How to save money the next time you feel like playing the lottery

There is a certain lure that the lottery brings. The jackpots are so large, maybe, just maybe, I'll win some of it. But what happens more often than not is you don't win a thing, and worst, have just wasted your dollar. If you play regularly, you've probably lost a lot of dollars along the way, which far exceeds any modest win you may experience.

So, next time you feel like playing the lottery you need to pay yourself first and put that dollar into a savings account. Imagine if you transferred one dollar a day into your savings account -- you would have an extra $365 in savings at the end of the year. And the best part is you probably won't even miss that dollar.

Even if you don't play the lottery this is good practice. And if you don't want to do it every day, you can deposit $7 per week, or $14 every two weeks, depending on when you get paid. It will pay off in the long run!

Save ink by not printing every e-mail

I like to sign up to receive discounts via e-mail from some of my favorite restaurants. No need to pay full price when you know that discounts exist. But most of the time I get many more coupons via e-mail than I will ever use. So, what do you do?

What I've found works for me is to save the e-mail as a PDF and place it into a coupon folder on my computer. As I'm saving it I'll make sure the file name includes the restaurant as well as the expiration date. This way I'll have my coupons handy and can print on demand, rather than printing each e-mail that comes through. This tip saves both ink, and paper. And if you sign up for discounts you can save the next time you dine out.

Farmers Markets

I'm sure it seems like prices continue to rise on the fruits and vegetables you regularly buy. You'll be able to stretch your dollar farther by buying directly from the farmer at a market. You'll get fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown right in your area, rather than picked early and shipped across the country (or the globe!). You'll also get to by more for the same value than you can at your local grocery store. If you're finding that you aren't able to go through all that you've bought you can try splitting the cost with another person (friend, family, etc.). Not only will you be saving money, you'll be helping the other person save as well.

Save money on Twist Ties

There is never, a need to buy twist ties! EVER! Sure, twist ties are handy to have around for various projects. You can use twist ties to close garbage bags, to secure non-garbage bags, as a quick repair for a broken shoe lace, to tie loose computer and TV wires together, hang Christmas ornaments, secure luggage zippers as a make-shift lock, and many more.

Even with all of these uses, you should never spend money on buying twist ties. All you need to do is start saving the twist ties that come in packaging you use on a daily basis. The most common source for twist ties are on bread packages. Additional sources include packaging on any type of product. But bread is your main source. As you finish each loaf just start saving the twist ties, or start using them for any of the ideas mentioned above. It's not neccessary to save them forever. Once you feel you have saved enough you can stop. Just be sure to keep enough on hand for situations that come up where you'll need them.