You're a one income family looking for ways to save money. Often, a family's first impulse is to cut spending. It's a good impulse. Go with it! Most family budgets have areas just begging for a trim.

But what are the best ways to reduce expenses? Here are what I deem the easiest ways to save the most money. In this checklist, you won't find suggestions for recycling dryer lint or the best way to reuse Ziploc bags. What you will find are ways to save hundreds of dollars a month without radically changing your lifestyle. Not all these ideas will be for you; pick and choose the ones you can live with and forget about the rest.

Eat out only half as often

It rarely works to go from eating out several times a week to not at all. You end up feeling deprived and "treating yourself" eventually. If you typically eat out twice a week, you can save $100-300 a month by cutting back to once a week. Of course, now's the time to use your entertainment book or the coupons in your Sunday paper to save even more.

Plan your weekly menu according to what's on sale at the grocery store

Just a few minutes with the sale flyers can save you at least $200 a month, especially if you clip coupons. Make it a mission never to pay full price for meats or pre-packaged items (like Rice-A-Roni or Chef Boyardee). By planning ahead, you also don't have that dinner-hour scramble to decide what to make. Bye-bye, pizza delivery man!

Visit the clearance racks regularly

Buy next year's clothes for your family at the end of the season and you will save 50 percent to over 90 percent. Also, don't buy clothes you and your kids really don't need. Spend a little time organizing your closets, then make a (short) list of items that will complete outfits or that you just can't live without. Look for these items only, on sale or clearance.

Do it yourself

Whether it's dropping the health club membership in favor of walks around the neighborhood or firing the Merry Maids and getting your family to pitch in with cleaning, it's usually cheaper to do it yourself than to pay someone else to do it.

Ask yourself,

In times of hardship, wants must be examined carefully. Most of us can have some of our wants, but very few can have them all. To think otherwise is to fool yourself. Eventually, you will pay for this self-delusion.

Okay, that last one was a little heavy, but very true. So how much money do you need to find this month? Pick an item and go for it!