Thrift store shopping is a must! Keep a floor rag instead of using paper towels every time something needs wiped off the floor. Limit use of plastic storage bags by either recyling ones that other things come in or using reusable containers. I do not throw anything much away---keep containers that food stuffs come in to reuse for other things. We never throw food away------ever! We eat leftovers and that means less cooking. Lots of vegetarian meals, soups and salads that we make from salad greens in our garden. Garden every summer and freeze or can lots of produce. Watch for rebates. We use a credit card that gives us back money and that is a big bonus. Keep the thermastat low, turn off lights, weatherproof windows and doors. Hubby always checks the wattage of our appliances with a little meter he has. We limit use of anything that uses a high rate. We do not go out to eat----and we have no complaints about that. I prefer my own cooking---I know how it has been prepared and exactly what is in it. We live simply and love it. We are relaxed and happy and healthy. Hubby researches everything to make sure we get the best for our money. And we did away with our dish TV---we now have an antenna and a roku. We have more to watch and no bill. We are going to switch our cell phone service soon to Consumer Cellular.Cheapest service with a very good rating. We will cut our bill to more than half what it is now. Check it out if you use cellular----just google it.