1. Transportation. Can’t do much about. Yes I drive, yes I have a car. I map my routes out before I leave the house.
2. Cash. I don’t carry more than $20. Just asking to be robbed carrying a big wad of cash. I get cash back when I make purchases, avoiding the ATM. I also use the credit option at most stores when using my card. TO avoid other fees.
3. Wine. Wow. It would make far more sense to advise people to skip alcohol and soft drinks when eating out and drinking tap water. The mark up on those items is HUGE. You can almost cut a 1/4 of your final bill by drinking water.
4. 5. Insurance. I can agree with most of that.
6. Energy Star appliances. I am on board with the cutting back on energy use to save money. Motion activated lighting outdoors and in areas that are quickly visited (Closet, bathroom, laundry room)
7. Interest checking- Paypal works for this option. You can get a Paypal account and a paypal debit card.

Now, my ideas. Use freeware on your computer.
Dump windows, use Linux.
Dump Internet explorer, use Firefox.
Dump Norton anti virus, use AVG anti virus.
Dump Microsoft Office, use Open Office.
Any program out there has a similar version that is free. Google Majorgeeks, check out their freeware.

Don’t pay for magazines, they can be had for free online.
Don’t buy a newspaper, you can read all the news online.
Don’t go to Starbucks for coffee, McDonald’s has the same coffees at half the price.
Don’t drink bottled water, fill a bottle with tap water.
Sign up for free stuff. Walmart gives away a lot of samples. (I don’t want to give away all my secrets, a lot of free stuff is limited supplies)
Get rid of your land line phone, use skype on your computer or google voice.
Haggle everything. There is more than one insurance company, more than one cable provider, more than one Internet provider. Make them earn your business.
Pay attention to free advice, people like Clark Howard, Leo Laporte, Consumer Reports, Aurthur Frommer and others can all help you save money with their advice.

It can be hard to switch to biking, walking, or busing, just like it’s hard to learn not to use credit cards or to balance your checkbook so it never bounces. But if you put the effort in – learning traffic safety, investing in gear, learning safer/faster routes, getting in the habit of doing it – you save a tremendous amount of money. There are also easier, intermediate ways – carpooling, parking farther out where it’s cheaper, stuff like that.

I stayed out of the debt trap when my old car bit the dust, back when I was 22 – instead of taking on debt for another car, I got a bike as part of my cash-only lifestyle. The value of the $8k or so I didn’t borrow then is not huge, but the psychological value of staying out of debt is. My partner and I remain a 1-car household because each of us is able to bike most of the places we go, so there’s little conflict about who gets the car (even with a child – a $400 bike trailer is exponentially cheaper than a car.)

1. When travelling, don’t get suckered into “gift shops” and souvenir spending;

2. For coffee/Starbucks addicts, do you really need that second cup later on in the day? I know I waste money that way.

3. Rethinking what it means to be charitable: you don’t have to give away money. You can volunteer or help out in some other high-impact way than handing money over anonymously online or at your doorstep.

I agree with Writer’s Coin that eating out in general can save you money. Much more than simply wine.

It would be nice to use public transportation, but many rural areas do not offer it. In my area where I live, the public transportation is not consistant enough to be utilized as a regular and alternative to driving.

The part about the wine in the article was pointless. Who were they writing that for? I have YET to see anyone do this in a restaurant.

It did not point out that paying extra $$ on the mortgage’s principle.

I installed a water filter at home, because our water has an awful taste of chlorine, thus saving $$ on bottle water. Making coffee at home has also save $$ as well.

I noticed the article also didn’t mention about getting rid of the vices, like quitting smoking. How about looking into short term disability insurance? (Some companies offer it.) Nothing can be as devestating as having something happen such as an illness that keeps you from working.

To get great ideas, read some great posted on MSN money under the community section. Many great postings! Much better than this CNN article!