Here’s a really easy way to save… go to the store less often. Seriously. Studies show that as much as 60% of what we buy at the grocery store are impulse purchases that we didn’t plan on buying and don’t really need. It’s part of the reason why so much food gets thrown out each week.

If you go shopping a few times a week, try to cut back to just once a week. Then move on two shopping only every two weeks (provided you have the freezer space) and if you’re really brave, you may want to try cutting grocery shopping back to once a month. Personally, I’m not that brave, but I am averaging grocery shopping about every two weeks, with the occasional stop at the convenience store to buy a fresh gallon of milk or a loaf of bread.

At least I’m not stopping quite as frequently at the gas station as I used to because of two simple changes I’ve recently implemented that turned out to save me quite a bit of gas.

1) Go Slow
Don’t stomp the gas petal. Going just a little slower will do wonders to the gas mileage you are getting.

2) Check Your Tire Pressure
Invest $5 in a simple tire gauge and make sure your tires are always properly inflated.

Imlement both these ideas and you will notice that the same tank of gas suddenly takes you further.

Here’s what I do … as soon as we get there, each child gets some spending money, usually about $5. They can use it to buy ice ceam, or a small toy… whatever they like, but when the money is gone, thats it.

Everyone understands the concept and every child I have tried this with has done well with it. Kids take pride in the fact that they are choosing and buying and there are no complaints when the money is spent.

My favorite mother’s day presents are the homemade cards, a special picture drawn by a 4 year old and of course the macaroni jewelery box that sits on my dresser and the little flower garden in a baby food jar that’s right here at my desk. The kids spent a lot of time on all of these presents and were excited and proud to present them to me on Mother’s Day… that’s what it’s about… (that and of course lots of hugs and kisses), not some expensive piece of jewelery, $60 worth of flowers that will be gone in a week, or a fancy dinner.

I think we have gotten to a point where we turn to expensive gifts to express our love, because we don’t have time anymore (or better think we don’t have time) to show our appreciation through little gestures throughout the year and don’t have time to work on a homemade gift that actually has some meaning. To drown that guilt, we turn to expensive but otherwise meaningless gifts. Maybe the fact that we don’t have as much cash to do that this year is a good thing…

1) Consider getting rid of your home phone
If you have home and cellphone, you may want to consider getting rid of your home  phone.  How many calls do you really make from it anymore? Even if you don’t have a mobile phone, consider switching to a voip (voice over the internet phone) that can be quite a bit less than your regular phone.

2) Don’t pay for long distance service. We have family overseas and ended up paying over $5 a month just for the option to call them. If you have to make a long distance call, use your cell phone if it has nationwide free calling, or use a long distance service like 10-10-2-20, or my own favorite Tel3.com - it’s like  a long distance phone card, but more convenient. You can reload it any time and they even accept paypal.

3) Check Your Cell Phone Plans regularly… Phone companies change their wireless plans regularly and you may be able to get more minutes and better long distance services, or more bells and whistles (like  text messaging or mobile internet) for the same amount you are paying now.

Don’t forget to also review your usage of those minutes regularly. It may make sense to switch to a lower plan if you don’t end up using all your minutes each month.

Just a few little changes like this can easily shave 20 or more dollars from your phone bills each month.

Here’s how it works according to the Barnes and Noble website:

1. Kids read any 8 books.
2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it’s complete.
3. Children bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.
4. We’ll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*

* Eligible books will be listed on the coupon. Choices must be made from eligible stock. No special orders. Limit of 1 form per school-age child (grades 1-6), please. Incomplete forms will be ineligible for free books.

Click here to learn more about this Summer Reading Program and how to claim a free book for your child.

And since the Feds have been lowering interest rates for quite a while now, you may be entitled to a lower rate anyway. So grab the phone and call your credit card company up. All you have to lose are a few minutes of your time.

My family likes the dishes, it fills us up on just a few dollars and it’s actually pretty healthy. It’s a great way to stretch your food dollars and get some extra fiber in your family’s diet at the same time.

A Day At The Park
One of our favorite activities is to pack a snack or lunch and head to a local park or playground for a few hours. I pack a good book and a blanket to hang out on. The kids get to play and are usually ready for some quiet time and early bedtime after playing hard all afternoon.

Check Out The Library
Call or stop by your local library. They have all kinds of summer programs for kids of all ages. Most of them are free and with a few you’re asked to pay a few dollars for special supplies. Don’t forget about all the cool books and videos for your kids at the library.

Go Camping
Instead of going on a fancy vacation, grab your tent, some sleeping bags and go camping for a few days. It’s a lot of fun, a great bonding experience for the whole family and doesn’t cost much.

Become An Urban Explorer
There is a lot more going on in your town than you  may realize… take a look at kid-friendly museums,  special events in the area or go visit your local fire house.  Keep your eyes open and you’ll find all kinds of free things to do in your town or area.

Here are some of the questions we asked ourselves and some of the things we put in place that eventually allowed me to quit my job and become a stay at home mom.

1) We paid off all credit card debt and cars to get our overall bills down.

2) We knew we wanted to move and buy another house… to make sure we would qualify for a good loan with a low interest rate, we purchased the new home before I stopped working. Of course we made sure we could make the house payments without my job income.

3) We cut down on a lot of extras like a big satellite package, cell phones and eating out.

4) We sat down and did the math. We listed all our expenses, figuring in that I would no longer have to commute every day which would save us in gas, work outfits, makeup and lunches and of course without the cost of daycare. Then we looked at the money coming in without my salary. When that was enough to cover all costs and then some, it was time for a trial run.

5) For the next three months, I continued to work, but we lived without my income… it went straight into a high-yielding savings account that would become our safety net. With just one person working, you need a good emergency fund in case that person looses his or her job and you’re left with no income at all.

6) After the three months we sat down and were pretty frank with each other what we did and didn’t like about living with quite a bit less money to spend. In the end we both decided that the sacrifices were worth being able to raise our child instead of having her in daycare or with a sitter.

My job now is to run a household, raise our daughter and make our dollars stretch as far as possible. That means cooking a lot more from scratch than before, shopping smartly and coming up with fun things for our family to do that don’t cost much.