I find that while one-time expenses are the easiest to remember (unless you're deliberately trying to forget just how much you spent at the shoe store last week… well, it was an awfully good sale…) it's the recurring expenses that tend to add up the most in the long run. They're also the hardest to trim down, but the payoff is usually worth the trouble. Let's take a look at how to evaluate and slim down the day-in-and-day-out items in your budget.

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By the end of 2009, consumers nationwide will be able to take advantage of a federal "cash for appliances" program offering rebates on purchases of a wide array of home appliances certified as energy-efficient by the EPA's Energy Star program. Backed by an initial $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the state-run rebate program is intended to help make American homes more energy-efficient while further stimulating the economy. "Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there's enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month," said Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a press release. "These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs."

Read more on Cash for Clunkers is Done. So What's Next?…