JenneyMarie member for 12 weeks 6 days

Like everyone else out there, I find, at the end of the day, that I didn't accomplish nearly half of what I intended. I've slowly picked up techniques to save myself a bit of time and/or money, just making small changes to my daily routine. More savvy women are probably already doing all of these things, but for those that are like me, a few hints never hurt.

None of these money-savers are going to make you rich, but add them all up, and you could be looking at significant savings every month.

1) If you're not using it, why are you paying for it? Did you purchase a gym membership in desperation when swimsuit season came around? Have you been back since June? If not, it may be worth the cancellation fee to get out of the contract. Spend a few dollars on some fun workout DVDs, or join Jazzercize, take a workout class through your park district... any of these options will be less expensive than that membership, and will have none of the commitment. I was paying $75/month for a gym that I never went to, because I wasn't comfortable leaving my son in their daycare center. Once I cancelled the membership, I bought a 10-minute toning DVDS and resolved to take the stairs at work. Cheaper, and easier to stay committed to. The whole "don't pay for anything you won't use" approach applies to a few other areas as well. A big one for me - turn down your thermostat and turn off all of your lights when you leave in the morning. Unplug appliances that you don't use every day (toaster, blow-dryer, etc.) Even when they're not on, these items suck up electricity and add to your energy costs. Some things can't be unplugged, or would be a hassle to plug in every day (think of your fridge and your computer), but really, is it so hard to plug in your toaster oven just when you use it, and unplug it when you're done? Another good idea, courtesy of my brilliant husband, is motion detectors on some of your interior lights. I had a bad habit of leaving the hallway light on in the middle of the night when I got up to make a bottle. One day he got fed up and installed a motion sensor so that the light turned on as I walked down the stairs, and turned off about 15 seconds after I left again. This doesn't work for all of the lights in your house since you might go nuts if you had lights turning on and off all day, but it's a great idea for some of the spaces in your home. The final item I'll mention under the "if you're not using it" category is items you buy on sale. It's great to buy in bulk - if you have the means to store it, you can save a pretty penny buying in bulk. But if you won't eat 12lbs of oranges before they go bad, are you really saving money by purchasing so many? Or that pair of shoes/book/handbag you bought because you had a 30% off coupon, but you'll never actually use it... have you really saved any money? No, you've just managed to spend the 70% on something you can't use.

2) Go green. I've become a huge fan of websites that promote sharing items that still have good use left in them, but are taking up space in your home. Top of the list are www.freecycle.org, where you can ask for or give away items to people in your area, saving you or them money, and keeping those items from ending up in a landfill. Another good one is www.bookcrossings.com, where you can get rid of or find used books in your area, and even track where they've been. There's also www.paperbackswap.com, where you can trade books for just the price of postage, or for free if you're local! (Can you tell I'm a book junkie?)

3) Ask for a discount! If you don't ask, you probably won't get it, but what could you lose for simply asking? First step is to call your credit card companies and ask for a lower interest rate. They may give you a line at first about how they regularly check clients' accounts for potential decreases and blah blah blah, but don't take no for an answer right away. And always reference another card that you have that has a lower rate, for example "Okay Ms. Customer-service lady... why would I continue to use this Visa card at 12.99%, when I have a Mastercard with a rate of 8.99%? Can you match that rate? Because I'd really rather keep my Visa as my main card, but money's tight..." Same with coupons - even though they're expired, Bed Bath & Beyond will accept those 20% off coupons you get every few weeks. And a lot of places will take competitor coupons, offer corporate discounts that they don't advertise (check your cellphone carrier to see if your company is on their list - I found out that I was actually eligible for 3 different corporate discounts on my Verizon plan since I share the account with 2 other people!) Or join those free clubs if it's something you'll use a lot. Borders.com sends out 30% off coupons every few weeks to club members, and allows you to accumulate 'bucks' toward a $5 giftcard based on your purchases. You can save a few bucks by using your club coupons for Borders and other places. You may even be eligible for discounts with OTHER companies, just by being a member of one! For example, Borders (again) gives you membership perks that include discounts at Target and other locations.

4) Get creative. It's hard to know which focus-groups and online surveys are legit, but I've found a couple that I'll vouch for. First is www.surveyspot.com - only some of the surveys are paid, but you can accumulate a few dollars at a time and request a check when the amount reaches a high enough level to make it worth your while. I just got a check that was enough to cover a nice dinner for me and hubby, plus tip. Another one is www.focusgroup.com - you fill out your basic demographics and will get calls when a focus group is going on in your area. You can make $25-$150 (or even more!) by answering a few simple questions. Sometimes, they'll have too many people and you get paid to just show up, then get sent home without doing anything!

I have to confess that I'm not as good at saving time as I'd like to be. However, I do have a few little things I do to make the best possible use of my time.

1) For those of us with small children, get one of those hanging sweater organizers for their closets, and every Sunday night, pick out the outfits for the week. This saves you the hassle of trying to find an outfit that matches, or finding the mate to that lone sock in the drawer, or finding at the last minute that your little one has no clean underwear or socks...

2) Prep your morning! Have everything you need for the next day in one location - briefcase, purse, coat, bookbags, etc. And have a plan for breakfast. If you want to make smoothies, have the blender on the counter, along with whatever ingredients don't need to be refrigerated (fresh fruit, protein powder, whatever.) If you have an automatic setting on your coffeemaker, set that timer! I know it goes against the whole don't leave things plugged in advice, but in this case, the benefits outweigh the cost-savings. Wouldn't it be great to wake up to the scent of freshly brewed coffee?

3) Get a DVR. Seriously, have you noticed that there are 4-5 minute commercial breaks, every 7 minutes on your favorite shows? Why are you sitting there watching them? Either record your favorite shows and start watching them when the original airing is almost over so that you can skip the commercials, or find something useful to do during the commercial breaks (pay bills, unload the dishwasher, move the clothes to the dryer, dust the fans, change the lightbulb, pack your lunch, etc.) I didn't include folding laundry in that list because, really, can't you just do that while you're watching the show? It doesn't require that much attention.

4) Handle the small stuff. Cleaning the entire house is a huge undertaking. A little bit of daily maintenance will save you ten times the amount of time and effort that it requires to spend 5 minutes tidying up. When you go from one room to the next, pick up one thing that doesn't belong and put it in its place. It doesn't require more than 2 seconds of your time to put that item away, and will save you stress and time further down the road. Or dust one day, vacuum the next, so-on and so-forth. For those of you in sales, doing cold calling, keep a list of prospects in your car with a copy of your calendar. Make calls between appointments, or at lunch. Or keep business-related reading materials to read when your clients are late for appointments.

None of this stuff is rocket-science, but as busy as everyone is these days, we sometimes overlook the little things. PS, any additional tips you may have are GREATLY appreciated!