Suspend your premium cable TV or satellite TV for one year.  Read library books and enrich your mind while saving $540 or more for the year.  That may seem drastic but that extra $45 a month or so you pay for premium cable service each month may not be worth if for you.  This is in spite of what Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable and a host of other cable and satellite television providers might tell you.

Take an inventory of what channels and programs you enjoy and compare that to the cable provider menu.  You may find that you can cut back to a cheaper service and save.  If you stop cable service completely you can save another $540 or so each year.  You should highly consider this if you are in debt.

Unfortunately, new research is beginning to show that television is a very powerful attention holder for children.  The good news is that it may make your childcare easier but the really bad news is that it is not enriching your children’s minds.  It tends to put them into an altered state of consciousness.  They will probably develop better minds and social skills with carefully managed lower doses of television.

I’ve talked with a number of people whose lives seem to revolve around staying up with the world news.  They are agitated, stressed and depressed by what’s going on.  The prescription is simple.  Turn off the television.  Then take action on those things that you have some influence or control over.  Write to your newspapers and politicians.  Vote.  Don’t stress over what you cannot control.  We've been renting more DVD's and controlling our entertainment content and costs that way.  We're really enjoying NetFlix.

Rediscover reading.  Books are a wonderful way to enrich your mind and your life.  Join a book discussion group and socialize there instead of vegetating in front of the television.  Play board and card games with your family.  It is a great way to have fun and learn at the same time.

All this said, I love television for the entertainment and education it can bring.  I use it in moderation as a tool for enrichment.  The only reason we have a premium cable package is because it includes the high-speed internet access we need for business and phone service.  After you’ve done without for a year you can decide if you want to pay for premium cable service.

Here are 35 more great ways to save money.