25 Ways I Save Money

I've written about my saving strategies before, but I've decided to write an updated post in a numbered list format on the various ways that I save money on a day to day basis. This post was inspired by similar posts on FrugalForLife and CashMoneyLife.

Included below are 25 ways that I save money:

1. I drive with gas efficiency in mind.
2. I try to save energy around the house with CFL's, programmable thermostats and proper insulation.
3. We do laundry once / week.
4. I brown bag my lunch to work.
5. I prepare my lunches in bulk and store them in individual plastic/glass containers.
6. I cook at home whenever possible.
7. I perk my own coffee.
8. I use a points/cashback based credit card that gives me the best return for my spending.
9. When buying consumer items, I try to separate my "needs" and my "wants".
10. When I find something that I "need", then I do comparison shopping or wait until it goes on sale.
11. I don't smoke, do drugs, or drink (too much). :)
12. I use basic cable instead of the fancy cable packages.
13. I combine my cable/internet/telephone with the same provider to take advantage of the discounts available.
14. I watch movies at home instead of going to the movie theater.
15. I use term insurance instead of universal life or whole life insurance.
16. As with anything else, I shop around for my insurance products. Tools like Kanetix.ca and other online tools help.
17. I pay a higher deductible on insurance products to reduce the premiums.
18. I buy with quality in mind in the expectation that it will last a long time.
19. To please my reading habit, I go to the library (or get publishers to send me free books for review) :)
20. I make my deposits into my high interest rate savings account and RRSP automatically on a bi-weekly basis. Basically when I get my paycheck.
21. When it's time for a new mortgage, I shop around for the best rate. This will save you thousands in the long run.
22. When purchasing a home, I save for a large down payment to reduce mortgage insurance fees (CMHC).
23. I buy clothes when they wear out, not when they go out of style.
24. I track my spending/budget with Microsoft Money.
25. I arrange my banking so that I don't pay any fees and use a discount brokerage that minimizes my trading expenses.

There you have it, 25 ways that I save money. There are actually more that I'll leave for another post.

What are some ways that you save money?