One of the problems we all face is that we never know when an emergency will pop up that needs extra dollars to throw at it. A stove, a dryer, maybe your furnace… almost anything can happen, and these days nothing is cheap, especially if you have to have someone install whatever you need.

With this type of thing in mind, it never hurts to have a few dollars tucked away in case of an emergency. Most people say that every one of the dollars they earn goes towards paying bills but we all know that’s not true. We all need food and we crave entertainment, clothing, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when we look at things like this, we can recognize that there are ways to save money on them.

Here are 4 things to think about and how to do it.

1. Food. Nothing says you have to start eating lots of foods you don’t like to start saving money. There are smart ways of saving money here and there. Become a coupon shopper; people like Lauren Greutman of I Am That Lady can teach you how you can feed a family of 6 very well for as little as $100 a week; if you have a smaller family or are an individual think of how far your food dollars can go.

2. Clothes. I understand the craving for buying name brand products, but most of the time you can get something that looks really good and is pretty good for hundreds of dollars less. There are many stores that sell items that look expensive but aren’t, and some carry products with the names of models and famous designers that no one will know you paid less money for.

3. Entertainment. If you’re urge is to see a first run movie during the first two weeks it’s out there’s no way to save on it, but if you’re willing to wait a few weeks you’ll start seeing those movies at matinees or smaller movie houses that aren’t affiliated with large movie chains at rates sometimes half of what the original price was. Sporting events are the same, but often there are deals that can be made for certain games and for certain seats. If that’s still too much you can sign up for something like Netflix or Hulu Plus and enjoy many movies for a very small monthly price.

4. Technology. Who says you need the latest iWhatever the day it comes out? What you’ll find these days is that the previous model is very good and that often you can get some kind of deal if you can stand to wait. In 2013 many carriers offered the previous model of top models for as low as $1 if you signed up for a new plan; that’s much better than spending $299 for a new phone and a new expensive plan any day. The same goes for video games, music, and other technologies. Shop online first to find out who’s selling what you want for less, and then go shopping.

By the way, take some of the money you’ll save and put it away for a rainy day. There are always rainy days, even if you live in southern California. 🙂