Jean Chatzky’s top 10 money-saving tips

6. Direct deposit can save you cash
Are you taking advantage of direct deposit? Not only is it easy, but most banks will knock $1 to $2 off your monthly account maintenance fees if you have your paychecks direct-deposited. Check with your employer to see if they have special deals with local banks for direct deposit. And don't stop with your paycheck: You can also direct-deposit expense and travel reimbursements, Social Security and Veteran's payments, retirement and mutual fund distributions and tax refunds. In all of these cases, direct-depositing saves you a trip to the bank. With taxes there's an additional bonus: If you file electronically and elect to have your refund direct-deposited, you'll shave weeks off the time it takes to get your money back.

7. Don’t be a gas guzzler
With gasoline prices across much of the country more than $2 a gallon, you need to pay more attention to getting good mileage. Here are a couple of tips.

• Keep your tires inflated to the proper levels (which you'll find in your owner's manual). This will boost fuel efficiency.
• Stop speeding. According to the FTC, driving at 65 miles per hour rather than 55 will increase fuel consumption by 20 percent; Go 75 mph and fuel consumption jumps by another 25 percent.

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8, 9 and 10. Don’t let eating out eat too much of your income
The average American household spends more than $2,200 dining out, according to New Strategist Publications. That's reason enough to approach dining in a restaurant as any other consumer experience. I'm not saying you need to haggle over every item on the bill, just to make sure you know where rip-offs are likely to lurk.

• Specials: It's not unusual for them to be more expensive than every other item on the menu. Simply ask how much they are as the waiter lists them.
• Bottled water: Bottled water is a huge profit center for restaurants. Beware of a place that starts pouring and doesn't stop.
• Wine: Be certain the bottle you order is the bottle you receive. Sometimes less expensive varieties are substituted for pricier versions. Some restaurants will cavalierly substitute a less expensive year but still charge you the higher price.

Jean Chatzky is the financial editor for “Today,” editor-at-large at Money magazine and the author of “Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future.” Her latest book, "Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day," is now in bookstores. Copyright ©2005. For more information, go to her Web site, www.JeanChatzky.com.

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