Start Small

One thing that most people have done in the past is get a nice big jar to chuck excess change into. This is a tried and tested way to save a few bucks here and there that can go toward a nice dinner or a short trip. I've even heard of people saving hundreds this way. However, with our society moving more towards the plastic way of purchasing it can be hard to even save up enough change for a cup of coffee and a donut. There are options you can take advantage of that will accomplish the same thing.

Paypal has a debit card that will immediately give you 1% back on all purchases. You can find some credit cards that do the same. Careful though because some credit cards have hidden fees. Stay away from fees of any kind. Fees are bad. My favorite thing to do is to make errors in my cheque balancing. You know how people set their clocks ahead so when their alarms go off and they get up they realize they actually have 15 more minutes than they thought? And it's a pleasant surprise even though they know they did it? Yea. It's like that with cheque book errors. Say I get an $800 dollar cheque. I just tell my cheque-book that I was paid $775 and voila..a magical free $25 will appear when I most need it.

Saving money is more a mental game than most people think. You really have to get into good habits financially to be able to turn your luck around. Don't be afraid to make up silly things that help you save $5 or $10 here and there. It can add up really fast. You'll be off the mac and cheese in no time!