Be generous.

A generous person is generally a very happy person. There is something fantastic about blessing others. When others see you being generous, they are more inclined to be generous to you as well.

Count your blessings.

It can be overwhelming to think every day of what you do not have and what you need to give up to save money. Most of the ideas in this book generally aren't giving things up entirely but finding alternative means at a lesser cost. Count your blessings daily and remember you do have many wonderful things in your life.

Review and adjust your priorities, goals, and budget regularly.

Review and adjust your priorities, goals, and budget regularly. The things that are important to you will change. Maybe not the top three items but below those will. While you learn how to save money, you will experience parts of life you never knew existed. This all changes what our priorities are, what our goals are, which then changes our budget.

Finish what you start.

There is a lot of waste in this world with people deciding to give up on something they began: divorce, abandoned pets, half-painted houses, and retirement accounts that were never opened. If you're giving it a chance - give it a real chance and see it through. If you said I do, don't say I don't. Divorce can be one of the most expensive decisions made in life.

Try anything once.

Maybe not anything but you get the idea. If you think an idea here or something you found online might work, give it a chance. There are so few limits in life, breaths in the air, clouds in the sky, stars up above. Give ideas a chance.

Best price for hotels.

Check with hotel registries to see what's their lowest price in the area. Be sure to mention any affiliations you have such as teacher, military, USAA, senior. Also check online to see if there is another price available that they are not offering you. As the evening gets later on the day of travel, you may be able to get the best price by walking into the hotel in person. Be prepared to walk back out, though, and make your reservation on your Smartphone in the parking lot.

Stay with friends and family en route.

Whether you are visiting said family or not, most family and friends will happily accept your family for the night. You might even be able to ask friends if they have friends where you are going.

Cooler and fridge space on trips.

When you are traveling, pack a small cooler to travel with you. Place in it some fresh fruits and vegetables, deli cheeses, meats, and beverages or bottles of filtered water. By keeping these fresh foods available while driving, you can keep yourself safe and focused by not being hungry. You can also avoid fast food black holes that are bound to suck you in otherwise. By making sure your accommodations have at least ice if not a small fridge, you can place your food in overnight to keep it better longer. Be cautious of what to include considering the temperature of your cooler may not be food safe for some foods after a long drive.

Enjoy a stay-cation and spend travel FUNds on the fun.

There is no rule that your vacation days must be spent away from home. There is no rule that your kids must go on a vacation to some super fantastic great and expensive place. Enjoy a stay-cation at home. Invest the funds you would have spent traveling on family fun, entertainment, and tools that will be around for longer than just the weekend. Buy an Xbox or a PlayStation and a really special game. Plan a day at a local fun shop instead of going far, far away, maybe go-carts, putt-putt, or even just pizza. Ask members of the family in advance what they would like to do.

Grocery hopping or avoid needless trips.

If getting one item at a different store saves you 50 cents... what does the drive cost you? There is a calculation to consider if the 50 cents per 5 minutes for the purchase is a worthwhile purchase but the ENTIRE purchase is much more than 5 minutes when you consider the drive.