I try to focus on things that are monthly expenses and decrease those (i.e., changing regular lightbulbs to something more efficient, etc.). The less money I have to pay to LIVE, the more money I have to spend on what I want. Pretty common sense, mostly, but I list my expenses out and sort them by how much. Then I focus my efforts on saving on the biggest expenditures.

For example, I was always broke when a single mom living in a nice apartment. Not quite as bad when a single mom living in an older apartment.

I coupon like crazy for groceries and other household items. I do price books to see sale cycles. I stock up when things hit a particularly low price.

I buy clothing and other things primarily at rummage sales or thrift stores.

I LOVE cappuccinos. I HATE how much money I would spend on them. So, I compromised by finding a powder I liked and making my own at home.

I sign up (with an extra email, not my main one) for all sorts of e-newsletters and blogs regarding saving money.

I only buy meat on sale.
We got rid of cable in favor of high speed internet and netflix. The internet we need for work in the home anyway.
I use coupons whenever possible.
We often do family weekend outdoor trips - parks\lakes\camping which don't involve shopping and generally are a cost effective weekend for a family of 6.
We don't buy soda, chips or cookies - both good for the kids and can get expensive when its expected to be replenished and consumed so quickly.

I think DH & I are beyond frugal & just flat out poor.

The heating element in our dryer went out a year ago & we haven't had the $89 to get a new one. LOL! (It isn't funny, but I can laugh about it because we have managed to keep a roof over our heads & food in our mouths, as working Americans.)

I found a blog via Pinterest the other day (I can't think of the name right off the top of my head) but she has a budget method that really makes a lot of sense. It requires some serious dedication, but I want to try it.

My employer pays for me to keep a Sam's Club membership. I've had it for 7 years now & have used it 4 times...mostly on stuff for our wedding 3 years ago. So, I've been doing price comparisons (mostly on household supplies (trash bags, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc) & we're going to start buying what we can save on in bulk.

Also, Walmart does price-matching, so I'm going to focus more on saving what we can that way. Even if it's only cents difference, a lot of items can add up to a lot of cents saved!

And, I'm going to start fixing more real meals. The frozen & pre-packaged stuff costs so much more & has so much extra crap in it. This will help us save money AND help us be healthier. With that, I'm also packing my own lunches instead of eating out.

Finally, I've stopped buying coffee. I get it free when I'm at work. It isn't delicious. It's just plain old coffee, but it's a sacrifice I can make.

I buy at thirft stores but those are my weakness. I always spend too much money. I dont have cable or internet as that is not something we need to live. We went to straight talk and saved a huge amount there.

I need help to save. I tried coupons but i never got the hang of it.

I tried couponing but I always forget them at home. :?
I have a Costco membership that my company pays for and I use that to buy meat, rice, laundry detergent, paper products and garbage bags.
I cook 6 nights a week.
The family sized packs of meat at Costco feed our family for 2 nights which is GREAT seeing as how I have 3 grown men to feed.
I shop for clothes & household items at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshalls and Overstock.
I ALWAYS visit the Clearance racks first before looking at anything else.
If I need to make a large purchase I find the "No Finance Charges For a Year" options and pay it off before the year hits.
I buy Regular vs Premium gas.
I bought a Keurig so I can make my own coffee at home instead of buying a cup every morning.
I switched our cellphone plan to a lower family plan that ended up costing $60.00 per phone. That is CHEAP for 5 iPhones with unlimited data, texting & 1400 shared minutes which is plenty for our whole family. The 2 older boys pay for their own share of the cellphone plan.
Anything that needs dry cleaning I do it in the dryer with one of those dry cleaning kits you buy at the supermarket.

Willow, is the laundry soap you make a liquid or powder? I've seen several recipes for it on Pinterest, but they were powder.

I have a HE washer & frankly it pisses me off. It takes forever to do a load, & I find that the detergent doesn't rinse out as well.

We live paycheck to paycheck. We figure out what needs to be paid one week and push the rest off until next week when its due.

We don't go do anything and I guess we are okay with that because we know that we can't do it anyway so why even try. When we do plan on trying to save up to do something, something else comes up and our plans get changed.

I clip coupons if I have to and wait until night time to do laundry because I have heard the usage costs are cheaper at night. I buy off brand EVERYTHING and if possible buy meat in bulk and pack it into individual meals.

If my children need things I look online first, as they have deals online sometimes that are cheaper then it would cost to waist the gas and the price of the item in stores. Sometimes of course that isn't possible if they need the item right away but sometimes they can wait a few days.

I used dishrags instead of sponges to do dishes because they last longer and are a lot cheaper then sponges. During the day if kids and I are at home we use as little lights as possible. If its daylight outside then most of the lights don't need to be on anyway.

If were bored and have nothing to do then we usually go to the park or local football game, weather permitting of course. I'm hoping by this time next year we will be better off. However, with the constant changes with the government who knows how were going to be next year. I do a lot of things that help save money around here and I'm always curious as to what I could do differently to help out even more.

I haven't tried this yet but will soon:

3 Tbsp borax
3 Tbsp washing soda
2 Tbsp Original Blue Dawn dishwashing liquid

Find a one-gallon container with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in the borax, washing soda and liquid Dawn. Add two cups of very hot water. Apply the lid and shake until the soda and borax have dissolved. Now fill the container with cold water. Reapply the lid, label and you’re done.

To Use: Add 1-2 cups to each load of laundry depending on the size and soil levels.

I love thrift stores.
I also make my own laundry soap and cleaning solutions.
I buy fruit and veggies at the local farmers market.
I've tried cutting coupons but don't often buy name brands so it doesn't seem to work for me.
I have never had cable. We have pay as you go cell phones and do not not use them often.
I do have the internet and love e-bay. My heating element went out on my oven once and I got a brand new element for 13 bucks when everywhere else it was about 60.
I keep my house at 64 degrees in winter. I did splurge for Thermal King windows, though!
I buzz my husband's hair and my sister (a licensed hairdresser) cuts mine for free.

My husband throws things away as soon as it is an effort to get anymore out, like toothpaste. I do not, I can squeeze like you wouldn't believe! And he's the one who grew up poor, you'd think he would be more conscious of waste.

If there is anything I think I can do myself instead of hiring it out, I will try. I replaced all of my doors, jambs included, by myself (there was a lot of cussing involved but they look good). I re-stained my kitchen cabinets instead of buying new.
I sponge painted my white tile back splash to look like stone instead of ripping it out and replacing it.

And I am not a fan of paying money to have money. If I can't afford it, I can't have it. The exception being my house, I do have a mortgage.