Not in.
Never buy what you don't want because it's cheap.

Not in but I have some money saving suggestions that might be of use...

- Look in each room of the house for items you buy recurringly including food, bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, and just about everything. Consider each product and brand and look for cheaper alternatives of the ones you're willing to make compromises with. You can still have your name brand this or that if you must, but there are probably items that you don't care as much about or which really don't matter to you what brand it is. The more of these items you can find other brands or no-name for the more money you'll save when shopping.

- Buy things in bulk which you can find great deals on, and then ration out their usage over time if need be.

- Use CFL or LED lightbulbs in everything indoors, and outdoors if you live somewhere that is warm (winter and CFLs don't do well together).

- Use shrink plastic on windows in the winter unless you have very well insulated windows that don't leak. This can save a lot of money in heating costs.

- Use fans instead of air conditioners in the summer whenever possible.

- Get rid of that old "beer fridge". A lot of people will recycle their old refrigerator from the kitchen to the garage or basement to use it as a beer/pop fridge when they buy a new one. These appliances are among the top guzzlers of electricity in one's house and having multiple fridges or deep freezers in the house is a great way to drain the wallet monthly for minor conveniences of cold beer or whatever. Plus old appliances are horribly inefficient. Ditch the things and make do with one. (Obviously only applies to people who have such extra appliances)

- When you save money doing things such as the above and many other possible tips, it isn't really saving money but rather it is avoiding spending as much money on the same products. To truly /save/ the money, you have to avoid going and spending the money you didn't spend on other things. Often people will make changes that result in spending less at the cash register but then just fill the cart up with various other things to consume all of the money. So you end up getting more things, but spending the same amount of money and having nothing left over. Taking the reduced costs and banking the money truly saves it for paying down debts or other purposes.

- Stop buying video games and start playing the ones you already own. <grin>

- Visit your local utility's website to look for additional energy and money saving tips on things around the house, and also hit up a web search engine for "money saving tips", "electricity saving tips" etc. There are zillions of websites out there with lots of great advice.

Hope this helps!

I'm in, but seriously...

If you want to be more efficient with your spending, write out everything you spent money on (bills, food, movies, eeeeverything) for the next three months (July - September). Then start trimming the fat. Can you go without new games until New Year (Oct - Dec)? Can you invite your friends to eat-in instead of take-out (or pot-luck at home)? Will store-brand soap work OK instead of name-brand?

Then like punished_snake suggested, improve your lifestyle. Solar panels to curb your bills, efficient gas to clean your car, putting bottles of pebbles in your toilet water tank to save per flush, buying more fruits/veggies and nuts/eggs to keep you filled so you don't buy expensive snacks or meats, use fans and ice-packs instead of the A/C...

And investment advice? Don't use a savings of checking account; the interest rates are lower than the inflation rates (in the USA). Stuff your money into your company 401k, your personal IRA, even CDs if you just want to avoid the temptation of spending money. These things require the least amount of fiddling from you.

Put your next tax rebate into US treasury bonds, or in high-yield blue-chip stocks. Stuff like Microsoft, McDonalds, etc. will be steady with inflation -- a single big-bulk investment via E-Trade or Scottrade (which have a fixed-rate charge instead of a variable one, making bulk investments more economical) will adjust with inflation. You might not make a lot of money over the next year, but it will be worth more than if you had put it in a checking account or even stuffed under your pillow.

Oh yes.

One caveat to buying in bulk -- in the case of food, they go bad. The economical packages are too big for you to finish off. In the case of supplies, the no-name brands might be inefficient (e.g. soap that requires more scrubbing to clean as well as Ivory). And finally, for big things like fridges and air conditioners and heaters, look at the Energy Efficiency ratings so they don't drain you when they're continuously on.

ok so without knowing why, but only knowing that you want to save money.

Step 1 write a budget. There is no way you can actually know where your money goes and where changes can be made without writing it down.

Step 2 go back to the budget and be HONEST. If you buy a latte every day on the way to work, put that in the budget...every cent that you bring in, and spend should be included.

Then have a look at where you can cut something out. If you smoke and do not plan to quit I am probably done with this conversation. No one in their right mind can truly say they are wanting to save money while at the same time buying a product with the intent on lighting it on fire. mortgage/rent , food , car/insurance are the big hitters. Can you feasibly move to a cheaper location? Do you spend a huge portion of your food budget on fast food, dining out, or convenience foods? That $5 sub looks like a good value, but that same $5 can get you a pack of buns and enough lunch meat and cheese for several lunches. Can you get a reusable bottle and drink water more? Cutting out 1 soda per day can save you $5-$10 per month easily, more if that soda comes from a vending machine.

Speaking of that do not buy anything from vending machines. Do not go to the store without a list. Do not buy something that you normally would not just because you have a coupon. Do not buy anything prepackaged that you can buy the materials to make, unless it is cheaper to do so. Do not use a credit or debit card to get a cash advance...ever.

At the end of the month, you should work towards a balance of saving and using any remaining money to pay off any current debts that you may have. Paying off debts serves two fold as you save interest charges, as well as once one payment can be eliminated for say a credit card, or a car payment, you can use that money to pay off another quicker.

If public transport is not an option, locate a good mechanic and buy a reliable used car, preferably for cash. You'll save literally thousands of dollars if you can force yourself to live without the latest colors and most recent options. We bought a 1996 Toyota Avalon in 2001, and it's still running fine at almost 300k miles. It's even on the original transmission. The good mechanic is crucial, and don't use a dealership mechanic, find a shop that specializes in your make of vehicle.

Allot yourself a certain amount of "mad money" when making up your budget. This is money you can spend on whatever you want, but when it's gone for the week/month, it's gone. The mad money covers things like unexpected GOG sales ;), going out to dinner with friends you haven't seen in ten years who call you up when they're passing through town, having the electricity go out and deciding pizza delivery is way more attractive than other options, etc. Basically, it gives you a safety valve... stay too ascetic for too long and you may break down one day and impulse buy something huge!

(Also, not in for the game.)

Ah, in I suppose, but I would give this real world advice, and something I have done for years, anyway:

Have your paycheck direct deposited into your savings account, not checking. When it's time to pay bills, manually transfer the money into checking so it's there for outgoing checks/ATM/Debit purchases.

It forces you to keep track of what you need and when. It just enough of a pain the ass to force you to think about the way your income and expenses relate to one another, which is far more useful than just "making a budget" (which doesn't mean much to most people, because really, how much do you spend on "clothing" or "repairs" a month? Who can guess?). It's not so much of a pain in the ass as to make it too difficult to do, however.

I totally recommend this.

Not in, but just wanted to contribute two pieces of advice that my dad gave me and which have served me incredibly well. On the surface they seem pretty simple, but they really help to get a handle on your finances at a high level: live within your means, and pay yourself first.

Live within your means: At a basic level this should seem pretty simple- don't go spending more than you make, don't go into debt, don't rack up large credit card bills, etc. But beyond that a big part of it is managing your expectations and desires to match your current financial situation, which helps to both reign in spending and also make you more content with what you have (rather than constantly thinking about what you don't have or what you want). Another more subtle application of this (but a very useful one) is to set aside money from your finances for expenses ahead of time, rather than trying to fill things back in after spending. For example, setting aside money each month towards a trip you want to take, rather than pulling the money out of your savings then telling yourself you'll cut back in your spending later to replace the money you took out (too often this results in another big expense coming along before that money is fully replaced, and so forth; I've seen this pattern play out with people I know, who then end up wondering why they're burning through their money so fast).

Pay yourself first: Before any other expenses each month put aside a set amount of money towards long-term savings (figure out a rough monthly budget first to decide what is a reasonable amount). This is money you're paying to yourself towards long-term savings goals, whether it's establishing an emergency savings fund, contributing to an IRA/401k, adding money to an investment account, etc. The rest of your monthly spending comes out of whatever remains after you pay yourself. Do this consistently each month and you'll continuously build up savings, even if you occasionally have to stretch your monthly budget due to unexpected expenses or live a little more humbly.

Others have given some good advice regarding how to stretch your monthly budget so you can get more for less and how to organize expenses month to month to keep things under control which all fits very well within my own advice. The two pieces of advice I gave are useful for a high-level approach to personal finances, the first keeping you from getting into a hole or sliding backwards, and the second ensuring that you constantly improve your financial situation rather than just getting stuck treading water.

Not in and I'll try not to repeat things already said.

These might not apply to you but might help others. I'm a single man who's income went down drastically.

-Pack a lunch
-If you buy coffee on the road, skip starbuck and go to a fast food place, you'll get use to the taste.
-Less eating out/ordering.
-Smaller portions of food.
-Turn off lights of rooms that are not in use.
-Close doors and adjust thermostats accordingly.
-If you need ambient noise, use a radio/music player, not a tv or computer. (when computer is not in use)
-If making mac and cheese out of a box, add a cup of normal macaroni to increase quantity without too much change in taste.
-Check for sales on meat, put in freezer in individual portions. A steak will unfreeze in a day in the fridge.
-Drink tap water instead of soda. Put some in fridge so you don't always run the tap to get cold/clear water.
-Sliced bread: buy the one with thinner slices. Stock up when on sale and put in freezer.
-Experiment and try reducing amount of shampoo you use per wash.
-Don't run washer and dryer half empty. With that said do not overfill them either.
-Turn off heater in dishwasher, open the door when done for evaporation or hand dry the dishes.
-Always compare price/quantity (or weight or volume) when comparison shopping.
-Always check expiration dates so you don't buy food to feed the garbage truck.
-Also, most food is still edible the day after the expiration date, use your judgement.
-Never refuse offers of feeding you for free.
-No need to go for the cheapest but buy cheaper beer/alcohol. Go for your second favorite if it is cheaper.
-That really goes for everything that you buy regularly.
-The above does not apply to your game supplier, there don't go for second best, stay with GOG.
-Restaurant pizza leftovers can be frozen to be reheated in toaster oven.
-Get a toaster oven, lots of things do not require the size of a normal over, and there is no pre-heating necessary.
-Don't throw away your toaster right away, some toaster-oven aren't any good at making toasts.
-Cut snack food (chips, candy, etc...) and/or buy hot air pop corn machine (try seasoning with olive oil).
-Get rid of the phone line if possible.
-If you have television service (cable/satellite) try to see if you can go for a cheaper package.
I mean, do you still listen to the channels that stopped being what you picked them for?
-Don't buy lottery tickets.
-Your printer has different quality settings, use them.

I'm done.

Read The Richest Man in Babylon.

A simple summary of that book is to live beneath ones means.

I find that the gasoline rewards programs at some supermarkets can add up to a lot of money saved over time. Please count me in for Punished_Snake in the giveaway. Thank you. +1

Will end the giveaway in 48-72 hours...

...Many thanks for the advice so far!

Will end this giveaway for Capitalism Plus on GOG in about 12 hours; last call.

This was a hard contest for judge because there is a lot of good advice that humbles me thinking about financial solutions - ultimately Tburger's notion of sustaining yourself the current month with income from the last struck me as motivational so I awarded him the Capitalism Plus GOG code.

Thanks also to other participants especially Pakopakojr (rocks in the toilet!), Momo1991 (whittle down written budget), SkeletonBow (say no to appliances), Punished_Snake (solar panels), Iphgix (buy simple provisions), Luned (firm fun money budget), Yogsloth (manually transfer money just for bills), DarrkPhoenix (pay yourself first by saving), Justanoldgamer (sparse dining/utilities), Tarnicus (will check out book), aJillSandwhich (save money with rewards cards)...

Lovely.Redeemed. Once again: thank you and +1.
Now to read the manual first ....