Money Americans Save Home Reducing Household Expenses Cut

"When times are tight" (when one doesn't have enough money for everything one wants to buy), Americans try to "pinch pennies" (save money) and cut costs in many different ways.

Many Americans "clip" (cut out of a larger piece of paper) "coupons," which are small pieces of paper that give shoppers a certain amount of money off when buying something. For example, a coupon clipper might take a coupon for $0.35 off of a bottle of juice when he or she goes to the grocery store. Shoppers might also choose to buy "generic" (with a store brand) food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies.

Other Americans try to save money by canceling unnecessary services. For example, they might "switch" (change) to a less expensive cell phone plan with fewer minutes each month, or they might cancel their "cable" (paid TV channels) or magazine "subscriptions" (something that is paid for each month). People might decide to have their hair cut less frequently or stop "dying" (coloring) their hair.

Many people find that they can save a lot of money by "brown-bagging it" (bringing lunch to the office from home) instead of eating lunch at restaurants, and by bringing coffee from home in a "travel mug" (a special cup with a lid) instead of buying expensive coffee drinks.

Americans can also save money by starting to do things on their own instead of paying someone else to do them. For example, they might cook at home instead of going out for dinner at a restaurant. They might also decide to wash their own car, make their own coffee, clean their own home, or "mow" (cut the grass) on their own instead of paying for another person to do it.