save money

Four Michigan cities made the list of most affordable family destinations in the country.

If you're looking to save a few bucks (or more!) in the new year, we've got six quick tips to help you get started.

Use Coupons Go ahead, make fun of me for being on that show. I'll wait. While you were poking fun, we just saved about 55% on our grocery bill. Here's our couponing strategy: Buy the Sunday paper (The Flint Journal and the Detroit Free Press publish different inserts, so it pays to pick up both ... Read More ...

Adjust the Thermostat How low can you go? Put on extra layers and snuggle up in the winter, especially at night. In the summertime, ceiling fans run more efficiently than air conditioning, and for every degree you set your thermostat above 72, you'll save 3% off your electric bill...

Ditch The Bottled Water, Pop Machine and Coffee Shop The average American drinks 167 bottles of water each year. Turn on the tap, make a pot of coffee at home, and if you can't quite kick the carbonated habit, buy it at the grocery store rather than dropping $1...

Trim Your Cable and Cellphone Bills Are you paying for channels you don't watch, or features you don't need? Check with your providers to see if you qualify for bundle discounts, or new packages that could cut your monthly expenses. Back to the top

Take Advantage of Credit Card Offers Many financial gurus advise against using plastic, and insist that cash is king. I disagree. Search the web for rewards cards that have introductory bonus offers. You'll have to spend a certain amount within a specific time period, but that's fairly easy since most utility bills can be paid with plastic...

Transfer Prescriptions Rite-Aid, Meijer, Kroger, Target, and Walgreens frequently offer incentives for transferring prescriptions to their pharmacy. Often the incentive can be greater than the co-pay. Meijer also offers free generic substitutes for certain medications like prenatal vitamins, diabetes and cholesterol medications and antibiotics...

If you're trying to get through Halloween without spending a fortune, Yahoo has a few tips on how to do it. There's nothing really groundbreaking, but here are their top three ways to spend as little as possible.

If you're planning to plant vegetables or flowers or both this year, you can save a ton of money by starting your plants from seeds. Maybe you planted seeds when you were in elementary school in a milk carton. The same principle applies here. All you need are some small containers (I like yogurt cups), some soil and some seeds.

You may eventually be able to eliminate your home-phone bill, without eliminating your land line.