It seems that during a recession is the hardest time for the average person to save money and put it towards more productive tasks. Stocks are dropping, wages are dropping and retirement funds are slowly disapearing. So what can you do to save a little extra cash that can go towards paying off your debt? There are literally hundreds of different 'small things' you can do to save money in your every day life.

Use Your Local Technical Colleges/Schools

If there is a technical college in your area, or a school that tailors to a specific profession, use them! Many automotive repair classrooms at your local college are more than happy to repair your damaged car in class for little or no cost, they are just happy to provide a real world experience for their students. For the women, if there is a cosmetology school in your area go there for your manicure's, pedicures and facials at relatively no cost.

Do Your Shopping Online and Buying Used

While shopping online for your groceries may not be as lucrative as their marketing campaigns may lead you to believe, there are many other goods that are available used for free or cheap online. Take a look in the 'new and used' section of amazon, or scour your local area's craigslist for any items you may need. You can save a bundle of money every month, just by looking through what is available used, rather than heading out to your local Sears to pick up that item you've just got to have.

Combine Your Communications Bills

Take a look at the deals your local service provider is offering for your different communication devices in bundle packages. Many companies, such as Comcast, offer internet, phone, and TV at a highly discounted rate when you order all three through them. I literally cut my communications bills in half just by deciding to go with one company for all my needs.

Only Subscribe to the Sunday Paper

In a world with TV and internet there really isn't too much of a reason to pay to have the paper delivered to your house every day. Any information that would have been in that paper is more than likely free on their website, or will appear on the evening news. You can still be informed without paying a bundle.

Take Your Lunch To Work

If it will keep you from spending money everyday on food, take your lunch to work. The next time you take a look at your bank statements, go ahead and highlight every time you bought food in the last month, and then take a look at all the food you have sitting in your cupboards and your fridge. You could reduce your monthly food costs by a lot by just bringing your lunch with you to the workplace and not tempting yourself to spend more money on food.