Save Money

The concept here is similar to the haircuts, above. Those of us who don't have dental insurance can utilize the discount services of local dental schools for basic services. Regular dental care is more than cosmetic, it's critical to our health.

These aren't thrift stores, but rather they are places where people bring slightly used high quality clothing for sale or consignment, and then other people can buy them. Did you think you couldn't afford designer clothing? Well, think again.

You never know what you'll find at a flea market or swap meet. You could find just what you are looking for, or you could find a bunch of junk. You can bet that some of the items bought at flea markets end up on Ebay!

If you are like many people, you don't want furniture that will collapse after a week, but you also can't afford to shop at Robb & Stucky or the higher end designer furniture stores. Here I have compiled a short list of furniture stores in the Phoenix area where people on a budget will be able to find what they are looking for. If these prices are still a problem, used furniture that you might find at a thrift store or a swap meet (both listed above) is your next best bet.

Grocery coupons, restaurant coupons, car wash coupons, carpet cleaning -- these online coupon companies offer coupons from Phoenix area businesses.

When gas prices are high, they can really hit the budget hard. It might be worthwhile to check out the gas stations near where you live or work that have lower prices. If you pay 10 cents per gallon less, and you fill up your 15 gallon tank, that's $1.50 saved. Better in your pocket than theirs.

You might be surprised how different prices are around town on any particular prescription drug. Here are some tips and hints to make sure you aren't paying more for your prescription drugs than you have to.

Why pay $3 for milk when Wal-Mart has it for $2? I know that some people are philosophically opposed to shopping at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is undeniably cheaper for some products and many of them are open late or 24 hours, making those stores convenient for many shoppers.

Several stores in the Valley of the Sun sprinkle some love every week on our senior citizens. I provide a list of them here, including what kind of discount, what day of the week and how old you have to be to get the discount.

If you'd like to take your family or someone special out for a nice meal, there are many unique and enjoyable dining establishments in metro Phoenix that participate in a discount program through Restaurant.com. Here are the details, and my 15 picks.