In these troubling financial times, it is important to keep an eye on your cashflow at all times. There are many ways to save money, but it is going to take persistance and a certain fortitude for you to stick to any methods that you wish to put in place. Below is a list of the 40 most important ways that you can start to save money. But don't limit yourself to the methods mentioned below, get into the mindset of saving money and start your own list. You will be amazed at just how much you can save.

Ways To Save Money In The Home

1) Light Bulbs - Make sure that all of the lightbulbs in your home are energy effiicient. In a lot of countries they are scrapping the old type of lightbulbs so you will no longer have a choice. Why not get a jumpstart and start saving now? Also, if you're not in the room and the light is on, the only thing you are doing is attracting insects and wasting electricity. Make it a habit to turn that light off whenever you leave the room

2) Telephone - Have you got a landline in your home, as well as a cell phone for each occupant? Have you ever asked yourself why? How many times a week do you actually use your phone? It may be in your best interest to get rid of the home phone altogether, you will save around $30 a month in line rental if nothing else.

3) Shower - Install a water saving shower head, this will save you a heap of money in your water bill. Try and take shorter showers and steer clear of baths whenever possible. A bath can be great as a luxury, but uses a heap more water than a shower. Try and have one only when you really need it.

4) Toilet - "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". If that grosses you out too much, try and only use the half flush option. If you have an older toilet without a half flsuh button, you can get the same effect by placing a bottle of water in your cistern.

5) Repair leaking taps - If you are a bit of a handyperson, you can fix these yourself, it's not all that difficult to do. If not, paying to get a plumber to come and fix them will still save you money in the long term

6) Switch off appliances - If you did an audit of your home right now and looked at all the appliances that were switched on, you would be amazed. Just because you have turned the television off with the remote, doesn't mean it's not using electricity. Turn it off at the wall so that green light isn't blinking away at nothing all night. The same is true for microwaves, playstations, and any other electrical appliance that has a standby mode.

7) Insurance - Make it a habit to shop around whenever your insurance policy is due for renewal. Insurance companies will always be interested in outbidding each other to get your business.

8) Check Your Bills - When your bills come in, make sure that they are correct. Even large utility companies make mistakes, and if you don't catch them no one else will.

9) Paying Your Bills - Pay your bills online. You will save a packet on postage in the long run, and it's just plain easier as well.

10) Refinance Your Mortgage - People get into the mindset of once they have a mortgage with a bank, that's what they have to stick with. This is not so, you need to approach other financial institutions and see if they will offer you a better deal.

11) Make Your Own Cards - Birthdays, Easters, Anniversaries, Christmases, the amount of cards we buy and send off every year is astounding. It's quite easy to make your own, and fun if you get the kids involved as well.

12) Clean Out Filters - Your air conditioner and clothes dryer both build up a large amount of lint over a period of time. Cleaning them regularly will ensure that they run better and use less electricity.

Ways To Save Money Shopping

13) Watch The Catalogues - All your large grocery stores bring out a new catalogue on a weekly basis. Collect these as soon as they are put out and use them when compiling your shopping list. There are some great savings to be had.

14) Collect Coupons - I know it can be a pain, but if you make it a regular practice and store them all in one handy location, then you are more likely to use them when shopping time comes around.

15) Buy In Bulk - Buying wholesale is always cheaper than buying retails. If you have any access to a factory outlet, be it for food or clothing or whatever, make use of it and buy a few months worth in advance.

16) Stock Up And Freeze - Meat goods will store in the freezer for quite a long time, if you see  mince on sale, why not buy a heap of it, store it in a chest freezer and then use it as needed, rather than buying a kilo here and a kilo there and spending a fortune.

17) Buy Clothes Out Of Season - The cheapest time to buy Winter clothes is at the end of Winter, and the cheapest time to buy Summer clothes is at the end of Summer. Plan ahead and save a bundle. If you are buying for kids make sure you buy a size or two larger so that it will fit them next season.

18) Christmas Shop After Christmas - Likewise, Christmas decorations, trees, wrapping paper, cards, and all the other paraphenalia that comes with the joyous season can be had at a fraction of the price after the festivities are over. Once again, it's a matter of planning ahead.

19) Second Hand Clothes - Many people may shudder at the thought of wearing second hand clothes, but don't knock it until you've tried it. Salvation Army and other second hand stores have some great items for sale at a fraction of the cost, and are well worth a look.

20) Buy Generic Brands - A lot of the time a no name generic brand is of just good quality as the more expensive brand names. This is not always the case, and there is a bit of trial and error involved, but well worth the effort..

21) Cut Up Your Credit Card - I know you love it, I know how handy it is, but it is tying you down, and you will be much better off without it. Not only will you be saving all that interest you have to pay, but quite often you will get goods cheaper by paying in cash.

22) Don't Take The Kids Shopping - "Mum can I just get...", "Mum, I really need...", "Dad, I'm hungry!" - These are the sounds that waft through supermarkets all over the world. If you don't take them, they can't beg, and you will be amazed at how much you can save.

23) Don't Shop On An Empty Stomach - Your stomach has the ability to subliminally steer you to food that you really don't need. If you eat a hearty meal before you start shopping, you are less likely to buy unneccessary food.

24) Plan A Weekly Menu - If you plan your meals ahead, you will have a much better idea of what is needed for the week. Set up a list of meals that you will have and then write down all the ingredients for those meals.

25) Gorw Your Own - Starting your own vegetable garden is not only a great way to save money, but it is incredibly healthy for you, both in the maintaining of the garden and of the end product that you consume. Get the kids involved and teach them where your food comes from.

26) Always Barter - Any time you go to make a purchase, barter with the salesperson. Most shops will put a high profit on their goods just for cases like these. If you stand your ground, you will be stunned at how much you can knock the price down.

Ways to Save Money Travelling And At Work

27) Take Your Own Lunch To Work - Buying that burger and chips and coffee everyday really starts adding up over time. Make yourself a nice packed lunch the night before and you will be able to save money and eat a little more healthy at the same time.

28) Refill Printer Cartridges - Printer cartridges cost a bundle. Find somewhere that will refill your existing ones for you and save money.

29) Alternative Transport - Instead of chewing up your petrol while gridlocked on the highway, take public transport or even better, ride a bike to work.

30) Car Pool - If you are unable to take the train or ride to work, set up a group of people you can car pool with and share the travel expenses.

31) Check The Tyre Pressure - If your car tyres are low, you car is struggling a lot more when travelling. As a direct result, you are using a lot more fuel to travel the same distance.

32) Don't Carry Unneccesary Loads - Have a look at what your transporting around in your boot. Odds are you won't be using those golf clubs every day, or those picnic chairs. Get them out of the car and store them until you need them.

33) Stick tTo The Speed Limit - Not only will you be saving yourself from a possible speeding fine, but your car will run a lot more economically if you stick to the limit.

34) Service Your Own Car - A lot of the things an auto mechanic does to your car are quite easy to perform. Get a few books on auto mechanics and learn how to change your own oil and air filter. Most of the expense of an auto mechanice servicing your car is in labour.

Ways To Save Money On Entertainment

35) Hire DVD's - Don't go to the movies as often and hire DVD's instead. The lounge chair at home is a lot more comfortable than those dingy cinema seats anyway, and you can stop and start the movie for toilet breaks whenever you want.

36) Outdoor Concerts - Councils are always running free outdoor concerts in local parks. Keep an eye on your local newspaper to see whats coming up in your neighbourhood

37) Markets - A great thing to do on the weekend is go to the markets. You don't need to buy anything, the experienc eis just browsing and enjoying he fresh air. A great idea for the whole family.

38) Go To The Beach - One of the most wonderfully entertaining places in the world is absolutely free. The beack is a great place to reacquaint yourself with nature and spend quality time with family and friends.

39) Have A Dinner Party - Instead of organizing a night out with all your friends, why not have a dinner party. It's a great way to strengthen friendships and get to know each other better. After dinner, pull out a board game or two, and you'll have a night to remeber for years to come.

40) Borrow Books - Think of all those books that you have bought over the years. How many times are you really going to read them? All they end up doing is taking up space and gathering dust on your bookshelves. Make it a regular tradition to go the library and stock up on a months worth of books.

As I said, these are only a few ways to save money. Print this lis out and add your own ideas to it. If you incorporated all the ideas listed above, you would literally save yourelf thousands and thousands of dollars every year. What are you waiting for? Get started now.