Everyone can use a break on expenses. Little do you know, you can pinch some pennies with easy, small sacrifices and changes to your everyday life. Here are some ways to take advantage of these invisible savings.

Buy Generic Brands

The next time you take a trip to the grocery store, don’t spend money on the flashy packaging that major food manufacturers put out. Look for generic brands like Wal-Mart’s

Great Value

line, or Target’s

Up & Up.

You’ll be amazed at how big a difference saving 25 cents per can of peas, or 30 cents per gallon of milk, can make. And there’s no coupon cutting involved.

Save Some Water

You don’t have to understand physics to take advantage of water displacement. Put some pebbles or sand in an empty soda bottle and put it in your toilet’s tank. You’ll save up to a gallon of water every time you flush and your bill will go down without you even noticing.

The Invisible Vault

Designate an empty jar or coffee can as your “invisible vault,” and start putting in any coins or dollar bills you receive as change throughout the day. When the vault is full, you can roll the coins and deposit the money into your savings account. You’ll be surprised how much is in the vault after only a month.

No Parking

If it’s available, look for free parking at work, school or at entertainment and sporting events. Adding five minutes and a half-mile walk every time you park instead of paying garage or lot fees can save hundreds of dollars a month - and you might even get in better shape.

Reuse Kitchen Items

You don’t want to do this with raw meat, of course, but washing out and reusing plastic bags or aluminum foil for leftovers or for covering plates or bowls can save 10 to 25 dollars a month at the grocery store. Even just using each bag or piece of foil twice can add up to significant invisible savings.

Look for Opportunities

Want to see that new hit movie but don’t want to pay 10 bucks? Keep an eye out in the local paper’s entertainment section or during the breaks on your favorite radio stations. Many times free movie and concert passes are given out. Sometimes you can get them just by showing up to a location.

Hand-wash Your Dishes

No surprise here. Shake off the laziness and get to work in the sink. Hand-wash dish soap is much less expensive than dishwasher soap, so you’ll save money there. Plus, you won’t be running much water, something the dishwasher is notorious for. You’ll save money every day on the soap, the water bill and the electric bill.

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