The best way to save money is to avoid spending it in the first place!

That means scrutinizing your purchases more carefully. Here are some of my favorite tips for shopping with greater care:

1. Always shop with a list. When I grocery shop with a list, I may come home with a thing or two not on the list because I was tempted or there was a great sale or I remembered that I was out of peanut butter when I passed the display. When I don't go with a list, I come home with half a cart full of stuff I don't need and forget to use.
2. If you see something you want to buy and it's a bigger purchase (say, over $100), give yourself some time before you buy. Walk around the mall. Get lunch. Even better, sleep on it. It's amazing how much your love for an item will fade if you have to drag yourself back to the store. The internet equivalent is to leave things in your online cart overnight.
3. Know how retailers use marketing. Watch out for things like center of aisle or end cap displays and impulse purchases at the checkout. Another favorite is listing a high "original price" so the seller can convince you that you are getting a great deal — after all, you are saving 50%! Well, no. Not if the "original price was 75% higher than it needed to be!
4. Even if something is on sale, buying it is still spending money. If something was $150 and you buy it for $50, you didn't save $100, you spent $50. Now, if you needed that item and you will use it, you may have gotten a very good price. But you still spent money.
5. Avoid shopping as recreation. You will end up with a ton of stuff you don't need. If you do decide to shop for fun — perhaps with a friend — consider going cash only. When the cash runs out, you're done for the day. Knowing that there's a clear limit can make it easier to walk away.