In my last post, I shared some ideas for how to save money at the grocery store. Why not take that approach and apply it to other areas of your life. It’s not nearly as hard as you think!

Twitter to Save
Get timely if terse tips about bargains by following these twitterers. Not up on the technology? Get a tutorial at twitter.com.

• Music; @amazonmp3
• Travel: @JetBlueCheeps
• Fashion/beauty: @DealDivine
• General retail: @DealsPlus
• Giveaways: @fstimes

Get to Work Cheaper
A suburban driver commuting to the city might shell out $575 a month for gas, parking, and car upkeep, assuming a 30-mile roundtrip. These downshifts can help:

• Grab a tax break. Sign up for your company’s transportation reimbursement account, which lets you pay up to $230 in monthly parking fees with pretax dollars. (You can set aside the same amount for mass-transit costs.) Savings: about $80 a month.
• Drive with a buddy. Carpool to work with a colleague. No one suitable you know nearby? Get matched up at carpoolworld.com or erideshare.com.
• Go from four wheels to two. Buy a good commuter bike ($500) and cycle to work as the weather permits. Do that six months a year and you’ll save $250 a month.

Save on Your Meds
Now: $30
Fill your brandname prescriptions at your local pharmacy.
Better: $20
Buy medications through your health plan’s mailorder program.
Best; $4
Get low-cost generics at chain stores like Target and Wal-Mart.

Go Halfsies on Medicine
If you’re taking pills for long-term medication, ask your doctor if you can buy your prescription at twice the potency you need and cut the pills in half. You’ll commonly pay the same co-pay.

Pamper Your Pet for Less

• Say bye to boarding. Going away? Nix the pet motel; instead trade sitting duties with other pet-owner pals.
• Go to school. Get Spike looking spiffy at a grooming school. Price: 40% to 50% less than a regular groomer.
• Drop the pet insurance. You’ll probably pay way more in premiums than you stand to save on vet bills.

Hang up on High Phone Bills
Eight out of 10 U.S. families pay too much for phone service, reports billshrink.com. Use one or more of these strategies to ensure yours isn’t among them.

• Take a message. Teens who live at home average 1,742 texts a month. Switch to a family cell plan with unlimited texting.
• Get smart. College students text less than high school kids. Spring for a smartphone (like an iPhone) with unlimited data if your child agrees to a limited text and calling plan.
• Drop the landline. Some 20% of homes have only cellphones. Maybe yours should be one.
• Add Mom and Dad. Are your parents spending $30 a month for an emergency cell that just gathers dust? Instead, put them on your family plan, which will cost only about $10 a month.

Get a Grip
Making your spending limits concrete – by writing them down or even telling them to other people – can help you maintain self-control, says MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational. When you go into a grocery store with a list in hand, you’re far less likely to stray and end up with a package of two dozen seasonally appropriate cupcakes. Also resist the urge to give in to impulse buys: Studies indicate that once you decide to buy something – anything – you will find it psychologically easier to buy even more. Researchers Ravi Dhar (Yale), Joel Huber (Duke), and Uzma Khan (Yale) call this the “shopping momentum effect.”

Stay on Fee Alert
A typical overdraft fee is $26, a 30% jump in 10 years. Credit card late fees at major banks are around $39, and could hit $49 next year, experts say. Avoid the shakedown by setting up e-mail and text message alerts at your bank’s website. You’ll get a ding when bills are due or your checking balance drops below a certain amount.

Drive Down Premiums
High auto policy prices will hit the road if you use a combination of these cost-cutting strategies.

• Raise your deductible. Going from $250 to $500 could save 7%. Jump to $1,000, and you’ll save 14%.
• Just say no to collision. Got an older car? If it’s worth less than 10 times what you’d pay in a year for collision (check at kbb.com), drop the coverage.
• Dig for discounts. Save up to 15% with breaks for safe driving records and good grades for teens.
• Shop around. Compare prices at insweb.com. You may get coverage at up to $300 less than you pay now.
• Pay as you drive. In 15 states, Progressive allows drivers to plug a device into their cars that monitors driving habits and miles. Possible savings: up to 30%.

Use Web Tools to Save

• Bankrate.com: Find the best terms and interest rates.
• CardRatings .com: Compare offers, read reviews.
• BillShrink .com: Deals on credit cards, cells, gas.
• Mint.com: Track spending, get alerts.
• Moneyaisle .com: Banks bid for your business.

For lots more money-saving tips go to http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0908/gallery.monthly_savings_tips.moneymag/