RR said:
Don't laugh, recycle : plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass beer bottles.
I don't go out to collect these items above persa but our household do recycle and have bins in the backyard. Well, it was time to cash-in recycle goods (6 months worth), 6 garbage bags of plastic bottles (crushed, smashed), two garbage cans of beer bottles => $120 and I yet to bring in the aluminum cans.
Now if you put the effort ... of course you will be competing with the homeless dumpster diving, you could make some money.
Don't forget scrap metals.... car parts, sheet roofing, plumbing pipes.... any and every piece of metal from friends / family that can add to a trailer load over time. Take to scrap yard and get some cash.
Another neat trick: loose change. Throw in a jar every day or once per week. You'd be surprised how it adds up over a year. It's a nice Christmas bonus.
Don't park where you have to pay. Park further and walk for a bit.
Turn house heating down 1 deg and wear an extra jumper / layer of clothing.
Switch electrical items off at the switch.... items on standby consume electricity. Not everything has to be on standby.
Do full load of washing. Washing machine consumes just as much with half load or full load.
Air dry clothes rather than use a clothes dryer. If it's wet outside, air dry inside on a rack (especially if house heater is on; it's 'free' drying). Your clothes may not be 'as soft' but so what... you're a man!
Hot water: Get a thermometer and check the temperature out of the taps. Can you turn down a degree or two? I think 55degC at the tap is about the limit to prevent serious scalding to young kids, however, a minimum temperature in the water tank needs to be maintained to kill bacteria. Check your local authority for the recommended temperatures in the tank and at the tap.
House insulation: Keep heat in in winter, heat out in summer. Roofs are easy to insulate, walls more difficult to insulate if house is older and windows are another killer (blinds? curtains? roller shutters? --> depends on fashion and look you want)
Water saving devices: tap outlets, shower heads. Fix leaky taps / toilets. Replace hoses / hose connections if they leak. Add a mains pressure regulator (or a pressure regulator at the hot water tank) if water pressure is too high. High water pressure can prematurely destroy water tanks and burst pipes / hoses (why replace things earlier than required if you can prevent damage?)
Some things require money / expenses 'up front' but the gains are realised 'down the track'. Usually prevention is not considered 'at the time' until things go wrong. And when they go wrong, you could be ripping plumbing pipes out of walls, as an example. This will cost a lot more than a simple pressure regulator. So consider prevention and maintenance as part of cost saving. Seems odd to 'spend money to save money' but believe me, you don't want a burst water pipe inside the house.
Solar and 12V systems: Buy solar panels and create a 12V system. Can use power storage to power lights in sheds, charge mobile phones and with a good DC to AC inverter connected, charge cordless batteries, run a small fridge (if you have enough batteries), run small power tools, etc. Here's part 1 of this guys portable pack that he built to give you an idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=offgcMwuTGw Search google, youtube and gain some knowledge on 'how to'. Here's more for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8YcFNGauoY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQiLcotRv6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB8q20QX6bA
Plenty to consider and some great ideas by the other members.