10 Frugal habits that save us money every day

I have compiled a small list of stuff we can do each day to be more frugal and cut expenses. Someone once said if you "take care of the pennies the dollars will follow." I find this to be true and am always looking for small things I can do to save a little here and there.

Here is my list:

• Shut of the faucet while brushing your teeth, shaving, and during other hygienic activities. Even the most efficient faucets dispense 2 gallons per minute!
• Get into the habit of turning lights on and off as you go. Power is expensive. Save it by not leaving a lot of lights on all the time!
• Use coupons! This one can be big. I follow coupon cravings, mail, and the local paper for coupons. I keep all of the ones I use in an envelope in my car. Any time I shop I dig through and take them in to use. This mostly applies to food.
• Find the cheapest gas station near you. Here in Atlanta gas prices can vary quite a bit. I did a survey of my neighborhood every weekend for a few weeks and found that certain gas station is always the lowest. I save an average of $1 per tank in my Honda Civic this way.
• Grocery sale shopping can be a big saver. I always grab the weekly flier at the door and see what is on sale and stock up on the items I need. Combine sale items with coupons too. I also go to farmers markets and Aldi to save even more!
• Unplug what you don't use. Simply having stuff plugged in draws power. Even if it is turned off. Only leave the items that you use all the time plugged in and unplug the rest.
  
• Going out of town: Turn off all you can. Unplug everything except the bare essentials. Turn the water heater down and the air conditioning / heater to very low levels. No need to run up utilities when you are not home.
• Check your air in your car tires weekly. I do this when I get gas. Having them at the optimal level saves gas and uneven wear on your tires.
• Run the dishwasher and clothes washer when you have full loads. You waste energy and water if you run them when they are not full. Of course you will have exceptions but most of the time this can be done.
• Use your leftovers religiously. Leftover food gets wasted a lot these days. Make it a point to go for those first before making anything new. It saves time and money!
  

All of these are very easy to do and will most certainly save you money. Forming frugal habits is a good way to start your path to good spending. If you think about the cost of the above you realize how this can easily add up over time. Frugal habits become hard to break and this is a good thing!