Here's an interesting, good-for-you, practically painless way to save money.

Recession Mama: I read an article about a super frugal family. They said that they never ordered soft drinks in restaurants, and with the money they saved, they were able to pay for a vacation at the end of the year.

I couldn't believe it. How much soda were these people drinking anyway? Where were they vacationing -- the Motel 6 just outside the city limits? Then I started to do the math. My family of five goes out all together at least a couple of times a week. My husband packs a lunch for work, but still goes out maybe once a week. I also go out to lunch at least once a week.

Depending on the restaurant, you can expect to pay between $1.50 and $3.50 for a soda. If we cut out the sodas (or juice, milk, whatever), we'd save an average of $30 a week. A week! That's more than $1,500 a year.

Enough, according to www.travelzoo.com, for a Vegas vacation at the Paris Hotel, including air from L.A., for all of us -- or seven nights on a beach in Fiji, with a few hundred in spending cash for just me.

Tough decision ...

A former state deputy attorney general and current stay-at-home mom, Recession Mama Michele Ashamalla has three kids and ten years of experience stretching one salary to cover the necessities and more. She's all about saving money whenever you can, so you have it to spend on whatever you want!