Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

is keep track of everything you spend money on. This gives you a baseline on where your money goes and is the starting point to see where the holes in your pockets are. Then you will have to set up a reasonable budget. (This works just like a diet would, if you say you will lose 10 pounds a week, you will fail from the start.)

You are right, dropping expenses that are not important or are never used is a given. Eating out does cost a lot more than cooking in. I have no recipes, and it really depends on what you like to eat. The internet is full of recipes that would suit you and what you enjoy. I suggest that you do not go into a deprivation mode though. If you enjoy a steak, don't go without---but maybe don't have one a often as you would like.

After you have determined where you can save money, we can talk about the real fun---like buying at yard sales/Goodwill. But I don't want to scare you away now.