How to Save on (Almost) Everything

Consumers need to look no further than their rapidly-emptying wallets for signs of inflation.

Just about everything is pricier than it was a year ago. Drivers pay $1.09, or 37%, more for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to AAA. The ingredients of an eggs-on-toast breakfast cost 18% and 16% more, respectively. And it doesn't stop there: Major airlines recently tacked on a $20 fuel surcharge for domestic flights, while, at home, electricity prices are expected to climb 3.7%.

World-wide demand for more goods and services — and the oil needed to produce and ship them — means that higher prices are likely here to stay, says Richard Eberling, a senior research fellow with think tank American Institute of Economic Research

For budget-minded consumers, hunting down deals is now a crucial pastime. To make it easier, we asked experts for their single best tip on how to save in a range of spending categories:

Cars

Conduct web research first. Don't go to the car lot without looking up pricing information and special deals, such as customer cash incentives and dealer cash (often unadvertised, auto makers give dealerships these incentives to pass along to car buyers), says Micah Muzio, road test editor for Kelley Blue Book. Go to Kelley Blue Book's site, for example, and you'll discover that you can get $1,500 in unadvertised dealer cash on a Mitsubishi Endeavor. To help you negotiate a lower price, find out what other consumers in the area paid. Both Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.com let users find pricing data by zip code.

Gadgets

Keep it simple. Avoid buying a more-powerful or feature-laden gadget than you need, says Brian Cooley, editor at large for electronics review site CNET. "Most people overbuy out of fear because they don't understand the specs," he says. Basic models usually have everything the average user needs — without the premium price. A digital camera with loads of megapixels may mean higher resolution photos for those who want poster-size prints, but for the average photographer, it makes little difference in quality. According to CNET's reviews, Canon's 7-megapixel SD750 ($200) took just as great photos as the more expensive, 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD950 IS ($400).

Gas

Slow down. "Simply observing the speed limit is equivalent to giving you a substantial discount at the pump," says Jim Kliesch, senior engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environment-focused nonprofit. Fuel economy decreases rapidly at speeds faster than 60 miles per hour, making your car 7% to 23% less efficient (the faster you go, the more fuel you waste). By those measures, slowing down works out to savings of as much as 94 cents a gallon at the pump — and also helps you avoid pricey speeding tickets.

Groceries

Clip virtual coupons. "There are more [coupons online] than in the Sunday paper, and often, they're better deals," says Lisa Lee Freeman, editor in chief of Consumer Reports' ShopSmart magazine. Coupons.com and SmartSource.com let you download and print the coupons you're interested in. (Check with your retailer first to ensure they accept home-printed coupons. Most now do.) Search your favorite brands' web sites for coupons, too. Pet food company Nutro, for example, offers a coupon for a free four-pound bag of cat food — a $12 value.

Travel

Book trips using meta-search sites. If you aren't hunting down the cheapest flight using travel sites like Kayak or Mobissimo, you aren't getting the best deal, says Anne Banas, executive editor for SmarterTravel.com, a travel advice site. These so-called meta-searchers comb dozens of travel sites, including the airlines', for low fares. Seeking a round-trip New York-Denver ticket for July 11-13 on American Airlines, Orbitz came up with $406, including taxes and fees. Kayak found a flight for $30 cheaper directly through the airline. (Bonus: You'll also avoid Orbitz's $7 to $12 booking fee.)

Utilities

Make the house airtight. Consumers pay good money to cool and heat their homes, but some of that pricey air can get sucked outside through cracks along window frames, attic eaves and even electrical outlets. As a result, your system works overtime — tacking another 20% onto your electricity bill, says Ronnie Kweller, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy. (That's another $470 on top of the average household's annual bill of $2,350.) The fix is simple and inexpensive: Caulk and weather-stripping will set you back less than $50, and cut your bills back down to size.