See the factoid: How to Live Large On The Cheap

(1) Learn enough of the language to read and ask for prices in the local tongue; those prices are often much lower than those quoted in English. (2) Don't purchase tours; make friends with people; they will give you more interesting experiences anyway. (3) Never pay anyone to arrange your trip for you; it only limits your freedom and it's easy enough to find housing and transportation on your own, if you are willing to walk around and talk to people. (4) Eat where the locals eat. (5) Take the transportation the locals take. (6) Aim for quality of experience, not quantity; you will have better and cheaper tales to tell if you just meet local people and go with the flow, rather than trying to follow an agenda.