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Times are tough. You may be wondering what in the world you can do to make ends meet. With job layoffs, fewer available jobs and a slow economy in general, everyone is trying to cut their spending. The US is not only experiencing a flat or barely growing economy, but also war. Perhaps, due to current economic uncertainty, you are just suddenly conscious that you need to save more money and spend less.

Here are five of the sneakiest and least painful money saving techniques that  can help you save more:

Lower Your Energy Consumption
Turn off lights when you leave a room. Turn off the TV when you are not watching it. Run the dishwasher only when it is full and the washing machine only when you have a full load. Turn down your hot water tank just a few degrees. You will not notice the difference and you will save money.

You also consume energy when you drive your car. If you have a long commute to work each day, try to set up a car pool to lower your gasoline expenses. Make fewer trips to run errands by doing more each time you are out. Keep your car serviced, since it will use less oil and gas if it is running well.

Slash Your Phone Bill
If you have a cell phone, check out plans where you get minutes for a set monthly charge and have no long-distance fees. Use that cell phone for your long distance calls instead of your land line phone. You will see a drop in your phone bill. Lose the add-on phone features that you never use or can do without, such as call waiting, speed dialing and call forwarding.