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Economic downturns are never especially fun, but as Adam Smith noted over two centuries ago, these cycles of paucity and plenty are a fact of life. Though no one can say for sure when this most recent slump will reverse, there are at least sure ways of stretching your cash in the meantime. Here are some penny-preserving techniques tailored to our 21st-century lives:

1. Plenty of people are in the habit of cutting out paper coupons, but even though many of us do some of our shopping on the Web now, not as many of us seem to have learned to coupon-hunt on the Internet. Sites such as CouponCabin.com, CouponMountain.com, and DealofDay.com list thousands of current offers at merchants all across the Web.

2. Use price-comparison sites like Shopping.com, Pricegrabber.com, Google Product Search, and mySimon.com to find the best deals online.

3. When you’re out at a brick-and-mortar store, send a text message to 46645 (Google’s number) and enter the letter “f” followed by the name of the item you’re shopping for. Google will reply with a message quoting its online prices. To compare prices at stores near you, check out ShopLocal.com.

4. If you don’t already belong to one, consider joining a warehouse club like Costco or Sam’s Club and buying in bulk. This can be especially helpful if you have a large family.

5. Buy generic instead of brand-name products. A lot of the difference is usually in the marketing ballyhoo and not the product itself, anyway.

6. Withdraw your green from surcharge-free ATMs, which can be located on AllpointNetwork.com and MoneyPass.com.

7. Buy locally-raised food at farmer’s markets or stores that sell local produce and meat. Prices there are often lower because the food doesn’t have to be transported far.

8. Shop at dollar stores. You should have an easy time finding them nearby since they’ve been popping up all over the place in the recent past.

9. Purchase discount prescription drugs from online pharmacies. You’ll often end up paying well under half as much for the generic medications available at these discount prescription drug stores than you would for the same brand-name medications at brick-and-mortar pharmacies.

10. If your car is seven or more years old and/or worth less than $2,500, consider dropping comprehensive and collision from your insurance.  Your deductible may be closing in on the worth of your car anyway, in which case a major collision would send your car to the junk yard and you to the dealership.

11. Keep cell-phone expenses under control. Today’s kids love to send text messages, so save yourself from unexpected high bills by paying the flat monthly fee for unlimited text messaging.

12. Use online classifieds to buy used items. Sites like CraigsList.org and Kijiji.com are superb resources for finding everything you need, from vintage furniture to baby gear. By buying from local sellers, you can save on shipping costs too.

13. Go to matinees. The matinee showing is frequently more reasonably-priced than peak-time showings.

14. Install Power Planners (see www.energycsi.com/energysmart) to lower the power usage of your electrical appliances.

15. For your next date, have a romantic picnic instead of going to a high-end restaurant. Pack a blanket and a cooler full of your favorite foods and you’ve got yourself an inexpensive rendezvous. Spice it up a little with a bottle of wine.

16. Instead of buying software, look for (legal) free software from places like Download.com and SourceForge.net. Depending on how you use a given type of application, the free alternatives will often be just as good as the commercial versions.

17. If anybody in your house is a student, get the Student Price Card from SPCLive.com. It’s only $8.50 and it will get the holder 10% to 15% off in scores of participating stores.

18. Control your thermostat. Using a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature will reduce energy usage when you’re sleeping and away from the house. Prices range from $30 to $120, but you’ll reduce your bill by 10% to 20%.

19. Consider leaving your health club. More economical options might include a gym at your work, in your building or community, or at a nearby parks and rec. center.

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