Marv is back in the car for another way to save money. Don’t you wish that your gas, like your Taster’s Choice Coffee, was “good to the last drop”? Of COURSE you do. But are you maximizing your fuel efficiency?

Owning a home is one of the classic dreams that many people have. And when you finally sign that dotted line and take the keys in your hand, it’s a feeling so wonderful that not even a huge, looming mortgage can spoil it. But as with most ventures in life, there will be unexpected…hiccups.

After shopping, I would check out my savings and be thrilled when I would save $10-$15 each trip. Our weekly grocery budget was $100, and that was being frugal and optimistic. It was a part of our budget I had worked on shrinking but knew that it was a long shot having a 1 year old and growing famiy. That was 2007..

There’s always that glorious, idealistic part of late spring where you think, “Yes, I can feel it getting hot, but I can handle this. I’m going to hardly ever use my AC this summer!” And then by this point in the year, all bets are off. Keeping cool during the dog days seems totally worth paying a few extra dollars on your electric bill.

We all know that children are expensive–that’s a given. What lots of new parents-to-be don’t especially expect is that the process of bringing your little bundle of joy into the world can be a huge expense all on its own.

It doesn’t mean being a newlywed isn’t a blast–it should be!–but right now is the time to hammer out some important issues to pave the smoothest path possible as the two of you move ahead in your life together. One of those issues, of course, is money.

So the question here is, how do I stay on a low budget, but avoid getting cranky over everything I can’t have? Here are the three main ways in which I swallow my pride and go cheaper without sacrificing happiness.

There are a few summer traditions that you really can’t get tired of: going to the beach, catching fireflies, watching fireworks, and of course, grilling out with friends and family. Lucky for us, barbecues also provide one of the best opportunities to throw an amazing party for practically no money.

What we should do, however, is take this is an opportunity to take the things we love to do and figure out creative ways to do them for less. One of my favorite pastimes that I have no intention of letting go of is throwing dinner parties for friends. I’ve been doing it for years and I plan to keep doing it.

Were you aware that your supermarket has sneaky ploys to get you to spend more money each time you visit? This may come as a surprise to you, but pretty much every store does this, and you might be falling victim to their ploys.