The ‘B’ word. Budget. An ugly, yet totally necessary part of every wedding.

There are a lot of great calculators out there that tell you how to come up with your budget, but how do you save in the first place? Every day you’re presented with opportunities to spend your hard earned money; coffee in the morning, dinner out, that cute new summer dress. But keep in mind that every penny out of your pocket, means less money for your wedding budget.

Here are some everyday tips to get you on your way to saving for your big day.

Skip the Coffee – Sometimes you feel like you just can’t get through the morning without your favourite java/ It happens, and unfortunately that ‘necessary’ treat is silently draining your bank account. At roughly $4 a cup, every morning before work, you’re spending $80 a month on brown water. A better option is to brew at home and take it in a travel mug. Or better yet, cut the caffeine completely!

Eat In – Restaurants are convenient, but expensive. Cooking can be a fun activity for couples and leftovers can be taken for lunch the next day. But don’t despair, date nights are essential, so try to limit yourselves to one or two nights out a month. The money you save can be put towards your wedding cake or dinner for 150 of your closest friends and family.

Cut the Cable – With Netflix, Hulu and all the other online (and legal) options out there is cable really necessary? Consider $60 a month for cable or $8 a month for Netflix, the savings can be huge. Turn off the tv and talk, get out of the house and go for a walk, play with the dog or start writing those vows. It was hard for me to call the cable company and get it turned off, but 2 years later I don’t miss it one bit.

Ditch the Landline – In this day and age I don’t know many people who have landlines (under the age of 50), but if you have a cellphone and a landline, you really don’t need both. Save the $30 a month and put it towards tuxes.

Open a New Account – Now that you’re on your way to saving, you need somewhere to put all that extra cash. Open a high interest savings account and be sure to deposit all the money you’ve been saving. Even though interest rates are currently low, 1-2% is better than nothing. It also helps to keep your household and wedding budgets separate. When all your money gets clumped together into one account it’s easy to overspend and get off track, it’s better to separate so you know exactly how much you have to spend on your wedding.

Buy Second Hand – Because weddings are typically one day events, most decor items are lightly used and still in great condition. Check your local Craigslist, Gumtree and Kijiji listings for discounted wedding day decor. After your big day is over don’t forget to list your items and sell them to another bride looking to save some cash.

Sell, Sell, Sell – Look around and think about the things taking up space. That chair maybe? Or that old tv that no one watches? Now, think about what you could sell it for. This is an especially useful exercise if the two of you don’t already live together. Will you really need two couches, two dining room tables, etc? Get rid of it! Take some nice pictures and sell that stuff already!

Be a Coupon Queen – Couponing is huge right now, and for good reason. Coupons can save you a ton of cash, and you don’t have to be like those crazy ladies on TV either. Just flip through your local paper, sign up for a site like Groupon and when you see a coupon for an item you normally purchase, clip that baby and stop paying full price.

Stop Smoking/Drinking – This might be a hard one for some out there, but both habits can get really expensive. Staying home, when all your friends are hitting the bar, might not seem like the most ideal way to spend your Friday night. But when you’re toasting with champagne at your wedding all those lonely nights will be worth it!

Make the Commitment – As a couple you should sit down and decide what the two of you can do together to save money. None of these tips will work if only one person is on board. Maybe eating in restaurants is really important to your partner, or you just can’t imagine starting your day without Starbuck’s. Whatever it is, it’s important to agree on your money saving tactics as a couple. After all, isn’t marriage all about working together and compromise?

All these little things can really add up, especially when most couples spend a year or more planning for their wedding. And don’t forget, when your wedding is over keep saving and that honeymoon/new house/baby clothes can be right around the corner!

Sarah Gillis-Mazzei (DarlingGirlPaper) is a happily married designer and member of the Etsy Wedding Team. Her work can be found in her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlinggirlpaper and her blog http://darlinggirlpaper.blogspot.ca/