Are you on a budget? Is the economy bringing you down? Do you have to live on the cheap?

Not to fear - Ms. Cheap & Bargain Hunter is here! I am probably one of the cheapest people I know (first stemming from necessity, but now, more for practical purposes).

Here are some tips:

1. ONLINE SHOPPING - Depending on what you buy, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS go online and type in the product you want to buy. Prices are generally lower online than it is in the stores. On the website, check if they have an option to type in the promotional code. If they do, type in "promotional code" for "[enter store name]" in any search engine. You'd be surprised - there are many websites out there that offer these codes for major stores! Also, you may be able to not pay taxes (which is a plus if you live in California...), although you may have to pay for shipping. For my state (California), it's usually cheaper to pay for shipping than to pay the taxes! [Yes, the IRS/CA/Federal government is making a lot of money off of me! Anyone feel me on this?!]

2. If it is a mom's and pop's operation, and you're buying in bulk, you can try to negotiate and ask if they offer any discounts. Are you affliated with any organizations? (Sometimes, they give you discounts.)

3. Buy things when they are off-season. Yes, it may suck that you are getting a sweater during summer when it's 100 degrees outside, or that you're getting short shorts when you can see snow pounding on your car, but you gotta do what you gotta do!!!

4. Sales Sales Sales!!! - Whenever I go into a store, I never buy anything regular price. I ALWAYS go to the clearance rack. It can be hard to find some sizes, BUT as a rule of thumb, you can always visit the clearance rack THEN go to the regular racks.

5. Gift card incentives - I know during holidays (i.e. Christmas), some restaurants and stores offer incentives to buy gift cards, such as getting $5 if you purchase a $50 gift card. If you are a frequent shopper at that one store, why not get a bunch of gift cards (for yourself... maybe for others) along with the incentives?!

6. Assuming that you're in control of your debt - You should put things on your credit card that earn points. This way, you can earn more credit AND earn points to cash in later.

7. HAVE A BUDGET! Do NOT overspend! You can create an incentive plan for yourself. Let's say that you're in school, or have to do something grueling. For each "X" amount of hours you spend studying (or chores), you can "reward" yourself with "Y" amount of dollars you can splurge on.

8. DO THE MATH: I know, some people are not math people, but you really have to sometimes. You have to know your limits, you have to know how much those "extra" charges add up to, and bottomline, you just need to keep yourself in check. Sure, something online might be $10 initially, but they can also tack on "shipping and handling fees" as well as "sales tax" (for some states and sites) as well as other hidden costs. Even in person, that 10% discount might not be enough of a discount to justify that purchase, especially when your sales tax is ultra high!

9. Shop around, do not shop on impulse. Yes, I know sometimes, you must get that one item. But really, ask yourself if you really NEED that item, and also also yourself if there are any other cheaper substitutes.

10. Yes, I understand that sometimes it takes a long time to bargain hunt, and that you probably have other stuff to do, but only doing a couple of these things might help you out!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!