Experts offer simple ways to save money every month:

LOOK FOR FREE, DISCOUNT SITES

• Familiarize yourself with discount and auction Web sites. Steve and Annette Economides, of Scottsdale, Ariz., authors of "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money" (Three Rivers Press, 2007, $12.95), have two kids in college. They paid $412 for textbooks (new and used) at a campus bookstore. After they bought the books, the family searched such sites as eBay and www.half.com and found the books 35 percent to 50 percent cheaper. They returned the textbooks and bought them online.

The family needed three faucets, $62 each at Home Depot. They bought one faucet there and then found two matching faucets on eBay for less than $30 each.

• Check online for sites offering free items. People post items on www.freecycle.org they no longer want. All you do is pick them up. Search Freecycle by city and post what you want or what you want to give away. Sales are prohibited.

About.com's Erin Huffstetler likes http://freebies.about.com, a roundup of free items. She also suggested checking out www.walmart.com and clicking on "In Stores Now," which lists free samples. On a recent search of the site, teeth-whitening strips, diapers and hair-care products were listed.

• Post a free want ad on Craigslist. Visitors to Craigslist (www.craigslist.org, click on the city nearest you) post ads to buy, sell or barter, among other things. Michelle McKay of Phoenix offered to trade haircuts for parts and labor needed to fix her washing machine. Instead, someone offered a washer for free. Just make sure anyone you meet on Craigslist is reputable.

• Hit Goodwill and other used clothing and furniture shops during sales. "People at my church want to know how I dress my daughter so beautifully," McKay says. Many of her clothes come from thrift stores. On days when merchandise is 50 percent off, McKay has her daughter dress in a bodysuit and they try on clothes right from the rack.

• Take advantage of dollar stores. McKay stocks her pantry with name-brand items found at the discount stores, such as the enchilada sauce for her casserole.

BARTER OR TRADE

• Ask sellers if they will take less. While shopping at yard sales, dealing with people on Craigslist or in any other person-to-person exchanges, Michelle McKay will ask if the person will take 15 percent less.

When shopping for a wedding photographer, McKay found a Valley photographer just starting out. She offered him $100 less than his going rate and said in exchange she would be a spokeswoman for his services at a bridal expo. He took the offer.

• Think about what you have to offer. McKay swaps haircuts with a friend who fixes her computer and markets her side businesses.

START WITH PLANNING

• Make a meal plan. Anyone who touts the frugal lifestyle will talk about meal planning first. It's a primary way to save gas, time and money by preventing emergency dashes to fast-food restaurants. The Economides plan their meals and then shop once a month. This prevents running to the store for a jar of spaghetti sauce and walking out having spent $50 on impulse buys.

• Plan to use leftovers to eke out a few more meals. Michelle McKay's husband won't eat leftovers. So she plans her meals with this mind. If it's meatloaf one night, the leftover meatloaf becomes meat for the spaghetti sauce. Leftover spaghetti sauce gets thrown into chili.

• Review grocery ads and prepare to price-match. Circle the items on sale that your family normally eats or uses. Then take those ads to a Wal-Mart or another store that matches competitors' prices and do all your shopping at one store. The Economideses' food bill is $350 a month and has been for years. The primary reason is because of price-matching. Try it for a month and see if it doesn't at a minimum cut 20 percent off your grocery bill, the family said.

• Keep a list of wants. "If my husband said he wanted brand-new boots tomorrow, it isn't going to happen," McKay says. "But if he tells me early, I can start watching the sales. If I have my list, I'm going to keep my eye out for things we need." Likewise, Annette Economides says: "The key is to be patient; don't just run out and buy something."

• Set aside time to review before you renew. Erin Huffstetler, frugal-living expert at www.About.com, said one of the easiest ways to put $100 or more back in your pocket by the end of the month is to look into switching phone, cell phone, cable and Internet service to cheaper providers. "That can turn into real big savings because someone else is bound to have a better offer," she says.

Also, know when your home insurance and auto policies come up for renewal. Then call different companies to comparison-shop or try www.InsWeb.com, which will check 20 companies for free for lower rates. Steve Economides says that through InsWeb.com he switched auto-insurance policies and began saving $66.66 per month.