It never failed. Every time I stopped to fill up my car with gas, I remembered the coupon for 4 cents off per gallon was still hanging on my refrigerator. Heck of a lot of good it did me there.

So I’ve started to keep those gas coupons, whether from the grocery store or a coupon mailer, in my car. That way they’ll be with me when I need them.

It may not seem like a big deal to save 50 cents on a tank of gas, but if you fill up weekly, that’s about $25 a year.

In my family, $25 is an extra contribution to one of the kids’ college savings accounts.

Now think if you could make five or 10 or 20 small changes that would save 50 cents a week. Suddenly you’ve got hundreds of extra dollars in the bank, provided you capitalize on them.

That is, transfer that extra money into a savings account to make sure it isn’t frittered away elsewhere.

It’s pretty painless to save 50 cents or more a week on groceries, entertainment and utilities. Find a 50-cent grocery coupon for something you were going to buy anyway, or switch to a generic brand. Trade a vending machine can of soda for a glass of water. Borrow books or movies from friends or the library. Turn the thermostat down a degree or two.

Go meatless for one or more meals per week. Considering most cuts of meat cost around $3 per pound, compared to $1 or less for protein-rich beans, this move saves quite a bit of money, not to mention it’s better for your health.

One small change my family made was to switch our city-issued garbage can from the medium to the small size, a savings of $3 per month, or $36 a year.

We never seemed to fill up the 64-gallon cart, largely because we take advantage of free curbside recycling.

Also, I think when you’re focused on saving money, you produce less waste. You don’t buy as much stuff, so there’s not as much packaging to throw away. Cooking at home results in a lot less garbage than takeout or delivery food containers.

Once you’ve made easy changes to save 50 cents or a dollar a week in several areas, think bigger.

How much could you save by making your own coffee or brown-bagging your lunch just one or two extra days each week? If it doesn’t seem like a lot, take that amount times 52, to think in terms of what you could save in the course of a year.

Also, tally small inflows of cash, such as the extra dollars you get recycling cans or selling things you don’t use. Collect your spare change and add it to the savings stash.

Every time you pass up on a tempting purchase for savings sake, whether it’s a candy bar or a new pair of leather boots, put that money aside, too.

Finding the smallest ways to trim your expenses is a good way to start saving, even if it’s just 50 cents at a time.

Sherri Richards is a thrifty mom of two. She blogs at www.topmom.areavoices.com.

If you don’t tell your dollars where to go, they’ll disappear. My husband and I found this to be true long before I read it in a Dave Ramsey book. It’s the reason that when you plan to save whatever’s left at the end of the month, there’s never anything left.

For years now, we’ve “paid ourselves first,” and amazingly, there always seems to be enough to go around. Today’s online banking features make it easier than ever. Every month, automatic transfers send money into our individual retirement accounts, money market and future car fund, before we even miss it.

But where should you tell those dollars to go first? Sometimes all of the things you need to save for seems like a never-ending list: retirement, college for the kids, an emergency fund, that trip to Italy or the down payment for a house.

It’s a matter of prioritizing your savings goals.

Last October, I wrote an article for The Forum about Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course, which was being offered at churches in the community. It was the first time I’d heard about his Seven Baby Steps, which lay out his top priorities for your finances.

I realized we were following them closely, but not exactly. We’d saved up an emergency fund (steps 1 and 3), were contributing 15 percent to our retirement (step 4), putting some in Eve’s college savings account (step 5) and making additional principal payments on our home (step 6).

But out of line with the steps was Craig’s lingering student loan payment. Ramsey would want us to get rid of that in step 2, before putting money toward retirement, college savings or paying off the house. My accountant husband, thinking in terms of interest rates and tax deductions, didn’t agree.

The student loan has since been paid off, and we’re still chipping away at our savings goals, even with a new baby and me working fewer hours.

So how should you save your dollars? Different financial writers offer different advice, but all have common themes.

First and foremost, they say you should have an emergency fund that could cover several months’ expenses. Some say three months; some say 12. Keep this money safe. We stash ours in a money market account at the same bank as our checking account.

It’s often advised to pay off your high-interest debt by “snowballing” your payments – putting the same amount toward the debt each month even as your balances decrease.

Then, put that money toward your retirement – ideally 10 or 15 percent of your income or more – before your kids’ college savings. Worst-case scenario, they can take out student loans. There are no loans for retirement.

Challenge yourself to max out a Roth IRA, contributing $5,000, next year. If that sounds impossible, consider this: Trimming $96 a week in wasteful spending – perhaps on eating out or fancy coffee or your own personal vice – and putting it into an IRA could earn you $49,678.65 in interest over 30 years, assuming an 8 percent return on your investment. Not retiring for 40 years? That $5,000 will grow to $121,366.93.

Paying yourself first can really pay off.

Calculations performed at www.powerpay.org. Sherri Richards is a thrifty mom of two. She blogs at www.topmom.areavoices.com.