Ever been hit by an unexpected expense? What did you do to cover the costs? How about trying to slash your living expenses to cover it? Here are some great tips on changes you can make to reduce your living expenses:

1. Make sure you are conserving electricity by shutting off lights and not having too many lights on in a single room. If you leave a room, shut off the light. Switch out your standard light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent light bulbs and you will see your electricity bill go down.

2. Get rid of some or all of your cable or satellite television services. Do you need 100 or more channels? You can save money fast by going to the basic services for awhile. It may be that you never go back if you don?t miss the channels you cut out.

3. Lunch time. Although it can be a lot of fun to get out of the office and try a different restaurant or fast food outlet every day, it can also be quite expensive. Add up what you have spent in the last month on lunch. You may be shocked by the number. You can quickly save money by getting a few different things at the grocery store and packing them as your lunch which you can take to work every day. Most work places have microwaves. If yours does, consider taking a variety of things throughout the week that you enjoy, and maybe only eat out on Fridays.

4. Use less water. Try being more efficient when you do your laundry. For example, always make sure you have a full load of clothes to wash, not just a few things. Do your best to take quicker showers as well.

5. Save money on groceries. When you spend less on groceries, you have more money for other expenses. There are a lot of ways to cut your living expenses by paying less for groceries:

* Whenever you can, buy generic.

* Look for coupons in your newspaper or at the entrance to the store.

* If your favorite products are on sale, than buy a few more.

* Read your grocery store flyers every week and watch for special offers such as “buy one get one free”. Of course you only want to buy products that you use.

* Buy less unnecessary snacks.

6. Too hot or too cold? Buy a programmable thermostat that you can set to change the temperature in your home throughout the day. If no one is home during the day and it is winter, set the temperature a bit lower than usual so that your furnace isn’t turning off and on all day. Same if you are in a warm climate but not home all day. Set your air conditioner so that it only comes on an hour before you get home.

7. Slash your fuel use by doing the following:

* Do you pay for parking when you go to work? Many people do. Instead, try saving money by using local transit or, if possible, bike or walk to work. Another great idea is to car pool with your co-workers.

* Reduce your gas expense by doing errands or appointments on the way home.

* When it comes to taking your kids to all of their after school activities, try to create a car pool with the other parents so that you can take turns driving each week, instead of everyone driving to the same event. This will save money over time as well.

When you conserve electricity, water, and fuel, you can cut your living expenses dramatically. You can also save money by reducing your cable or satellite service and bringing a lunch to work instead of going out. The best tip, though, is to be a smart shopper at the grocery store. It is easier than you think to slash your living expenses and save more money.

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