To get ahead financially, your family needs to save wherever possible because the more you save, the more there is to invest.

Saving money, though, requires self-reliance, self-education and smart decisions. Plus, it requires you to initiate action to find the best deals around.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Life insurance
Typically, a life insurance policy sold by an insurance agent takes 50 percent or more of your first year's premium as a commission. And over the next several years, depending on the insurance company, a smaller commission is deducted from your premium payments. Plus, the typical life insurance policy charges you a back-end surrender charge if you cash out of the policy early.

TIAA-CREF is rated tops -- A++ by A.M. Best -- in financial strength. Yet, you can buy insurance directly from its salaried employees at www.tiaa-cref.org or 1-877-276-9429. Thus, you avoid steep commissions.

Ameritas Direct, www.ameritasdirect.com or 1-800-555-4655, also sells low-cost insurance. Ameritas Direct, though, has a lower "A" financial strength rating by A.M. Best. With Ameritas Direct, you pay no sales commissions or surrender charges.

Remember, any time you consider insurance, you're looking for only the financially strongest companies licensed to sell insurance in your state.

Financial planning
Need some financial planning, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg? Head to the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors Web site at www.napfa.com. You can get a list of fee-only financial planners. They typically charge an hourly fee, work for no one but you and will help you with insurance, tax, estate, college planning and your retirement savings.

But keep in mind that some advisers charge a lot less than others. Plus, advisers may have specialties that may or may not be in line with your needs. Always find out what you will get for your money.

Mutual funds
For mutual funds, the Vanguard Group (www.vanguard.com) typically is about the cheapest. You buy directly from Vanguard and pay no commissions. Annual expenses on this company's funds run less than 1 percent. While you can't control market performance, at least you can earn a little more -- thanks to your savings in fees.

Of course, you need to know what you're doing when you invest with this company. If you don't, you ultimately could be better off seeking good advice and paying a bit more.

Travel
Looking for a low-cost vacation? Check out www.travelwithkids.about.com for information on low-cost family summer vacations in different areas of the country.

Other sites to check out: www.bestfares.com and www.sidestep.com. Monitor newspaper travel sections for deals. Check out airline and hotel online Web sites, which often have the cheapest rates. Be certain to inquire about lower rates with various memberships, such as the American Automobile Association, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and AARP. It never hurts to check in with a reliable travel agent, who might have special rates on chartered flights or packages.

Prefer to travel overseas? Seek countries with favorable currency rates compared with the United States. Also, call hotels directly to check rates before you leave. If you find them lower than the rates you've booked, ask for the lower rate.

Interest rates
Get the highest interest rates possible on your safe investments. Last we checked, the highest-yielding bank money market account was offered by Corus Bank, Chicago. It paid an annual percentage yield of 4.79 percent, according to Bankrate.com, but required a $10,000 minimum deposit.

Among the highest-yielding bank CDs:

GMAC's three-month CD yielding 4.85 percent and its one-year CD yielding 5.40 percent.

For a five-year CD, Transportation Alliance Bank, Ogden, Utah, yielded 5.39 percent.

Fuel economy
For cars, the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are most gas-efficient. Both get 60 miles per gallon in city driving, based on EPA miles per gallon ratings, reports www.edmunds.com.