Nowadays, everyone is trying to cut back and save a little or more likely, save a lot.

While it can seem difficult finding money to save, by carefully scrutinizing your spending habits, you are sure to find some easy dollars you can round up.

Think DIY, or “do it yourself”. Get up and brew your own coffee and grab breakfast at home. Wash your own car, mow your own grass, iron your own shirts. You get the idea.

Visit your public library and check out books, magazines, DVDs, computer games, and CDs all for free.

Wait longer periods of times between appointments for services such as haircuts, manicures or massages. If you normally go every 4 weeks, go every 6 weeks instead. Or better yet, forgo some of this services altogether.

Turn up or turn off the air conditioning when you are not at home. It is easy to cool an average sized house down quickly.

Carpool, bike or walk wherever and whenever possible. Gas is not cheap, so every time you don’t drive, the savings add up fast. Plus, if you ride your bike or walk on foot, you are getting great exercise which can save you more money as you will no longer need that gym membership.

Pack a lunch each day for work instead of eating out. You can easily save an average of $30-40 a week by brown bagging it. Stock up on snacks and keep them at the ready at your desk too. Snacks can be bought in bulk for a fraction of what you fork over to a vending machine. Same goes with sodas and drinks.

Buy store brand instead of name brand for a great amount of savings. Store brands are typically 20-60% cheaper than the equivalent name brand. Buy in bulk from wholesale clubs or shop on sale. Stock up on non-perishable items that you use often when you find them at an extra low price.

These tips are just the beginning. If you follow them and continue to evaluate your spending, discovering even more ways to cut back, you will find yourself with a full piggyback in no time.

How do you make a 6-inch piece of green paper stretch out to 12 inches on a daily basis? Well, paper doesn’t stretch but you can get more for each dollar if you shop smartly and think before you spend. Here are a few ways to save some money while still getting you and your family the things you need.

Coupons: One cannot have too many of these gems. They are mailed to you, you can find them in the newspaper and stores even have them on the aisles for you to get while you shop. When you are using coupons, look for stores that do double coupons on certain days of the week as well as using them for your regular shopping. Using coupons, can save a lot of money at the grocery store.

Grocery Stores: What grocery stores are around you? If you are like many people, you have a few to choose from within a small area. If you want to make the most out of each dollar, you should be going to the least expensive store around you. It doesn’t matter what it looks like or how fancy it is inside the store. Generally speaking, the fancier the store – they more you are going to pay. Let’s face it, milk is milk and would you rather pay $4 a gallon to be in a store with fancy floors and nifty lighting or would you rather pay $3 and shop in a warehouse with aisles?

Gas: We have to buy gas if we own a car, no way around it. Most people already purchase their gas at the cheapest place they can but many people use their bankcards to pay for it. Some gas stations charge up to $.05 more for using a card than cash, so use cash to buy gas.

More on Gas: Make sure your tires are properly inflated as well. If they are, you will save on gas as well. Also, if you have a lot of heavy items in your car and don’t need them there, take them out. The heavier the car, the more gas is needed to make it move.

Coffee: How many people stop for coffee in the morning? How many of those same people have coffee mugs with a lid on them? The answer is probably the same for each. If you have a travel mug, make some coffee at home and take it with you. With coffee ranging from $1.50 to $4 in some places, you can save a good piece of change simply by cutting out coffee runs.

Baby Food: There are tons of recipes on line to make your own baby food. It is quite simple and will save you a ton of money. You will also have complete control of what your baby is eating, and this is an added bonus.

In the end, it really comes down to this – look before you buy. Compare the prices of everything and if you think you can find it cheaper somewhere else, then go!

Frugal, as defined by the Random House Dictionary is “Economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.”

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.

An easy way to cut costs every month is by reducing your own personal overhead in the form of your electricity bill. By using less energy, you not only put money back into your pocket, but also help the Earth. It’s a win-win situation.

During the summer months, set your thermostat as high as you are able to tolerate comfortably. Reverse this in the winter, setting it as low as you can go. Install a programmable thermostat that allows for multiple temperature settings throughout the day. This will help you to reduce your costs when you are not at home and don’t need it as cool or warm, depending on the season.

Install and use ceiling fans to help cool the air temperature by approximately 4 degrees. Thanks to this cooling effect, you can raise your thermostat, saving you money on air conditioning. The movement provided by a fan makes the air feel much cooler.

Use florescent or LED bulbs for greater lighting energy efficiency. These bulbs last up to ten times longer than regular light bulbs and use 75% less energy. Be sure to turn lights off when not in use.

Find energy efficient appliances. The refrigerator is typically the biggest energy hog, so if you must choose only one appliance to be Energy Star rated for efficiency, start with the fridge.

Only wash full loads of laundry or dishes to make the most out of each wash. Lower the water heater temperature to 120 degrees, which is plenty warm, and can even prevent burns while saving you money. Look into purchasing a water heater jacket, which only runs about $10- $20, but can save you money by helping insulate your water heater.

Unplug appliances when not in use. Forgo using your dryer and allow clothes to line dry.

In light of the declining economy, many people are facing losing their home because of job loss and other things that factor into the economy. There are, however, some things you can do to help ensure you don’t lose your home. 

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.