15 Money Moves for Tough Times

Yahoo lists 15 money moves for tough times. Here are some of my favorites along with some corresponding Free Money Finance articles on the same subject:

3. Consider cutting back (rather than cutting out) some expenses. Depending on your current situation and concerns, it might make more sense to just scale back.

"It's much more effective if people cut back rather than cut out," says Cunningham, "because it's the change in behavior that's so tough."

Some ideas:

• Save on Comcast Cable, DirecTV and a HDTV: Two More Examples of Saving Money by Asking for a Discount

• How To Save Money On Your Vet Bills

• Two Examples of Saving Money by Asking for a Discount

4. Safeguard your current job. Remain engaged and enthusiastic, keep a high profile and network, network, network.

Analyze how much you save or produce for the company, stay current with the latest developments, [and] participate in at least one local professional organization.

Some thoughts:

• How to Hunt for a Job Without Letting Your Current Employer Know You're Doing So

• Career Reminder: Very Few Jobs are Worse than Unemployment

• What to Do When You Have a High-Paying Job You Hate

10. Re-examine your insurance. You don't want to be underinsured or overinsured. The key is to have enough to cover you at the best rate you can find. Shop your policies, set your deductibles at the highest amount that you can comfortably pay out of pocket and make sure you're getting credit for everything appropriate, like having car alarms, air bags and a good driving record, says Cunningham.

My adds:

• 12 Ways to Save on Insurance

• 10 Commandments of Personal Finance, Commandment #7: Thou Shalt Protect Thyself Against Risk

• Buy Term and Invest the Difference

Comments

[EmilyG]

I love those ideas -- especially the vet bill one. My cat recently got into a bad catfight and was hurt, and the surgery bill from the vet was $220. A few months before that, my dog ate something bad and the vet bill to get her well was $240. I'm recently out of college and was unprepared for those expenses, so my parents had to help. I constantly tell friends who want a pet to wait until they have more disposable income. Food, a bed and toys don't sound that bad, but the flea meds, vaccinations, and vet bills kill. And during this tough time, people definitely need to work on safeguarding their jobs!!!

[Master Your Card]

I was a little worried when I saw the 'How to save money on your vet bills' article. Fortunately, 'How to neuter your cat with common household appliances' wasn't one of the recommendations :)

[Minimum Wage]

#15 is Talk to a mortgage counselor. Seems HUD has mortgage coundelors who can negotiate with your lender.

Do they have rent counselors who can negotiate with your landlord?