If you're considering a new savings plan there are some simple things you can do. In fact, did you know you can save money by following some simple little tricks that your family can participate in?

Consider this:

A) Don't buy soda - at 1.00 per bottle you can save upwards of $300 a year! Walk or bike - think about the gas savings (especially at todays rates)

B) Do you pay for trash? Go Green! Use tote bags for your groceries and cut down on your waste!

C) Shop Bargains - do you have 2nd hand stores in your area? Shop until you drop and get great things at cheap prices!

D) Coupon Clipper - are you a coupon clipper? If not become one!

E) Make your own! - Avoid fancy take out food and make your own at home!

There are thousands of coupons available to you by searching your local paper, coupon swaps at the store and even on the internet. You're wondering what types of products you can use coupons for here's a partial list


A) Food - this is a great way to try new foods - use coupons

B) Pet Food - write to the company you buy your pet food from *by mail or on internet* and ask for coupons.

C) Dentists - check your local paper for money saving coupons for dental services!

D) Gifts - birthdays and holidays always seem to create a strain on our budgets. If you see a coupon for a gift that is suitable for a friend or family member buy it today!

We all have items that we use time and time again - paper towels, trash bags, tissues, laundry soap, bath soap and more.

A) Are bigger packages more cost effective? - Check out the price per piece when shopping. You may be able to save money in bulk

B) Storage Considerations can be a factor in buying in bulk - set aside a closet or even a room to be your overflow area for bulk purchases.

C) Food items - rice, pasta, cereals often come in bulk packaging. Unless you have sufficient airtight storage these can actually cost you more with waste.

D) Pet Foods - storage containers should be pet proof and keep food fresh.

E) Shampoos - save a smaller bottle for transferring into.

Many people have used the budget method in order to save money to have a down payment for a home. While it is often a slow way of saving, it is very effective and teaches you a lot about being more thrifty and making better money decisions. Understanding that you have obligations that have to be met before you spend (with saving money being one of them) can often go a long way in deciding when or when not to buy something.

Making a basic budget is simple. Start by making a short list of what you have to pay each month in order to live. Rent, utilities, phone, food, car payment, house insurance (if applicable), child support or tax obligations, and items such as this should be listed first. Second, credit card payments (at least a minimum), student loan payments, car insurance, and likewise should follow suit. When possible, budget extra for credit card payments and pay the cards off. Keep them for emergencies only or cut them up to avoid temptation. After your budget is complete, subtract what has to be paid from the average amount you make each month. Put at least 50% of that income into a savings account.

The hard part about saving with a budget is sticking to the budget. While it is easy to write a budget on paper, not buying that awesome pair of shoes when you know the money is either in the savings account or available on a credit card can be difficult. Understanding that, in the end, that first home (or home of your dreams) is more important can be just the focal point you need. When you unlock the front door of your first home for the first time, it will all be worth it.

One of the easiest ways to save money is to put the money into a high-interest savings account. The amount you put in each week or month will build up quickly when put into a savings account that accrues interest. While high-interest savings accounts may have high minimums or require a minimum to be kept in the account (to avoid a penalty), they are worth the investment. Many checking accounts offer little to no interest, while many online banks offer savings accounts that yield as much as 5.3% interest. Assuming that you are putting $20 a week into savings, that is an extra $4.24 a month! While it seems small by itself, consider this 4.24 x 12 = 50.88. Yes, you read that right, over $50 a year just in interest on saving $20 a week.

Another option along this line is investing your money into a high-interest CD or money-market account. These build value quickly and this goes a long way toward doing things with your money that you have always wanted to do, such as putting a down payment on a house. Most of these do not require a minimum be kept in the bank in order to keep, but require a sum to be put down initially (many CD's require 5K or higher to offer a good interest rate).

Saving money is a difficult thing to do in today's society, but it is a goal that can be achieved. Whether you are saving for a down payment on a house or a new car, you can have the things you want if you are willing to sacrifice in the short run in order to get a big payout in the end. Keeping your money in the bank in an account that works with you by drawing high amounts of interest is one of the best -- and easiest -- ways to achieve this goal.

Many Americans lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year by paying someone else to do the jobs that they could learn to do themselves. Instead of spending money to have someone change the oil in your car, learn to do it yourself. On average, it costs anywhere from $25-50 to let a "professional" do it, and they often make mistakes that they expect you to pay for (e.g. leaving the oil cap off, requiring a replacement).

The answer: learn to do it yourself. If you are wanting to save money (for instance, to put a down payment on a house), you will have to learn how to spend your money wisely. It is not that difficult to change the oil in a car, and this can be accomplished no matter what gender you are. While it costs a little bit to do it initially (you'll need ramps, an oil pan to drain it, and a means of disposing of the old oil), even this initial cost is about the same as letting a pro handle the job.

Overall, you can save hundreds of dollars each year simply by changing your own oil. You can save money for a new car, to pay off credit card debt or student loans, to put a down payment on a home, and many other things by learning to do things for yourself. As long as the job is not dangerous or impossible to do yourself, there is no limit to the amount of money you can save just be refusing to be lazy. Take the time to learn the right way to do things, and do not bother with paying someone else to do what you can just as easily (if slightly more inconveniently) do yourself.

None of us like setting up yard sales or garage sales, waiting hours to make a few dollars, then taking the remnants back down and dealing with clean up. It is annoying, a hassle, and often not worth the time (not to mention the nice sunburn that comes along with the summertime sale). Instead of setting up that yard sale, consider selling those unwanted items on online auction websites. People will often pay more for items they want if they do not have to go and get it.

Clean up the item as best as you can. Take a picture, or several if the item is large. Sell clothing in lots, or in bulk, at low prices. Chances are good you will not get back anywhere close to what you paid originally for the item, but any profit is better than none at all. Some auction websites charge a small amount of money to list the auction, so make sure you factor in this cost when listing your item. Be reasonable when charging shipping prices, and do not forget to add a small handling fee to cover your gas getting to/from shipping location or post office.

Put any earnings into a savings account. If you are saving up for a down payment on a house or a new car, or just want to get out of debt, these auctions can be a great way to start the savings. Remember, the higher people rate you after the auction (the more satisfied they are with the item and the condition it is in as compared to how you listed it), the more money you can make. There is a market for almost any item you have laying around, and older stuff (especially vintage clothing, clothing with the tags still on, and/or jewelry) can make more money than you probably could earn in a whole summer's worth of yard sales, without having to set up a single table or pin on a single price tag.

Some may say that this is silly. How can you save money by
learning about animals? For those who have pets, this valuable advice is a must-read. Many vets charge a lot of money for things like yearly vaccinations, shampoos/cleanings, clipping nails, and various other maintenance costs. These often-unnecessary costs can add up significantly over the course of a year. Depending on what type of pet you have, learn what is necessary and what can either be done yourself or avoided altogether.

Believe it or not, dogs and cats do not have to be vaccinated every year to stay healthy. Have necessary shots done while they are still young and you do not have to take them yearly for boosters like you do a child. Some animals do require a yearly checkup, such as older animals, but you should consider putting the money for that costly vaccination in a savings account instead. Saving money to put a down payment on a new home is much more valuable than spending money on a vaccination that is oftentimes unnecessary at best, if not dangerous.

Check out books about how to care for your animal and learn to do basic grooming and cleaning yourself. While it is often difficult to get a stubborn cat clean and frustrating to clip nails and avoid hurting the animal, it can be done. Make sure you understand how to do things yourself before you attempt them, either by watching a vet once or reading thoroughly. Put that saved money in the bank, and let it grow into something you really need.

Everyone has heard the cliché that saving money can be accomplished by clipping coupons. Most of us had mothers who clipped the coupons out of Sunday morning papers religiously, and those same mothers can attest to the fact that clipping coupons (even if it is embarrassing to present them to the checker) can save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars each year.

With the costs of gas and food rising each month, it is becoming increasingly difficult to save money, especially if you need to save a substantial sum (e.g. to put a down payment on a house or buy a car). Clipping coupons may not be the answer to the problem, but it is a solution to how to begin. Take, for example, the average "save .35" coupon. If you were to collect five of them to use on one shopping trip to one store, you would save 1.75. Multiply that by the average of four shopping trips in a month (groceries only) and you have already saved $7. Put that money into a savings account, and you will have $84 by the end of one year.

In comparison, you can put the money saved from clipping coupons into a high-interest savings account and the amount saved will be compounded exponentially. That $84 a year soon becomes $89 a year, and so on. Saving money for a down payment on a house never seemed so easy. It takes a bit of time to clip the coupons, but do not use that as an excuse. Many websites now offer printable coupons that are ready and able to be used in most major grocery stores and supercenters across America. Get started with your savings now!

The ATM card is quickly becoming a way to both spend and save money. Some banks offer debit cards that move the change (rounded to the nearest dollar) from a purchase into a high-interest savings account. This is a great way to save money, but can be a very big temptation in the long run (well, if I buy this, the extra DOES go into savings...). Consider a do-it-yourself version of the same situation: put your change into a piggy bank or change jar.

This seems like a childish idea, but it works very well. Those saving for that all-important down payment know that every little bit helps, and it is often those small things in life that add up to the biggest amount of money. When you empty your pockets every day, put that loose change into a coin jar or piggy bank and watch it add up. Many banks and some grocery stores offer coin-counting machines for little or no charge, and you can take the money and deposit it into a high-interest savings account once a month, or once every six months.

Are you still not convinced that this method can add up to a tidy sum quickly? Consider this: when you spend that $3.74 on a pack of cigarettes, you are putting $0.26 in your change jar. If you smoke a pack a day (the average for most American smokers), that is $1.82 a week. Now, multiply that by four to see what you would save JUST from that purchase alone: $7.28. Multiply times twelve to see one whole year: $87.36. Now, you are getting somewhere. Put that amount in a high-interest savings account and you are making some money and heading toward that down payment quickly. Of course, cutting out the cigarettes and putting that $3.74 a day into the change jar is a better idea both for your health and your savings, but that's another story ($3.74/pack x 7 days/wk x 4 wks/mo x 12 mo/yr = $1256 a year).

Those attempting to save money for a bigger purchase, like a down payment on a home, are faced with the impossible task of what to buy and what not to buy, and when. One of the most difficult things to save money on can be clothing. Most of us like to look good, and it costs a lot of money to do this, right? Many popular clothing styles or brands are expensive, and material does not always last a long time.

Consider saving money by shopping at thrift stores or garage/yard sales. While this may seem drastic, it can actually save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year. People get tired of things or outgrow them (especially children) often long before the clothing is worn out or actually needs to be replaced. Pants (especially blue jeans) are often sold for as little as one quarter a pair, and, considering the average pair of pants sold even at a thrifty supercenter will sell for about ten dollars, this savings is tremendous. Besides, the trendy look is worn and torn jeans, anyway.

Now, add those savings up and put what you would normally spend on clothing into your savings account. Assume that the awesome pair of jeans you found at that yard sale cost the exorbitant amount of $1. This is saving an average of $9 off a pair you would buy new, right? Most people buy at least three pairs of jeans every six months or so, averaging about six pairs a year. Saving $9 a pair, that is a savings of over $50! This can add up quickly when you buy other clothing in the same manner. Barring only shoes and undergarments, this can be an easy and quick way to start saving up for a down payment on a home or a new car.

Another common way of saving money is the recycling method. Most people have heard this phrase until they are ready to recycle their foot up someone's..., you get the idea. "Green" methods are quickly becoming trendy but annoying facts. We have to reduce, reuse, and recycle everything we can in order to waste less of our precious natural resources and cut down on what we send to landfills each year. Did you ever think it could also help you save money? It can. In many ways.

Recycle metals such as aluminum and get paid for it. Take those soda cans to an aluminum-recycling place and earn some extra money. The average aluminum buyer buys aluminum at a whopping 50 cents a pound. This may seem insignificant at first, but it actually adds up quickly. Of course, do not expect to get rich doing it, since most people only rake in about $25 a month. Nevertheless, when saving for a down payment on a home or a new car, that extra monthly bonus in savings can help.

For example, if you put that $25 a month in a high-interest savings account and let it grow, you will have earned an additional $16 a year in interest alone. All total, $25 x 12 = $300, plus the interest = $316 a year. This is simply from your recycling. Add this savings to the other ways you are saving, and the down payment will come in no time. You just have to be willing to sacrifice some in the short run to achieve success in the end.

If you live in a decent neighborhood, consider swapping services with your neighbors to save money. If several neighbors are good at one thing, a few are good at something else, and a few are good at a third thing, then you have three things accomplished without spending any money. Swap your services to save large amounts of money.

If one of your neighbors is great at painting but needs yard work done, and you are willing and able to do yard work but need painting done, do not go paying someone to do what you cannot do. Swap services. Let your neighbor do the painting, and you do the yard work. Of course, it may take mowing the lawn a few times to equal painting the house, but you get the idea. Take the money you saved by swapping and put it into a savings account. Saving money for a down payment on a new house cannot get much easier than this.

For instance, paying someone to do yard work can be costly. On average, most teenagers who cut lawns as a side job (even just in the summer) charge about $20 per week to cut the grass once a week. Multiply that times four and you just paid $80 a month for yard work. While it is not a bad idea to fund the neighbor kid's college fund every once in a while, consider swapping services just twice a month and putting that money into savings. That would be $40 a month, and $480 a year you are saving.

Everyone knows that the best time to buy Christmas decorations is in January, right? Maybe not. Many stores have tremendous markdowns right after holidays in order to get rid of the unsold merchandise. You can often by things at closeout prices for up to 90% off the original price. When shopping for next year's decorations, you can actually save more money by shopping right after this year's holiday than at any other time of year (except yard sales, usually).

Most of us, women especially, like buying decorations for the different times of year. It looks nice, and gets us ready for different festivities. It is also expensive. We like decorating and giving gifts, but when you are trying to save money for a down payment on a home, pay off debts, or buy a car, decorating can be a bit on the costly side. It does not fit well into a budget, until you learn the right time to shop.

To put it into perspective, we often pay an average of $4-$6 on one box of ornaments for the Christmas tree. In mid-January, that price is going to drop to closer to $0.75-$2, on average. This savings of nearly 75% is indicative of the kind of money you could be putting into a savings account for that down payment. Take the extra $4, put it in savings, and enjoy a great looking house next holiday at the same time, and watch the savings -- and the smiles -- add up. $4/per box x 4 boxes = $16 saved. Add interest, $16.85 in the savings account from purchasing ornaments on clearance or closeout pricing. This does not just work for Christmas, either. It works for most holidays.

Most of us are very good about second-guessing ourselves when we are preparing to make a purchase. Do I really need this? I know I should not buy this, but I want it. You can make that pay for you, and build up your savings account in the process. Whenever you decide to spend on a hobby, decide you are going to put the same amount you spend on the hobby in a savings account. This will help you either not spend as much on the hobby or add a ton of money to savings quickly, either of which is great in the end.

Once you have established a budget and know what you can spend on your hobbies each month, factor in the equal amount rule. If you decide you can spend $50 a month on your hobby, change that to $25 and put the other $25 in a high-interest savings account. If you are saving up for something serious (like a down payment for a house), this is a great way to get started. Not only do you still have some money to spend on your hobby, but you will also be adding money in the savings and building toward the new home.

To put this into action, take that $25 you just put into savings. Multiply it by the twelve months that are in a year. Now add the interest rate from your savings account. See how quickly things add up? For example, $25 x 12 = $300 + $15.90 (5.3% interest rate) = $316 a year toward the down payment by equaling what you already budgeted to spend on your hobby. Since most people who have a savings account put about this same amount in out of each paycheck anyway, count on this number to double per year.