Broadcasting your skills as a frugal shopper and clipping coupons hasn’t always been de rigueur, but lately there’s no denying that being thrifty is cool!

Honestly, I don’t understand the hesitation to clip coupons for fear of looking “cheap”. (”Like I need to save $0.50 on a can of beans!”)  But honestly, manufacturers and retailers wouldn’t print coupons if they didn’t want you to use them!

Thankfully, for those people whose frugality is latent, there’s a number of Internet resources out there to help you out!  The following sites help savvy shoppers share their deals, coupons, and special offers.  Visit them often, or subscribe to their e-mail newsletters or RSS feeds (if available) to kick your savings into high-gear!

Of course the key is, not to buy something just because it’s on sale!  But if you’re buying anyway, why not save a bit… because every bit counts!

Check these links out, and share any more you have in the comments!

I think that I’m quite fortunate to live nearby my workplace.  Not only is it a vibrant urban neighbourhood with many shops, and bars and restaurants, but I am only a 5-minute walk home – one I am even able to make every day for lunch if I’d like!

But it’s not just convenient: it saves me money.

There are a number of costs related to driving to work that I do not have to pay: increased car insurance premiums, additional fuel consumption, more frequent oil changes and other vehicle maintenance, and parking fees.

If I had to take the bus, a montlhy bus pass in Ottawa could cost me between $84.75 up to $131.75 depending on where I was living in the city or surrounding area.  I could buy an annual pass for between $895 and $1119 for some savings, but it’s still by no means cheap.  And I’m fairly certain that I would pay even more than that to drive!

Also, not commuting is a lifestyle choice for me.  Because I’m not commuting for 30 to 60 minutes at each end of my work day, I have more spare time to pursue my hobbies and interests, or spend time with my loved ones.

Currently, we rent the apartment that my fiancée and I live in and houses in the area aren’t that inexpensive compared to some other areas of the city, but when we do buy we’ll be taking into consideration the added costs of commuting vs. the additional cost of living in the city close to my workplace.  I don’t think people always consider these costs when they decicde to buy in the suburbs, or in more rural areas.

But you have to decide on the lifestyle that’s right for you.  For me, it’s living in the city and walking to work!

No, not through abstaining from sex… although if you go through a lot of contraceptives, I suppose that could save you money!  But I digress…

What I mean is, abstaining from those optional habits or activities that cost you money.  David Bach, author of a number of personal finance books (notably The Automatic Millionaire: Canadian Edition: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich [Affiliate Link]) calls this the “Latte Factor”.

The example Bach gives is spending $5+ a day on a Café Latte and muffin at your favourite coffee shop that could be saved by altering your habits, like making coffee at home and taking it to go in a travel mug.

For some people, their Latte factor is literally Lattes, for others it’s buying lunch at work daily, for some it’s excessive purchase of shoes or bags… the key is to identify yours, and try to work at eliminating it.

For my fiancée and I… it was wine.  We both very much enjoy a glass of wine either with dinner, or when relaxing in the evening.  The problem is, once opened, we have a very hard time not finishing a bottle of wine because we enjoy it so much!  We found ourselves drinking a few bottles a week, and at $10 to $20 per… it gets expensive!  Don’t take my word for it, put pen to paper and calculate it for yourself.

Say you’re a serial luncher, and spend about $7.50 per day on lunch at work.  Per week, you’re spending $37.50 (5 x $7.50) on lunches.  That’s about $150 per month, or $1875 per year (50 weeks of lunches… 2 weeks of vacation).  That’s quite a lot of money per year, but over 10 years you could have bought yourself a new car just by brown bagging.

We decided to abstain from having a drink Sunday through Thursday to save money, but it also had  positive health effect for us: even a couple of glasses of wine has quite a few calories, and those add up too, just like the money we were spending.

Is there anything you’ve abstained from in order to save money?