2. Coupons: Find them, clip them, save them and use them. Look for stores with double coupon specials. However, if you can find an item on sale even cheaper than with the coupon, go for this route.

3. Gas: Gas stations charge more when you use a card so, save yourself about $.05 a gallon and use cash.

4. More Gas: Look for stations with daily specials such as “$.05 off on Tuesdays” and get your gas there, as long as you can’t find it cheaper other places.

5. Windows: Make sure your windows have a good tight seal around them and keep them locked so no air sneaks in and out.

6. Thermostat: For every degree you set your thermostat below 72 degrees, you can save about 2%-4% on your heating bills.

7. Unplug it: If you have a lot of electronics with clocks on them and you don’t use them often unplug them. They will still draw power from the wall to keep the clock running. Any items with a standby mode should be disabled and allowed to shut off completely.

8. Lights: Invest in fluorescent light bulbs instead of the normal ones. Yes they cost a bit more at the store but, in the long run, they use a lot less energy and they last up to 5 times longer then a regular bulb.

9. Daytime: Open the blinds and turn off the lights.

10. The Morning Commute: Many people get breakfast and coffee on the way to work and that runs about $5-$8 on average. Do that 20 times a month and you just spent $100 – $160 on something you have at home. Take coffee with you and eat before you go to work.

11. Telephone: Look closely at your phone bills; are there services on there you don’t need? Get rid of them! You can actually do this on any service you use.

12. Cell Phone: Many people get charged per text message, if you can change your plan to include text messaging, do it. If you can’t, you can make one call and have a conversation with someone instead of texting and racking up charges.

13. Movies: Movies are insanely expensive! Not to mention the $8 you spend for a bag of popcorn. You can easily spend $60 or more for a family of four. Hit up a Redbox near you for family movie nights. The movie costs you $1 and the popcorn you make at home will be a fraction of the cost.

14. Buy Bulk: If you are grocery shopping and you know you always get the same things, get the largest size you can, assuming it has a long shelf life. Normally, the larger a size you buy, the less you pay per ounce or unit. This means you are spending more at the time, but you are getting more for you money than if you bought the smaller size.

15. Think before you buy: We all make impulse buys; a candy bar here, a soda there. Before you buy something not in your budget just because you want it, think it over and decide if you really need it. More often than not, you don’t.

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you save some money and set up a solid budget:

1. Prioritize You Bills -We all have bills and some are more important than others are. If you have a mortgage, it is your number one bill to pay and you need to make sure it is paid every month. Now get all your bills together and make three piles: 1) Most Important, 2) Important, 3) The lowest priority

2. Grocery Store Shopping – Most of us have more than one grocery store near us. Choose the cheapest one of the bunch and do all your shopping there. If one is running a killer special one-week, go there instead. Don’t feel loyal to any store instead, be loyal to your budget and buy the least expensive of everything.

3. Lists – If you are going shopping, make a list of what you need and stick to it. Get in, get the list done, pay and get out. No impulse buying!

4. Weekly Expenses – Lay out what your weekly expenses are: gas, food, bills, entertainment, etc, etc. Once you hit your budget limit on something, you are done spending for the week.

5. Be Realistic – If you know you need to spend $50 at least on gas a week, allocate $75 for it. If you use it, no problem, you planned for it. If you don’t, you just saved $25! Allocate extra resources for those things you need such as food and gas.

6. Savings – In your budget, you should include a small amount to throw into savings each week. Even if it’s only $20 a week, it’s still important and may come in handy down the line.

7. Coupons – Cut them out and use them everywhere! Look for online deals at stores. Sign up for free club discounts at places. Look for double coupon specials as well.

8. Review Your Bills – If you can modify some of the services you pay for so they are less, do it. Most of the time, we end up not using all the features we pay for on our phones, internet and cable systems. Cancel and change providers if you can get the same for less.

9. Be Energy Smart – Turn off lights when no one is in a room. Unplug electronic gadgets especially if they have a clock on them. Buy energy saving light bulbs and turn down the heat on your water heater.

10. STICK TO YOUR BUDGET! – You made your budget for a reason. Don’t think that just because you saved $40 in one week, it’s ok to blow it the next week. Save every extra penny you can, because somewhere down the line, something will happen and you will need the money you saved to repair a flat tire, buy an emergency phone because your cell phone died or a last minute item for school or work. You will have a much easier time living within a budget if you save where you can for a backup system.

How can this be done when so many of us are used to buying things impulsively when we want them or going out to eat a few times a week? Think about this – how many times do you buy a candy bar or a soda from a convenience store? How often do you make impulse purchases at the checkout of a grocery store line? Do you run through a drive-thru for lunch several days a week?

These are all things, at the time, only cost a few dollars but a dollar here, a dollar there adds up quickly to being $20, $30 and even $50 a week on things you don’t need at all. These little purchases can quickly balloon out of control.

We also overspend without thinking when it comes to recreation and entertainment; things like renting a video game or going to the movies a lot. We get in the habit of spending money this way, without thinking and it becomes habit over time. Most of these expenses are things we don’t need and we can save a great deal of money by eliminating them. Let’s look at an example:

Jon makes $1000 a week at his job and his bills total $700 a week. He also has to put gas in his car, buy food for his family and feed his dogs. After the bills and his other expenses, he is left with about $50 a week. If Jon’s only thought was, “Hey, that’s dinner out for the family each week,” he would be considered to be living above his means.

If you are on a tight budget, you’ll have to sacrifice some things you used to spend money on regularly. Instead of paying $50 or more at the movies, rent one and watch it at home. Instead of going out to dinner, cook at home and save a lot of money.

If you can’t pay cash for something you want without sacrificing paying a bill or buying food, then don’t buy it. If there is something you really want, you’ll have to save up the money over time until you are able to make the purchase. If you only make $500 a week and you have bills to pay, you can’t afford a $200 a week car payment; you just might have to buy a cheaper car. It may not be what you want, but it is in your means to pay for it and it works. Living within your means involves sacrificing many wants in order to pay for the needs.

We all have limits to what we can afford to spend and despite that, many of us spend money on things we do not need or really can’t afford. If we identify the areas where we overspend, we can start living within our means and in the process become debt free.

Start off by jotting down a game plan. If you know what, when and how many ahead of time, the odds are much greater you will be able to bargain shop and get better deals on what you need.

Consider hosting a potluck, or alternating hosting of an ongoing or regular event such as a dinner club. Don’t be shy about asking people to BYOB. Alcohol gets expensive quickly and it is not tacky or rude to ask guests to contribute.

Instead of store bought flowers, use flowers or other greenery from your own yard as centerpieces.

Consider watering down a party. If you normally like to host dinner parties, consider going the route of just dessert and coffee to cut costs. Don’t forget the mantra of keeping things simple. Don’t get too fussy or offer too many choices. Often too much is too much. When you overdo it, it is stressful and taxing on you in addition to being expensive. Simple done well is more than enough.

Check out dollar stores for paper goods, cutlery and thematic decorative and party items. Also, look for these same items at end of season clearance sales at big box retailers or discount stores. Stock up on solids or patterns you can use year round.

Make your own invites or simply send invites via email or with an online service to save on mailing expenses. On the other hand, pick up the phone and call people for a personal touch that costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

The easiest way to really make a big impact and change the whole feel of a room or house is by painting. All you need is a gallon of paint, and you are ready to go. The change will be instant and dramatic, helping you decide which direction you want to head with the room.

Art doesn’t have to be expensive. Children’s artwork looks beautiful framed and hung. Consider framing beautiful greeting cards, postcards, illustrations from books, maps and even pieces of your favorite fabric or a favorite baby outfit of your child’s. Consider hanging plates you pick up from thrift shops, or tack a beautiful quilt or blanket up on the wall.

Use natural items to bring an element of outdoors in and for inexpensive decorations. Pick up seashells, rocks, twigs, plants, flowers or pinecones on strolls. Sit them out in bowls or on tables for beautiful and interesting conversation pieces.

Dress up a shabby couch with a cover, an interesting throw, a pretty sheet, or some fun and funky pillows. Accessories can go a long way to make a worn piece of furniture look fresh and new again and are way less expensive than replacing a sofa.

To freshen up a bathroom, change out the towels and shower curtain for what will look like a whole new remodel.

Shop yard sales, thrift shops and clearance sales for bargain deals. Someone else’s trash may very definitely be your decorating treasure.

Now this means to be a frugal homemaker you have to be a person who thinks before they buy something for the house. It also means you are a homemaker who uses what is already on hand for a different purpose than it was originally intended.

Let’s look at some ways you can be a frugal homemaker:

Plastic Store Bags – If you haven’t jumped on the expensive “going green” bags at stores and you still just get the little plastic bags, you probably have a lot of them. Most people just throw them out but you can use them for other jobs. If you have any small trashcans in the house, these are a perfect fit. Got a cat and have to scoop litter? Dump it in one of these bags. They also work great as a pooper-scooper bag for your dog.

Milk Cartons – Just about everyone has these in their house and they can serve a number of other purposes once the milk is gone. You can keep another one in the car full of water in case of emergency. Another way is to use it at a flower watering pot or cut one in half and use it as an actual flowerpot.

Old Clothes – Turn them into new rags with a couple of snips. If you know how to sew, you can take them apart and make new things out of the good fabric.

New Clothes – If you have growing children, get their clothes, (especially pants) a little too long and hem them up. When they get older, let out the hem for continued use.

It’s not just about the things you purchase and how you reuse them; it’s also about using what you already have on hand instead of buying the same thing repeatedly:

Mixes – You can make pancake mix at home and it’s super easy. It takes about 5 minutes and can last months in your cabinet. You probably have all the ingredients to make the dry mix already, saving you even more money.

Food – Only cook what you plan to eat during the sitting. Don’t make food for six if you are only feeding four. People forget about leftovers all the time and they end up in the trash.

Energy – Turn the thermostat down, for every degree below 72, you can save 2%-4% on your heating bills. Turn off lights you don’t need, get energy saving bulbs and make sure you windows and doors are tightly sealed to prevent air being lost.

Washing Clothes – Only wash clothes when you have a full load for the washer. Don’t wash half-full loads, because you will use more electricity, water and detergent per item in the wash the fewer things you have in a load.

Those are just a few ways to get you started being a frugal homemaker and to help you save a little money in everything you do.

Call your mortgage company right away. Or answer your phone when they call you. Talk to them. With the stimulus package, many mortgage companies are able to help out those in need and are willing to help. Tell them your situation. They may have you fill out some forms to send in with your proof of income and other bills, but it’s worth the little bit of time and effort it takes to fill those out quickly and get them back in the mail. Then a week after you’ve sent the papers in, call your mortgage lender to be sure they received the documents. 

Once they’ve received the documentation, they may ask some further questions and you may have to send in more documentation, but don’t let it discourage you. Show them you are willing to work with them and you want to keep your home; you simply cannot afford the payments right now. Be sure to use the words “I want to make my payments; I simply cannot at this time” when speaking with your lender.

Give your lender some time to process your hardship request, but if you haven’t heard from them in a week or so, give them a call again. 

Once your hardship request is processed, your lender should be calling to let you know a reduced amount you can pay for a short amount of time. Your mortgage payment could be reduced by almost $300 a month for a 4-month period. Every situation is different, but you may be pleasantly surprised by the help you can receive.

You do have to plan ahead for when the reduced rate period is up and you have to start making regular monthly payments again. Hopefully with the stimulus package jobs will start opening up again and the economy will be a little better. 

In the meantime, you may be able to refinance your mortgage to get a lower interest rate which will also lower your monthly payment. You will need to discuss this with your lender. Most experts recommend refinancing only if the interest rate is more than 1% lower than the current rate, but speak with your lender.

So, with a little planning, some effort and diligence, you can save your home from foreclosure.