I have been engaged in a little bit of research on the different tactics to save money and have discovered several good ideas amongst the ones that are not so good.
Ideas that are not so good are those that are unrealistic ("pay off your credit cards now and save interest" which you would have done if you were able to), corny (coupons and rebates and irritating scams such as that) and too much of a sacrifice (take public transportation, etc)

So, here are a few helpful ideas...

1. AVOID BRAND NAMES - Do you truly need Betty Crocker cooking oil when you can purchase the exact same thing cheaper made by Albertson's? Multiply that across peanut butter, toilet paper (Target has the best!), other paper products like tissue paper, breakfast cereal and you are looking at substantial savings with no sacrifice!
2. LEAVE THE CREDIT CARDS HOME WHEN YOU GO TO THE BAR! - Drink less, be less of "Mr Big Spender", less hangover in the morning!
3. USE VOIP - What's VOIP? Voice Over Internet Protocol. If you use SKYPE for instance, it costs really zero and you can hold onto the cost of a traditional phone line. If you connect to the net using Cable TV then you won't have a need for a phone line at all.
4. GET PAID BY DIRECT DEPOSIT/ACH - Why does this save money? Have you ever gone to deposit a check and not taken a bit of money out? If you get paid by ACH then you won't have that temptation!
5. PAY YOURSELF FIRST - This is more a savings plan then a way to save on things you are paying for but it is all about more money for you, right? Take 10% of each paycheck off the top and deposit into a different account that you don't touch. And FORGET it is there. You will discover that you get by just as well without it and actually build up some savings. Some ways to do this... if you got a raise put that surplus income into that account. If you paid off a debt continue to pay it but to yourself. Think of some ideas of your own.
6. SAVE ON AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING - Run the thermostat at minimum energy level (like at 50 degrees in the Winter) during the night and have a room heater. I have a small room heater that I purchased at the corner store for $20. That thing cranks. I hardly have to have it above the lowest level and it is enough to heat the room.
Save Money On Gas And Other Basics

7 TAXES - Adjust the amount taken out of your weekly pay. Take the extra dollars coming in and put it into a high yielding investment like a solid mutual fund or such and then retain the interest at the end of the year and return the principle to the IRS so your tax payments are correct. Could be more like a raise than a savings.

8 CAR INSURANCE - Raise your car insurance deductible. By agreeting to a larger deductible you can save 10-15% off your car insurance which will equal $100-200/year or more. If you are a hazardous driver then don't do this! (joke)

9 COMBINE YOUR PROVIDERS - You can put your home phone, internet, cable tv, sometimes also your cell phone into one bill and save $50/month or more

10. CHOOSE RESTAURANTS WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A WAITRESS - I have such a restaurant right down the road from me. You order at the counter and then go sit and they do bring the food but you are not required to leave a tip..

11 HOME ENTERTAINMENT - You can sign up for a Blockbuster or Netflix membership and save nicely on your expensive DVD watching addiction. Or you can get a library card and not pay a dime for all the flicks you can watch!

12. DITCH YOUR HEALTH CLUB - Too noisy, too sweaty, sorta disgusting, meat market, kind of torture self inflicted... there are many reasons to not like going to the health club besides the cost. But a good old fashioned stroll or some calisthenics are just as helpful in most cases as anything you can do at the health club.

13 OPTIMIZE YOUR GAS CONSUMPTION - Properly using water in your gas/gasoline system can save you up to 1/3 off gas expenses for your car by making the gas you buy perform better. If you pay $40/week for gas you might just save $600 or more per year!

14 CONVERT YOUR CAR's ENGINE FROM GASOLINE INTO HYDROGEN.
This is, by far, the best of all of the gas saving tips that you will find online.
The hydrogen is extracted from water.
The information is can be downloaded online at under one hundred dollars and we guarantee satisfaction.
We are also available long hours to give free support if need be.
But sincerely it is very easy and you should be able to follow the instructions quite easily from home all by yourself.
It is a very neat feeling when you follow the instructions and install it and then crank up your engine and observe it really does work.
You can perform a partial conversion and increase your fuel economy 33% off or you can perform the full conversion.
If you choose the full conversion you are freed from your oil addiction for the rest of your life. And your vehicle will love you. And you will be doing something great for the environment because the exhaust fumes from a hydrogen based engine are totally clean, more so than the air in most inner cities.