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My husband’s pockets always seem to be filled with change too, which I find when I’m doing the laundry. That goes in the can as well.

It’s amazing how fast it all adds up, and it’s almost like free money…at least it feels that way. It’s money you don’t really miss. I then take it to a Coinstar machine at the local supermarket, which counts the money quickly and spits out a receipt that I bring to the cashier for cash. Each can is usually about $50-90.

Take that ”free” money and put it in a savings account.  Or, right at Coinstar, you can always redeem your money for gift cards or charitable donations (which you can use for tax credit later!).

I’ve started buying generic food and other products whenever possible and have noticed little difference–except in the savings! Coupled with coupons, I’ve really reduced my grocery bills.

Susan Kaplan, a financial planner and one of the hosts of The Money Show on 96.9, recommends that, whenever possible, you “do it yourself, make it yourself,” whether it’s your own coffee instead of the drive-thru, your own lunch instead of getting it to go, washing your own car or whatever else you can think of.

She says, and I’m sure it’s true, that it’s all the little things we spend our money on, versus the big things, that keep us from having what we want or getting what we need.

The problem with spending money on little things is that we never get to the big things that make life sometimes feel special, such as vacations or a nice outfit, because we’ve frittered it away.

So my new motto is make it yourself . . . and let’s see how much we can save rather than waste. All those cups of coffee and drive-thru car washes might be keeping us from that dream cabin on the lake.

I know the topic is intimidating, but you’ll feel inspired and empowered to “take control of your life by taking control of your finances” after hearing what she has to say.

It’s such an easy way to get rid of clutter, get your house organized and make a few extra dollars. If you do a search on there for Items Wanted, it’s unbelievable what people are willing to pay for!

So far I’ve offloaded an extra Food Saver appliance (quick $30), my husband’s old non-working motorcycle from the eighties (quick $50, plus the guy took it out of our basement for us), a hand-me-down Exersaucer ($15) and an old vacuum ($50). I have a ton more stuff to post. It only takes a few seconds, it’s free, and it’s almost like getting free money.

Just call me MZ Moneybags!