With the shaky economy, most of us have tightened up our belts. Clip a coupon here, buy one less latte there. But, wouldn’t it be great if you could save hundreds of dollars instead of single dollars?

These cuts will bring big savings fast:

1. Stop many monthly subscriptions – gym, Netflix, magazines.
2. Sell one car and buy an older one if you must have cars for everyone in the family. Try becoming a one car family if feasible.
3. Look for used first.
4. Don’t pleasure shop – ever.
5. Call credit card companies and see if they will lower fees if you have good credit. And consider not using them for a time.
6. Check other car/homeowners insurers.
7. Sell your clutter (We have an exercise DVD set, a laptop and a shuttle computer on ebay right now).
8. If you have a cell phone, get rid of your home phone. A client of mine will be saving $100 a month just by doing that.
9. If you don’t need a cell phone, get rid of it and use your home phone.
10. Buy smaller cell phone plans, limit your kids use unless they are paying for the plans.
11. If you must have a home phone because the kids don’t have cells, try a phone like Vonage. This is what we do.
12. Limit eating out. Add up how much money you spent in the past two weeks at restaurants. You will save money and probably be healthier if you eat more at home. One client of mine cooks 3 meals at a time, so on busy days she can pop something in the oven.
13. Downsize your home if you are in an area where homes are still selling. Bigger homes mean more clutter.
14. See how long you can go without buying any new clothes or accessories. Is being in fashion really more important than your financial future?
15. Buy food from Angel Food ministries if you need help in that area, start a garden this spring, buy local and buy less processed foods.
16. Use open source software.
17. Vacation at home or in your own area.
18. Forgo paid entertainment places like laser tag and the movies for free entertainment. Check out your local college, city’s website. Try taking walks, cooking together, making crafts, reading, or chatting on the porch with friends and family. Or try playing with some of those toys you already bought and never have time to play.

Which are you willing to do to pad your savings account this month?

Photo credits: SunSun