Save some scratch

With food inflation up more than 8% for the year and gas close to $4 a gallon, some consumers are going to extreme measures to stay within their budgets.

Though some ideas might sound crazy -- car-engine fried eggs, anyone? -- others contain clever solutions to the everyday challenges of stretching a dollar. Here are eight of the best extreme-saving techniques, culled from some of the top minds on the Web:

Turn your car off -- while it's moving
Though AAA warns against this technique, some bloggers promote it as a way of saving gas. By using the car's momentum to glide into parking spaces or move downhill, you can get where you're trying to go with less fuel. Just make sure you practice driving without power steering and power brakes in an open space before experimenting near other cars -- or people. And never try this at high speeds; it's too dangerous.

Savings: You can shave a few dollars off your gas bill each month.

Reuse plastic sandwich bags
Sandwich bags can be easily rinsed out and dried, and used again the next day. As long as the bags don't touch raw meat, it's a hygienic and environmentally friendly way to save.

Savings: With a pack of 100 bags going for around $3, a family of four can save about $30 a year.

Here are a few more wacky ways to save.