Editor Cara Newman is following the advice and tips of various articles posted on Young Money to show how well they really work. These first posts follow the techniques presented in Save $1000 by Black Friday. Follow along to see how much she saves, and what impact it has on her life.

I was sick a lot of this week and didn’t do much. By not doing much, I ended up saving a lot!

Collected change from my pockets: $6.43

Food: $30 in lunches, and I didn’t go out to dinner once, saving $40 in dinners (assuming I spend $20 twice a week)

Bank Fees: I didn’t use any out of network ATMS saving $10

Doctor: I got sick this weekend but I combined two appointments into one, saving $30 in copays.

I didn’t spend any money on entertainment this week, leaving me with a $50 savings.

I think the biggest change for me has been using cash. It makes me realize exactly how much I’m spending, and I don’t spend any money on hidden fees and I’m not building up any debt. I have been doing this for almost two months and I’m amazed at the amount of money I’ve saved. I’m even more amazed how easy it’s been. If you just cut back a little back, you’ll find your savings account growing too!

Savings this week: $166.43

Total savings: $911.90

Impact: I haven’t felt any really sacrifice, but I’m almost there!