spouse on a date, try eating dinner at home and going out for desert instead.
10. Take Care Of what You Already Have - doing repairs at your home immediately can prevent you from having to pay the pros to fix a big problem later (that slow drain could be fixed with some liquid Drano now, but if you wait 2 months you might need a professional plumber)

Later this week I will be posting about how to put together a basic budget and ways to reduce your bills. Until then if you have some great tips on other ways to save money please share your thoughts. I am always looking for ways to minimize my spending and maximize my savings.