Seven Ways to Save Money and Still Be Cultured

Restaurants that are particularly accepting of BYOB often include those that serve cuisine from predominantly Muslim countries, and don't provide alcohol for purchase. Many restaurants that don't have a liquor license won't have any corkage fee at all.

The catch is that you should be familiar with the BYOB policy. Some restaurants are very picky about it -- especially since your money-saving plan will eat into their margins. Many places won't allow you to bring in bottles that they offer on the menu, or have other requirements. The best plan is to call ahead and ask what the restaurant's policy is before you cart in that beautiful Bordeaux.

3. Giving to Charity

Charities are hurting along with everyone else, and some are in particularly bad straits because their high-salaried big donors from financial-services firms might not have jobs anymore.

But, there's a way to donate money without even technically sending out a check: shopping on the Internet via charity portals. These usually work by donating a portion of the profit from your purchases made through the Web site to a charity. Many of the sites even offer you a number of charities from which to choose.

Charity sites that operate this way include GreaterGood.com, GoodSearch.com, GoodShop.com and iGive.com.

Another way would be to volunteer at an event, which usually means you can attend free of charge.

4. Hotels

Before you call the front desk at a hotel to book the reservation for your fabulous summer trip, look around a bit on the Internet to see if any discounts are being offered.