7 Steps to save money for 2008

According to Margarette Burnette of bankrate.com that it is possible to save big bucks by making small changes in our spending. At first blush, the amounts may not seem like much. However, taken together over the course of a year, they really add up.

Here are some of her tips that she give to ourselves a $1,000 raise:

First is, Look for discounted dinner entrees- for example, before we are going out for dinner we will check some restaurants online first if they have some coupons or if they have some good deal they offer. And also discount deals can be found in the mail and newspaper. So always keep an eye on ads like this.

But other restaurant may not advertise like this in the paper so it is a good idea to ask about them.

Second is Return unopened, unused items , sometimes ,and it happens that we purchased products and did not realized that there's no way we can use them, like for clothing, its too large for us but the tag is still on it. We can try to return the item to get our money back. I have tried this so many times. One time I purchased a pair of shoes online but when I got it, it was way to big for me, so I returned it to the local site store and they put the money back to my account. I also bought a pair of jeans at jcpenny, I thought it fits me good since I tried to fit it on their fitting room , but after 2 days when I want to wear them it was small for me , so I brought it back and there was no problem so I still have the receipt with me.

Third, Look for extra grocery savings, again I am good on this, I like to keep coupons from previous grocery shopping and save it for the next purchase.Also clipping coupons from the newspaper ad. Other store also has coupons online that you can print and bring them with you when you go shopping so you can save even few bucks.

Fourth, Check out materials from the library, The next time you plan to buy or rent a favorite movie classic, head over to your local library instead and borrow the video for free. Many libraries stock DVDs -- movie classics and newer titles -- and CDs with generous borrowing periods.

Fifth, Bundle cable, phone and Internet services- We are one of those who uses bundle services for phone, internet and cellphone services. Bundling services under one company can save us more money. Sometimes we can get a discount when we have more services in one company.

Six, Negotiate with monthly service providers-Once you get off the phone with your cable, Internet and telephone provider, call your alarm company, lawn care person and any of your other monthly service providers to negotiate prices. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to negotiate natural gas rates.

Last is, Stash money for easier savings next year-By making these barely noticeable changes to our lifestyle, Margarette said that we could save as much as $1,000 over the next year.