Extreme Savers Try Toilet Cloths, Car Ovens

Toilet training your cat: Buying kitty litter will put a dent in your wallet. Cleaning up the box is another pain. The ultra-frugal are addressing the issue by toilet training their cats. If that seems like too much work, you could try making your own kitty litter instead.

Baking cookies in cars: If you have a sweet tooth and live in a warm climate, you could cut the cost of your treats by making them in a solar oven. These metal rigs use the sun's rays to cook food for free.

The Baking Bites blog takes this idea a step further by showing you how to bake cookies in your car on hot summer days. The process might leave your vehicle smelling of chocolate chip cookies for the rest of the week, which some people might consider a good thing.

While it's wise to cut expenses when the economy spirals, some things shouldn't be discounted. But it's up to you to make that distinction.