Agreed. It all starts with having a well defined plan.
My recent post Reducing Consumption of Red Meat

Nice coverage of some tax deductions that people may be overlooking.
My recent post Cream City Hustle: Chapter Two, Part I

Lights, lights and more lights. When I was growing up, my father was always quick to remind us to turn off the lights when we left a room. I find that without even thinking about it, I still turn off lights the minute I leave a room.
My recent post Adaptive Asset Allocation – A SavvyReview

All great suggestions. I definitely like, 'match what you spent on entertainment for the month and add it to savings.' Good stuff!

Gift cards, gift cards, gift cards. I don't know if they quite totaled $300, but I finished my shopping with a bunch of gift cards to be given as stocking stuffers.
My recent post A Richer Understanding: Head and Heart

Yep. And unfortunately, my belief is that most that will be working until that age try to convince themselves that it's because they want to, wouldn't no what else to with their time, enjoy the work, etc. However, I believe in the vast majority of cases it's simply a case of they are not financially prepared to walk away from that source of labor income. Their passive and portfolio sources have not been fully developed and able to provide a satisfying retirement.
My recent post 50 Plus! – A SavvyReview

The one piece of advice I offer people with respect to money and marriage is be on the same page. Too often people assume that the other person has the same goals and is committed to the same plan. Constant communication, and working together on developing and executing the financial plan is a must. With respect to money and other relationships (brothers, sisters, children, etc.) I suggest people never loan money.

I am not suggesting that someone should never help friends and family in the form of monetary assistance. I am simply saying that they should consider it a gift vice a loan. A loan implies that the money should be repaid at some point in the future. There are two reasons why I believe this is a practice better avoided. First, money has a tendency to put a strain on relationships, particularly if the recipient has a difficult time repaying the loan or is late with repayment. They are stressed because of their desire to repay the loan, and the giver is stressed because they had expectations of repayment, and likely, a plan for using the loaned funds for some other purpose. Second, the practice can be disruptive to their financial planning.

Once a financial plan has been established and someone has identified the amount they need to invest on a monthly basis to meet their goals, their first priority should be to fund their savings/investment accounts first. If a situation arises and they have determined that a family or friend has a sincere need for financial assistance, and providing that assistance will not impact their plan, they should assist with a gift vice a loan. I assure you that if someone loans a family member $300 of the $500 they were going to commit to their Roth IRA one particular month and they are not able to repay the loan, they are going to feel bad, the giver is going to feel resentment, and they will be $300 – not even counting the compound interest you will not have earned – further from their objective. Conversely, if someone finds that they have an additional $150 at their disposal after meeting their monthly financial goals, and they can assist a family member with a gift of half the $300 they may need, they will be very appreciative, the gift giver will be glad they could assist, and there is no chance for resentment and strain on the relationship. Once the lender writes that check for $150 it is forgotten forever and they can move on and prepare to meet their next month’s goal.

My recent post Establish an Emergency Fund

A person who smokes but claims they don't have any discretionary income to invest.
My recent post A Richer Understanding: Mortality

An important topic for those considering hiring outside help.

I always suggest people seek out 'Fee-only' advisors should they decide on not managing their own accounts. These types of financial planners are registered investment advisors with a *fiduciary responsibility to act in their client's best interest. They do not accept any fees or compensation based on product sales. Fee-only advisors tend to have fewer inherent conflicts of interest and they generally provide more comprehensive advice.

* A good breakdown of a fiduciary can be found on the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau site >>> http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1769/what-...

Contrast 'Fee-only' with 'Fee based' advisors who typically receive fees paid by the client as well as commissions paid to them by a brokerage firm, mutual fund company or insurance company.
My recent post A Healthier, Wealthier Retirement

It is certainly true that ultimately you never know how much an emergency will cost you.
My recent post My Journey to Fiscal Fitness