This is a tip that any good finance expert will tell you when you ask how you can possibly save more money. Suze Orman is the finance guru (for lack of a better term) and she has published books to help people save money and make well-informed financial decisions especially around situations of debt.

Keep in mind that I am by no means a financial advisor, nor do I care to be one. The suggestions I have are based on what I hear from experts, friends, family and my own ideas that have worked for me.

Gerber Daisy Dude and I got engaged in November of 2007 and set the date for a year and a half later. So we’ve had time to do the old “count-backwards” trick. We figured out what we thought would be a reasonable wedding budget and figured out how much we would need to save each month. You can even break that up into each week. This way, you know exactly what you want to pay for your vendors and it will help you stick to your guns. And if you need to spend a little more with something like food, you can shift the money around accordingly and maybe not get those expense centerpieces you had your eyes on.

Tips for how to squeak out every last penny:

1. Some bank checking accounts have an automatic savings program (i.e. Bank of America’s “Keep The Change”) where if I go and spend $10.24 with my debit card, $10.24 gets debited from my account for what I purchased and $0.76 would automatically get transferred to my savings account. For the first few months, the bank may even match your savings contributions.

2. As you begin saving, put your money into a 6-month, 9-month or 12-month CD. We have joint ING savings and CD accounts and that works out great. You just want to make sure that the money will become available to you in time to make payments to your vendors and any balances you owe.

3. Use an old-fashioned piggy bank! Since we met, we have saved our change (when we do actually spend cash) and that money pays for our annual trip to a Patriots away game. Why not do the same for your wedding or your honeymoon?

4. If you find that you do something on a regular basis like buy a latte in the morning before work, get your nails done, or eat out, try doing it less frequently. You don’t need to cut these things out completely, just modify it. Here are some examples:

Buying a pricy cup of java = purchase a less expensive kind or make your own at home

Getting your nails done = Get a manicure on your natural nails vs. an acrylic set and alternate having someone else do them with you doing them at home; or find a local cosmetology school and see if they offer discounts

Eating out = Turn half of those “take-out” meals into home-made meals. You can make something like a lasagna, soup or stew at the beginning of the week and have the leftovers on other days later in the week. This even includes packing your own lunch each day, which experts have said you end up spending $3 a day verses the $5-$7 you would spend ordering out.

Shop-a-holic = Check online for retailers who offer the cheapest price for items you are looking for. If you’re going to spend the money, try to spend less. Websites like bizrate or pricegrabber are examples.

Filling the gas tank = Try public transportation every once in awhile or carpool with a coworker. You can also check the price at your local gas stations with GasBuddy.com.

Other Money-Saving Tips from Real Simple

BLOG RANDOM FACT:
There are four cars and eleven light posts on the back of the old U.S. ten-dollar bill.