9. Exchange things and services

Suppose you have a small front yard and don't want to spend money on lawnmower. You can borrow a lawnmower from your neighbor and repay by doing his yard as well. Let's say you are good at minor home improvement projects and your friend is computer technician. He is looking for someone to seal his deck and you want to set up a home network. You can help each other and save some money.

These are just two examples. Thinking in terms of exchange instead of buying can save you a lot.

10. Just say "No"

Sometimes we spend money because we don't feel comfortable saying word “No”. Your friends invite you to expensive restaurant. You can't really afford it and don't even like the place but end up going there anyway because you feel obligated. Charity representative calls you with a request for donation. You are a caring person and already help three charities. Your financial situation is not that good. Yet you decide to donate again because you don't want to be considered a cruel person.

Most of us have been in similar situations. We spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars so that others don't consider us unfriendly, rude, cheap... I am not saying that you must stop socializing or helping people. It would be a horrible way to live your life. The key is to avoid needless spending just because you can't get yourself to say “No”.

You can save thousands of dollars by following advice from this article. However it is not going to be easy because you will have to change certain habits and learn to look at things from different perspective.