1. plan plan plan ahead ( spot all the cheap places online and have a list ready, or make reservations early.)

2. use couchsurfing, friend of friend's cousin's friend's mom for cheap or free couch/temporary living situations. Or work in exchange for a place to live.

3. flirt with everyone to get freebies, hehe it might work.
It's too early, more tips later.

When traveling you should always know how much of your trip you can afford. Don't start your trip with your whole checking account as your travel budget. Start with a certain amount (1,000) should be a good start and at times finish, then go from there. It all depends on the amount of time you will be going and of course, where. When traveling within the US, ask yourself the best question you can, "how much would I need to stay home for two full weeks and visit two museums, go to the movies, visit two theme parks, go out to eat (fast food vs nice sit down restaurants), and of course, gas money? Keeping in mind that you will more than likely fly to your destination, count on 500 going into flying and hotels, possibly more.

If you're going to a foreign country, NOT getting your foreign currency ahead of time is a common misconception. You will need it when you land and if you run into the same luck that US tourists going to The Netherlands suffered, you will hope that you had followed this advise.

During the month of March, foreign exchange kiosks in The Netherlands stopped exchanging US CASH for Euro Cash.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1758265520080319

Now I am not saying that you should exchange all your travel cash, but do some of it here. Credit cards will be charging you a lot more now then ever before. You will be charged a "CONVENIENCE" fee, that is you will pay for every time you charge anything in a foreign country.

Here's the secret for getting the best rates of exchange:
1. Find three foreign exchange offices that will deliver the currency to you. (Sometimes your bank will do it)
2. Find out about discounts, some have specials due to "overstock".
3. Fees. Over The Counter (OTC) transactions, shipping and insurance, and commissions. You should NOT be charged a commission fee.

Some outfits accept payment by credit card, make sure that you will not be charged a "cash advance".  Don't forget, don't base your decision on the fee, it should always be based on the rate.

Here's three to get you started
www.foreignmoney.com
www.ezforex.com
www.travelex.com/us

Good luck!