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Times are tough and families everywhere are feeling the pinch in one way or another. Many people are living from paycheck to paycheck -- if they have one. To make your money go farther, try the following money-saving ideas.

1. USE HOUSE BRANDS: At the supermarket, pharmacy, and department store, you will find house brands that are every bit as good as the name brands and much cheaper.

2. ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT: You will soon get used to a lower than usual temperature in the winter. In the summer, keep the house a little less cool. The savings will show on your next energy bill.

3. CUT DRY CLEANING EXPENSE: Read care labels on clothing before you buy. Whenever possible, purchase items that specify "machine wash and dry" or "machine wash, hang dry." Save the dry cleaning for suits and coats. Ironing is a pain but sometimes a touch up will postpone the dry cleaning of something that is wrinkled but not really dirty.

4. SAVE ELECTRICITY: Turn off lights in rooms not in use. Use more efficient fluorescent bulbs. Shut off your computer when you are finished with it -- many people keep it on 24/7.

5. CREATIVE USE OF LEFTOVERS: Doggy bags, once considered tacky, are now in use everywhere. Bring home what you don't eat. Save the uneaten portions of home cooked food as well. Use them to create delicious, nutritious soups and casseroles with spices, sauces, rice, pasta, and a little imagination. Look to the Internet for such recipes from Campbell's, Weight Watchers, Kraft Foods, and other sources.

6. TAKE OUT FOOD: If you take out food from your favorite restaurant, you get the same good stuff without the cost of tipping. One Ruby Tuesday restaurant in my neighborhood is a particular favorite of seniors. There are bistro tables outside. A senior couple will fill a take-out box to the brim and take it outside where two eat for the price of one and also save the tip.

7. BABYSITTING CLUBS: When my children were small and babysitting was a rare luxury, my neighbors and I started one. Here's how it works: Find five or six interested couples. Agree that the club bookkeeper will change monthly. Assign a point value to each hour of sitting a member gives. You can draw as many points as you have earned with Saturday night points higher than weeknights. Thus you have a capable experienced adult sitter who is familiar to you and your child, and it costs nothing. Worked for me!

Babysitting can make a big dent in a family budget. I spoke to one mom in Manhattan, where the cost is perhaps a little more than elsewhere. She says that a high school sitter would charge $8 per hour while an adult would be $10 to $12 per hour. If a night out consists of dinner and a movie, you can see that many couples have to depend on an occasional grandparent-sitter if they are to go out at all. Two couples in our group even donated a sleep over for two children. Then they could draw on this for their anniversary, which they celebrated with a mini-honeymoon.

8. NEUTRAL WARDROBE BASICS: When buying clothing, stick to neutral colors for basic items -- black, white, khaki, brown, and navy -- for pants, skirts, coats, and suits. Save the colors for shirts, tees, blouses, and accessories. You end up buying less.

9. THRIFT SHOPS: For clothing, furniture, bric-a-brac, art, dishes and all manner of other household and personal items, you can save a ton of money. In some towns such as my own, the thrift shops are clustered in one area. Profits usually go to charities like JCC, Hospice, etc. Examples of some recent bargains: I bought a complete set of 12 glass salad plates for 50 cents each. A neighbor bought a small bicycle for visiting grandkids for $20. A friend who lost a lot of weight bought a bunch of new sweaters for $5 each. You never know what you might find in those stores.

10: TRANSPORTATION: Whenever possible, use public transportation. Check out the routes and times first. Save gasoline and maybe take a nap or do some work en route to your destination.

11. ONE-STOP SHOPPING: Save gasoline and travel time by finding strip malls that have everything you want in one place -- supermarket, pharmacy, dry cleaners, bank.

12. HAIR CUTTING: Many flea markets, outlet malls, and department stores feature unisex shops for hair cutting. Prices are usually lower than private shops. Also try beauty schools that are open to the public for a fraction of the cost. If you do use a private salon, get a haircut and skip the blow-dry, thus cutting your fee in half. Many moms do the kids' haircuts themselves.

13. COMPUTER CARTRIDGES: Printer cartridges can be refilled or buy off-brand names.

14: SHOP WITH A LIST: Make it a habit to keep a running list of things you run out of. Shop with the list and not when you are hungry. This eliminates impulse buying.

15. BUY IN BULK: Buy at wholesale food distribution places like Costco, BJ, or Sam's Club for staples and non-perishables. Also good for parties, linens, underwear, etc.

16. CARPOOL: To work, school, meetings, and the railroad station.

17. REPAIRS: Fix, maintain, and redo before replacing appliances and furniture. A TV repair shop owner I spoke to advised me to keep my old set if it works. "The new ones cost thousands, are not made well and need fixing in a few years. The parts and repairs are so expensive that customers leave them in my shop for months because they do not have the money to take them out."

18. CARS PAST WARRANTY: Don't go to the dealer for service. Find a good local service shop and it will cost you less.

19. BARTER: If you have a skill or service you can supply, you may be able to trade skills and service with someone who has what you need. There is a lot of this happening on the Internet. Everything from dentistry, carpentry, house painting and car maintenance is being done this way.

20. MOVIES: Get the oldies free from your library and/or get films delivered to your home by Netflix (I get two a month from Netflix for only $5.)

21. FRUIT and VEGETABLE STANDS: Many towns have them at the side of the road or outside a flea market. If you have one in your area, find out what day or days they close. Then shop in the late afternoon before the closed day. They are trying to get rid of whatever is left over because they cannot save it until they reopen.

22. REAL ESTATE TAXES: Some areas give you a discount if you prepay your real estate taxes. Find out if you can benefit by doing that where you live.

23. HOME DÉCOR: Faux painting is cheaper than wallpaper. It looks just as good. You can choose from among many designs offered or suggest your own to match drapes and bedspreads. You can request any color that suits your fancy.

24. FASHION FADS: Avoid these like the plague. Otherwise you may hate what you bought when the latest thing becomes dated.

25. SHOP SALES: Take a little time to scan the newspaper and flyers for food, clothing, and appliances. Watch for "two-fers." (I always use a particular lipstick, which sells for $9 per tube. One day I complained to the clerk at my pharmacy about the high price of this item. "If you can afford to wait on this," she said, "we have two-fers on them quite often." I waited and paid $4.50 each.)

Clip coupons. Keep them in your pocket, purse, or glove compartment. Make sure to discard the ones whose expiration dates have passed!

26. GIFT WRAPPING: Smooth and save reusable wrapping paper, gift bags, and boxes. (Some of the kids I know save the multi-colored Sunday comics and use them as gift wrappers. Surprisingly nice!)

27. VACATIONS: This year, more and more people are finding that traveling on vacation is not possible due to economic woes. If you find yourself in that situation, take advantage of local attractions you may never have visited. Chances are there are places in your area that would be must-sees to a tourist but you have never visited them. (I recently discovered Morikami Japanese Park two miles from my home. It rivals San Francisco's Japanese Tea Garden.)

28. BROWN BAG IT: Take lunch to work and use the rest of your lunch hour to take a walk, sit in the sun, or shop while saving some money.

29. RE-GIFTING: Ever receive a gift you didn't like or need? Don't give it away or throw it out. Save it and give it to somebody else who might like it. Just not the same somebody who gave it to you!

30. GREETING CARDS: You will be amazed at how much they cost in a year! Buy them by the box, buy them at dollar stores, send email greetings, or make your own by hand or on the computer.

For a couple of weeks, keep track of the money you save by using suggestions like those above. You will be surprised to see how the savings add up and it will encourage you to make these new ways a permanent part of your daily living.

Toby Rosenstrauch, an award-winning columnist, lives in Boynton Beach, Fla.