With the cost of living soaring and your pay check staying the same you need to be able to get the most out of your money. Below is seven ways to help you to squeeze the most out of your hard cold cash.

Clip and save. It is well worth the effort and time to clip the coupons in the Sunday paper. Check the supermarket and places like K-mart, Target and Walmart weekly ads to see if the product you need is on sale and who is offering the best price. Also check the ads for some of the big name drugstores that sell other products as well. Shop at supermarkets that offer double coupons, this little extra saving adds up in the end to more money in your pocket.

Pay once instead of over and over again. With big screen movies being released much sooner on DVD then before, rent it from your neighborhood movie store instead of going to the movie theater. Better yet most libraries have a VHS and DVD sections where you can take out old movies, new movies and documentaries all for FREE. These two options are the most cost effective especially if you have children when going to the movies can become a huge expense.

Why pay for it. Why pay for it when you can get it for free, your local library offers a vast array of books from new releases to old favorites hardback and paper backs even books on audio tapes and CDs. Instead of paying $20.00-$30.00 for a hard back book or $5.00-$10.00 for paper back books read it for Free. Also available at your local free libraries are books on audio, so you can listen to when you are in the car, exercising, or doing chores. If you prefer to own your books instead of borrowing it, make your purchases at stores that off anywhere from 10-25% off the cover price. Check out your free libraries book sales and the bargain tables at big name bookstores, you can get hardback books for less then the price of paperbacks. Take advantage of online booksellers that offer used books.

Cash instead of plastic. Late fees, over the limit fees and high interest rates. Unless you can pay your balance off each month in full it makes more sense to use cash then a credit card. Add an extra 12-30% more to your purchase when you use your credit card. Do the math? Is the item you are going to purchase worth the price after adding your cards interest rate fees to it? Paying in cash allows you to pay only the sticker price. If you fall into the category of those who hate to carry cash then use your debit or check cashing card instead of your credit card.

Feed the pig. It is well worth your time to toss any loose change you have each day in a piggy bank or an empty coffee can or glass jar and forget about it. By feeding the pig each night your loose change can put an extra $100.00 or more into your pocket by year's end. This is another benefit to using cash instead of plastic.

Put your cash to work. Put your money into savings, checking accounts and money market accounts that offer high bearing rates of interest. Shop around for banks and/or credit unions that offer free no minimum accounts. It's your money and you should be making the most of it not a bank. A good place to start for a savings account is ING Bank.

Make your own luck. The odds of you winning the lottery are way too small to invest your hard earned cash in. Instead take the .50-20.00, you would spend on the different lotto games available on a daily bases and put the money into your piggy bank or savings account by the end of the year you will have created your own jackpot winnings.