From setting aside pennies that would otherwise be collecting dust in a bureau drawer, to shopping at thrift stores instead of high-end retail, local residents have their own unique ways to save money and stretch their dollars, making their money last longer.

Cherie Murray of Hayes said each and every night, for years now, she has been putting every coin that she has accumulated or found into a large piggy bank. “I prefer to use cash over debit cards,” Murray said. “I’m 50 and I’ve never had a credit card. When I do purchase things, I never use change to pay for anything. I only use bills, that way there is more change for my ‘bank.’”

With only this change, she has paid for her children’s back to school clothes over the years, trips to other states and countries, a new grill in the summer and anything that she otherwise would have actually saved for. “When it’s coins, you don’t really notice it missing, but it su...