One thing you can do to save money that you may not have thought of

This is the second post in my attempt to give people ideas about what they can do to help out in these hard times. If you haven't already, you should read yesterday's post. Since most people are struggling with financial issues, I figured you might be interested in helping yourself out. So, here it is: Go DIY. This seems kind of vague, but the trick is in figuring out where it make sense to DIY, and find places to save money by doing stuff yourself. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Grow a garden to save money on groceries
• Do your own oil changes
• Cook meals rather than buying prepackaged meals or eating out
• Do your own home repair (if possible)
• Mend worn out clothing to make it last longer

There is a bit more to this. First, you can also trade goods and services with others, to extend the power of what you can make or do. Second, it is worthwhile to learn some skills. It could be worthwhile to cook a friend dinner in exchange for them teaching you how to change the oil in your car. Third, there are countless ways that DIY could be applied that I haven't thought of. If you have good DIY suggestions, please post them in the comments.

I will have yet another post either tomorrow or Monday, depending on when I feel like it.