My Dollar Plan readers have lots of great ideas when it comes to saving money. I asked readers to share their money saving tips. The responses were terrific!

One of my favorites is Brian’s idea to wait at least 30 days before making major purchasing decisions. There are so many times when I decide I no longer need to buy something that was at the top of my list last month!

From energy savings to selling your stuff and using the library to setting up your accounts automatically and everything in between, here is a recap of the tips to save money.

Money Saving Tips

Fill your fridge. Lower your electricity bills by stocking your fridge with water bottles. The less empty space you have in your fridge, the less cold air will escape whenever you open it. – by Investing & Passive Income Bring your lunch to work. It can save you about $10-$20 a week. If you add that up, it comes down to saving at least $520 a year. – by Christine Use price comparison websites. They make it so much easier to find the stuff you want to buy and get it for the lowest price. – by Katrine Cover windows in the winter. Have 1/4″ sheets of plexiglass cut to the size of your windows; during the winter install on the inside of your windows with an airgap (created by using foam insulation strips) in between. Use wood strips to hold in place. It minimizes loss of heat and it is a great sound barrier! – by stngy1 Wait before purchasing. Wait at least 30 days before making major purchasing decisions. It will help you truly think about if you need it or should buy something. – by Brian Install an energy system. Earlier this heating season I had a Climate Energy free watt System installed. It’s a combined heat and power system for the home and it saves a bundle on electricity. – by MITBeta Cancel your land line. Save money everyday by using a cell phone and skipping the land line. – by Patrick Challenge yourself to save every day. I started a 30-day challenge called “A Dollar A Day”. – by dreamfool Open your windows. During the spring and fall, if you don’t have a programmable thermostat, turn off the air conditioner completely and open up your windows. This is simple, but if you do it everyday you can go quite some time without having to run it, and get some fresh air in the process as well. – by RC Save your coins. We empty our pockets every day and put any and all change in a jar. We have a “spend no coins” rule in our household. If we must spend money we always use cash and we always drop the change in a jar. We keep a running “guess” as to how much we have accumulated! The person with the closest guess come holiday time gets a week off from normal household chores. – by Natalee A. Use auto-debit for loans. I called my student loan company to see if there was anything I could do to reduce my interest rate. Having them auto-debit the minimum drops the rate a quarter of a percent. – by sara l Sign up for a library card. I’m savings anywhere from $30 to $50 a month on book and DVD expenses! – by Sarah Shop online with Ebates. Then use PriceProtectr to take advantage of any price reduction. In addition, save to buy what you want instead of putting it on a credit card or an installment plan. – by Pinyo Hang clothes out to dry. Last summer, I totally offset my air conditioning bill by choosing not to use my dryer. Not only did it save me money, but I really enjoy being out in the fresh air! – by Bekki Just ask. Call everyone you pay a bill to and ask them for lower rates. This can be applied to cell phones, cable, internet, credit cards, loans, etc. – by Tom Sell your stuff. Grab up all the old DVDs, Books, and CDs in your house that you don’t use anymore and sell them on the secondary market. – by PT Use the bathroom at work, not at home. – by Mr. Stupid Stockpile groceries. Match coupons with sales, stockpile the bargains and eat from your fridge or pantry. – by Grace Use craigslist. If I see a book I really like, I try to get it through my college library or the free inter-library book loan system. I also check the “books” section of my local craigslist on a daily basis – sometimes it has ridiculously good deals. – by GL Use Freecycle.org. I found an old blender for a project and saved myself at least $15. – by lpkitten Tell others about your goals. I talked to my friend who works at the grocery store about the rising costs of food.. and how I was making my own bread… He came to my home with 15 loaves of bread!! The store was going to throw them away because they were “mismarked” Don’t be shy about frugality!! – by Just a Flipflop Mom Use less detergent. You can often use half the amount of detergent that’s “recommended” and still get your clothes clean. – by Jane Make savings a bill. Make transfers from your paycheck to savings into a “bill.” The way I see it, my automatic savings plan is like paying a bill, only I’m paying it to myself. Treating the money this way discourages using it for any other reason other than to put it into savings. – by Foxie Don’t drive during lunch. I stay in the office to have lunch two – three times a week. It cuts down on my gas and with the prices these days… – by Amy Limit groceries to the size of the bag. I take a reusable bag to the grocery store that will hold just the items on my list. That way I’m not tempted to buy something I don’t actually need. – by deepali Round up on debit card purchases. When I use my debit card I round up the charge to the next dollar and record it in a little note book I have. Then at the end of the month I reconcile the money and deposit all the “change” left over from the debit card transactions!- by Yackie Take a mini-budget with you. Since I don’t keep my monthly budget with me, once I’ve paid the bills I jot down what I have left for each section (gas, groceries, eating out) in a small left hand column in my checkbook and update it as I spend. Now I can quickly peek in my wallet to see if I’m ‘allowed’ to go out for dinner, or whether I’d better find something to make at home…it’s been very handy and a ’splurge’ saver. – by Jennifer Use energy at night. I just started doing laundry and dishes after 8 pm or before 10 am. This is saving me only $5/month, but every little bit helps! – by Christin Borrow from friends. We borrowed a dvd from a friend instead of renting or buying and had a little snack from our own fridge! Way cheaper than using gas to drive to the theater/rental place, paying for a movie, and paying for a snack. Plus I get to check out all the cool blogs as the movie plays! (I’m a multi-tasker.) – by Rachel Complete a family meal plan. This not only saves money by not scrambling at the last minute and busting the budget on take out, but also saves on the stress in busy families! – by NH Mom of 3

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