Give Yourself a Financial Cushion with These Money Saving Ideas

In today's world the phrase 'look after the pennies and the pounds/dollars will look after themselves' is truer than ever. Money saving ideas are on the cover of every magazine and coupon-clipping is back in fashion.

So how do you economise without feeling as if you're economising? Here are some tips and wrinkles - feel free to add your own at the bottom of the page.

• Don't shop hungry! There is a very good reason that you can smell the in-store bakery as soon as you walk into the shop. The smell from the bakery department is often pumped through the store so that it tickles your taste buds and makes you hungry as you shop. If you're hungry then you're likely to buy more than you intended. So eat before you set out.
• Find out when the store marks down the price on the perishable goods that are about to go out of date and shop then. And...
• Be sure you have recipes that will meet your needs for the items you buy, so that you can make a batch of food and freeze it for ready meals when you're short on time. Tray bakes like lasagne are good for this because they're easy to divide up for freezing.
• Buy-one-get-one-free deals are great for essential items that you know you'll use. Not so good if it's on something you wouldn't buy at full price - don't be a marketing man's dream!
• If you're used to going for the big name brands then try the supermarket's own brands and save some money. You probably won't notice any difference.

• If browsing is turning into shopping then keep your hands in your pockets and wear gloves in winter. We make buying decisions as much with our hands as we do with our eyes.
• If your wardrobe is looking tired then get creative and add some faux fur here and braid there to update your favourite items. The books opposite are packed with ideas and step-by-step instructions to help.
• Shop online at discount outlets for perfume and branded cosmetics.
• If impulse buys make a dent in your wallet then leave the shop for half an hour and then go back and look at whatever-it-was again. If you still love it then ask yourself if you didn't buy it, would you regret it? Cooling off before making a purchase and separating the emotional buying from the practical could save you a fortune.

• Clip vouchers and coupons from local magazines and papers and support your nearest non-chain restaurants and bars.
• If you're in a city you don't know then use vouchercloud.com or groupon.com to find deals in your area.
• Movie theatres often have 2 for 1 deals and some studios do free screenings of new films to get word of mouth out there and the social networks buzzing. Do a Google search for 'free cinema screenings' and your local area.
• Get friends over and ask each to bring a dish. Coordinate who brings starters, mains and desserts, swap recipes and thrift tips. Alternatively, in the summer, have a picnic.

• Trade in old mobile/cell phones for some easy money. Use Google to search on 'trade in mobile/cell phones for cash' for sites specialise in this.
• Other sites do the same for CDs, so if you've gone digital and have a huge CD collection, it might be worth seeing what you can sell them for.
• Similarly, put eBay to good use and make some money on the clutter you no longer want or use.
• If you buy a coffee on the way into work every day, save by making your own in an insulated cup with a lid and taking it with you.
• Use money saving websites for good deals on credit cards, utilities, savings accounts and any big purchases such as white goods.

Sometimes all it takes is a change in the way we think (or don't think) about what we do every day so make little changes that can really add up to more money in the bank.

Don't forget to add your tips and wrinkles for saving money in the comments below.