As for me I also started from getting out of debt when I applied for a balance transfer credit card.
In a year I managed to get rid of it and raise me credit score so that I was approved for a cash back credit card and now I save here and there while making purchases!
How to save money
It made me
Happy 
"Pay down, then save."
How I did it: I didn't initially save, and instead paid down some oustanding debt.
Once completed, as I watched my return on my 401(k) get a negative, I opted to cut back 1/2 my 10% input to 5%, and then did an approximate calculation for that remaining 5%. I then set up an automatic transfer to move that 5% automatically into an interest bearing savings account each paycheck -- small interest, but interest-bearing in this economy, nonetheless. (Realize there are differences, e.g. this is after-tax and not before-tax, so it doesn't work out exactly. However, I figured a positive return was better than a negative.)
Additionally, I put my bonus into that same interest bearing savings account and haven't touched it.
Lessons & tips: 1. Pay down as much as you can at first, even if it means temporarily giving up some things you want.
2. Always pay for things with a debit card that withdraws directly from your account. If you don't have the cash, you can't buy it.
3. Cut up your credit cards except for one to keep in an emergency. I even heard you should put that emergency credit card into a glass of water and put it in the freezer -- that way, you have time to think about using it while it's thawing out.
