There are several money saving techniques I have used.
I set the gas heat on about 60 degrees. I use space heaters to heat only the rooms we are using. A good space heater to heat a living room is usually around $70. I suggest one with a fan. I shut the vents in all the rooms and only open them if we are using the room.
I try to schedule errands and driving to save on gas. I go to the store on the way to and from daycare or work. I try to do all my errands for the week on the same day. I would suggest trying to set up a car pool for children events or work for a friend that is close to your home.
I try to bulk up recipes by adding pasta or rice to dishes. For instance, macaroni and cheese I would add a red sauce and some hamburger. For chili, I make it into chili mac by adding pasta or putting the chili over pasta when served. Pasta and rice dishes tend to be filling and you can use less meat, which is more expensive.
I suggest investing in a small deep freeze. When foods are on sale, I buy large amounts. For example, cheese tends to be about $2.50 per 8 oz package. I only buy it when Scotts or Krogers has a sale for $1.25. I only buy beef and chicken in bulk. I buy large packages at Meijers that are buy 1 15 pound bag and get one free. I only buy beef when it's close to $2.00 or less. Hamburger Helper and other type meals can be found in generic brands for half the cost. I also shop at discount stores such as Aldi's. I think most of the food is just as good as the name brands. They are practically always less expensive. A can of food might be $0.40 for oranges whereas at the store it's a $1.00. Tomatoes are $1.00 per pound whereas they are like $2-$3 per pound at the regular grocery store.
I plan meals ahead of time throughout the week and have enough recipes that are quick to prepare and cook. I try to cook a large meal once a week to have leftovers sometime in the week. This helps to prevent the need for going out to eat. You figure a family will spend between $15-$30 going out to eat once. You might save $50-$100 a month by just avoiding eating out.
I also try to buy clothing and toys at garage sales, internet ads like Kiiji and CraigsList and eBay, and through newspaper ads. I buy all my kids clothes during the spring for the entire year. I buy clothes in two sizes larger as well in case they have a large growth spurt. I usually end up buying new shoes, but I do find play shoes at garage sales. This saves me hundreds and hundreds a year. Clothes are usually $1-$2 per item at a garage sale. On Friday or Saturday mornings I would go out early and spend 1-2 hours garage sale-ing for specific items. I've bought clothes, a kitchen table and chairs, office furniture, lamps, bathroom fixtures.
You can also shop at the Plato's closet, consignment shops or second hand stores. Often the clothes look brand new and have no noticable wear. They are less than half of full price, so it's worth taking a look.
I've also approached friends and acquaintances and asked if I could have or buy their families clothes from their children. I have a couple girlfriends that occassionally give me clothes their children have grown out of. When my kids grow out of them, I post ads to sell them. So whether I buy them at a garage sale or get them free, I always break even on clothes. Then I use that money to buy them stuff for the next year or when I am short on cash... such as when I lost my job.
Instead of going to new movies at the theaters, we go to the Dollar Theater. We go to the Dollar Store to buy snacks and drinks and bring them in the theater in a backpack or my large purse.
Also, I try to do laundry all on the same time to save on money to heat water. Then a couple hours after the laundry is done I have the kids take showers. The water tends to be the hotest then. At night when it's really cold, I try to find a recipe to use the oven, which helps to heat the downstairs and kitchen.
Also, I have a puppy, so I do all of her grooming myself. I bought the grooming kit and try to do the clipping of toenails and cutting her hair when she's sleepy at night or in the afternoon when she takes a nap. I bought one of the Pedi-Paw nail filers and it works pretty good at removing sharp edges. I give her a bath and then start her clipping. I use a little conditioner in her hair if she has a lot of tangles.
I bought a cheap set of clippers from Sally's Beauty Supply for the dog and for my kids. I clip all their hair myself. I've gotten enough practice that I can do several cuts now. I asked hair dressers if I could watch them and ask some questions. I took notes on what I needed to know to do my families cuts. I have also tried Great Clips, but I realized that I could do the same thing with more patience than they used with my toddlers. I put an old sheet on the floor, wrap a sheet around them and use a potato chip bag clip to hold it together. I put them in a booster seat on a chair on the sheet on the floor. I put on their favorite movie. They stay pretty still considering they have so much energy. I also bought a cheap pair of scissors to clip the bangs, around the ears and around the neck. I personally keep my hair in a style and cut that will last several months. I make sure the layers are very gradual and at the bottom so that they do not show a lot of uneven levels when it grows out. I trim my bangs myself.
When I buy electronics, I always buy the older models. I try to find refurbished products from online retailers or from the manufacturer. I bought my laptop for $475, and it retailed between $1300-$1800. It it still has the Intel Core 2 Duo (one of the fastest processors) and plenty of ram and hard drive space. Also, the new computers are so fast that for most needs you will not notice the difference in speed (unless you are designing websites or keep multiple spreadsheets open using multiple calculations). For regular word processing and internet surfing, you will not notice the difference in speed. I also buy the cheaper models of DVD players, CD players and MP3 players. Instead of buying a stereo system for the house, I have a USB MP3 player (about $40) and a CD/radio player ($25). I can connect the MP3 player to the CD player through the headphone port and it works as a mini stereo system. Because it was cheap, I do not worry about my toddlers destroying it and not being able to replace it. I can hook up a cheap microphone to it and they can use it for karaoke.
Also, instead of repainting my house, I use a semi-gloss or eggshell paint for the primary color. Then I buy decals, stickers or appliques for decoration. They can easily be removed without leaving sticky residue and it's cheaper and easier than repainting. There are some available in stores, but I find the largest variety online and on eBay. I have gone to fabric stores and looked for items that were on sale and clearance. I have used several yards of fabric to create a mural or cheap wallpaper. Then I tack down a chair border (wood pieces cheap at hardware store) to hold it down. For apartment and townhouse living, these are ideal decorations, so you don't have to repaint when you leave.
I have bought rechargeable batteries and green energy lightbulbs. I go through 4 triple A batteries for my camera once or twice a month. The kids go through batteries it seems like every week. I have saved a lot of money there. Also, I bought the USB cables for my cell phone and camera to download the pictures onto my computer. I pick out only the pictures I want to put into scrapbooks or give out to print. I usually print them myself on my computer or for family gifts I put them onto CD and take them to Meijers or the pharmacy to print out on photo quality paper. I used to spend $20 a month on film and developing pictures a month, and most of them I didn't end up using. Saving pictures on the computer and using the USB cables has saved a lot of money. Also, instead of sending pictures to family and friends, I put them on a website like yahoo, myspace or photobucket. Friends can go and read your blogs on what you're up to, flip through pictures (which you can upload onto the website for free), and they can download whatever they want. I have hundreds of pictures online, and it's all free. I have family in Georgia, California, Indiana, Colorado and Hawaii, so it's nice to be able to keep in touch online for free. Also you can use Skype.com to make phone calls over your computer for free. You can also call landline phones for about $0.01 per minute. Much cheaper than a landline phone. Skype.com. You can use your computer speakers and mic or buy a headset with a mic for better reception and less echo. Either way it works great for me.
Also, I bought a steam cleaner for the carpet. I bought it used from a vacuume shoppe. It has attachments so I can do the curtains and furniture as well. Otherwise, you can buy a cheap steamer for those items. It takes a while to do yourself since it requires changing the water, but it's cheaper than hiring Stanley Steamer or the like. I think a bottle of concentrated cleaner for about $30. Just to clean three rooms it was over $100 with Stanley Steamer, so you save money fast.
A friend of mine doesn't pay for trash removal. She and a neighbor split the charge. She puts her trash and recycling out with her neighbor. Also, you can buy a can crusher and begin recycling aluminum and other items that can be traded in for cash. Set up one drop per month at the local recycling area. Then use that money for entertainment for the next month.
You can also find a friend or neighbor that you can swap kids for a night or help out with housework... do this in exchange for paying a babysitter to have a night out with your partner! Often restaurants offer cheaper meals on days they do less business like Monday and Tuesdays, so consider going out sometime other than the weekend. Of course, there are always matinee movies, buying snacks and kids toys at the dollar store. I generally make gift baskets for birthdays for friends and family at the dollar store. You might spend $5-$10 and they would have several little items. I find it sort of nice to get gifts that are disposable so I am not collecting more clutter in my house. Things like candles, bath salts, hand soaps, air fresheners, fingernail polish, and plants tend to be disposable. Kids items might be cheap toys that may wear out... light up cars, playdough, washable markers, little dinosaur or other figurines, dolls-bears and dress up clothes, little girl costume jewelry and makeup, purses, etc.