While I agree with a lot of these, I think the priorities are very individualized. I know people who swear by premium gas, though they're frugal about other matters in their lives. Everybody is different.

Thanks. This was a very thorough list and I find myself guilty of spending on some of these. It's a good wake-up call.

I think its a pretty good list. Great job!

Good list! I know that I think that driving a new car isn't important to me...I'd rather drive a beater and spend money on things I do enjoy. One brand-name item I will NOT give up is my Diet Coke. I have tried generic store brand diet cola and it is just not the same. But here's the cool thing...I save the Coke points and get them from friends and relatives and get subscriptions to my favorite magazines for free!

This is a good idea, but I don't agree with all of them... cars get much better gas mileage with premium gas, so the price difference works out in the end. Also, I buy a 'dark' laundry detergent that costs the same as my regular detergent, so I'm not losing any money by buying and using it.

Cotedazur, your car will only get better gas mileage with a higher octane if the engine calls for it. Octane numbers only show the thickness of the gas (viscosity), so an octane that's higher than needed can actually make the car run slightly worse. If your car engine has a high compression ratio engine, it needs thicker (higher octane) gas to run efficiently. If it's
not needed the car won't run any better.

My dad is a car guy and he explained this all to me.

ooh, thanks for explaining lostbronte! I've just noticed it with my new car -- if I get the slightly more expensive "efficiency" diesel, I get about 100km more out of a tank. I figure that offsets the price difference.

Pretty good list, but I disagree about the brand name cleaning supplies. I find I use less of the quality brands because they contain more cleaners than water. Tried the cheaper stuff and was not happy. Give me Tide for laundry and Method for everything else.

Sorry, but I disagree about the detergents. In fact, Tide does have the most surfactants of any of the laundry soaps. (surfactant= dirt removers) So it does pay to use the better brand.

And although you are correct Savvy it is better not to upgrade the rental car. Can't I please pretend for one week that I am that cool convertible driving chick?!?!

Store brand dishwashing liquid is not the same; I go through 3x as much of the dollar brand stuff. I'll only buy Palmolive. Also, with dishwashers, stick to a brand that works, the dishwasher guy told my mom, some detergents just don't work well with certain dishwashers.

This is a good list, but i dont agree wiz some of them... cool!

cheer for darks all the way!
or tide 7 signs
i washed a blk sweatshirt that was brand new once w/ regular detergent and it faded after just one wash! i swear by for darks detergents and they work! and they are worth it so ur very wrong w/ this one sugar!

Actually, Consumer Reports tested all the laundry soaps out there and even though Tide WAS the best, Walmart's Great Value brand was almost exactly the same. I use the GV detergent even though it costs more than Purex or Gain, but I swear it gets my clothes cleaner than those brands.

Also, like lostbronte said, premium gas won't give you better fuel mileage; it just prevents knocking in high-compression ratio engines. If your car is diesel, than don't worry about it because diesel fuel isn't gasoline.

There are other things that I think are much bigger wastes of money, but I won't get into that...

I think that the list is informative and helpful.