High gas prices, job losses, and now, the costs of dealing with storm damage and floods.

How do you get through these tough financial times?

The TODAY'S TMJ4 Call For Action office has tips on how you can make a few bucks, cut back, and find alternatives during a financial crisis.

• Salvage, recycle, and sell what you can

• Cut out the things that you don’t need

• Look for less expensive options on things that you can’t cut out like insurance, medicine, food and utilities.

Start by:

• Looking for items like books and DVDs, clothing, or furniture, that is in good shape, and sell these at a rummage sale, resale shops, or on an on-line auction.

• Look around for recyclables that you may have, such as aluminum cans, print cartridges and jewelry. The prices paid for some of these items can be a lot higher than what you thought.

Also, sit back for a moment and think of the things that you buy or pay for that you can do without, such as premium services on your cell phone, cable, or buying lunch, snacks and coffee every day.

You can still keep your cell phone, cable and a good cup of coffee, but you would be amazed how much you can save by bringing lunch, snacks, or coffee with you a few days a week. Cutting extra services can also save you a bundle.

However, there are some things that you should not do without. A lot of people make the mistake of lapsing insurance or doing without their medicine. If you go without insurance or your medicine, and have a disaster or a health crisis, your financial and health situation will be far worse.

Instead, look for ways that you can save by:

• Shopping around for the same or comparable coverage at a lower cost

• Ask about generic drugs, discounts and shop around for prescription drugs

• Consider increasing your deductibles to save on car, home and health insurance premiums

Whether selling or cutting back, make sure that you:

• Obey all laws and watch out for those who may break laws to catch you at a vulnerable time. Don’t fall for any scams that ask you to wire money or offers that seem too good to be true.

• Read all of the fine print and ask questions about how making changes might affect you

• Know who you are dealing with before you buy or sell. A lot of people get scammed by buyers and sellers who are out of state or out of the country.