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Today’s news is certainly gloomy, with talks of unemployment, decreasing home values, family business closures and low consumer confidence. Americans are tuning in to shows like Suze Orman, Mad Money and the Clark Howard Show for advice and money saving tips that can help them weather the storm. The silver lining is that there are many areas to save and these strategies will help big spenders get ahead when their situations improve too.

“Getting organized” tops the list of money saving tips because, without organization, you can’t get anywhere. Many consumers end up paying late fees, reactivation charges, interest and penalties all because they missed a due date when their papers got shuffled into a pile. Not surprisingly, “Getting Organized” was right up there with “Losing Weight” for Top New Year’s Resolutions in 2009. A quick stop at Office Depot to buy a $30 filing cabinet is a great way to get started. You might want to have hanging files of different bills (credit card, car loan, taxes, utilities, mortgage, etc) and you might want to demarcate a section for “unpaid bills.” Next, invest in accounting software like Myelopes, Quicken or Microsoft Money. Why test out your amateur mathematician skills when you can use a computer’s expert accuracy every time to ensure no mistakes are made on your annual budget? You’ll find all your financial information is neatly filed and printable for your convenience. These programs can even remind you to pay bills, allow you to check your finances online, track your purchases and lets you know how much you have left to spend in each category based on the initial budget you set up!

The next batch of money saving tips revolves around saving. This realm is much easier said than done and it requires a bit of honesty to proceed. While you may say, “I don’t spend that much going out,” you might need to crunch those numbers to be sure. Even though you feel you “deserve” that dinner out, you’ve got to be realistic about how many times a month you can afford that sort of luxury. Look at your habits. Are you getting enough hours at work? Could your wage be higher? Are you saddled with credit card debt? Are you paying over 38% of your income on your living space? Are your utilities bills higher than your neighbors’? Are you a compulsive shopper or fast food junkie? Do you spend lavishly on your lover, even when you really don’t have the money? Look out for these trouble areas.

Following these money saving tips, and especially during the current recession, may feel like a culture shock at first. You might instinctively want to rebel against the plan the moment it’s written. The best way to adhere to your plan is to leave in some allowances for fun. Instead of seeing the $10 movies, you can opt for the $1.50 cheap shows, for instance. Or you can dine out once a week — but at lunch time, instead of dinner time. After a while, you’ll find that saving money can be quite liberating, actually. As former US President Calvin Coolidge once said, “There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence so important as living within your means.”

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As layoffs mount, the number of small business start-ups is on the rise too. According to research by Rob Fairlie, professor of economics and finance at the University of California at Santa Cruz (on behalf of the Kauffman Foundation), an average of 3.4 million new businesses were launched on average in the U.S. each year between 1996 and 2006. In 2007, that number jumped to 3.9 million. While 2008 figures haven’t been released, even more new entrepreneurs seem to be taking the plunge. “I have absolutely seen an uptick in the number of people who are attempting to start businesses of their own since the start of this recession,” says Janet Siegenthaler, a start-up consultant based in Fairfield, Conn. Before you liquidate your 401(k), check what these 10 recession-born entrepreneurs–many of whom have not yet posted a profit–had to say about starting businesses in the last 18 grueling months.

Sometimes it’s hard to predict where you’ll find your niche, so it’s a good idea to create a small business startup that encompasses a couple of different areas. For example, Dan Wiley, a 48-year-old first time entrepreneur, started a Los Angeles based firm that provides a range of services from public relations and advertising to branding and internet design. “I never expected we would be doing as much website designing as we have been, and that so few customers would be looking for our public relations services,” Wiley admits. His advice to aspiring innovators is to save up a year’s worth of operating capital to cushion the blow, should things not work out as anticipated.

It can be difficult to start a small business during a recession, when consumers are trying to cut corners. In August of 2008, three friends — Jonathan Miller (28), Maria Sutanto (27), and Jonathan Kelley (27) launched “Element Bars,” custom energy bars with just $50,000 in combined savings. “We’re on the wrong side of customers who are trying to trade down,” says Miller. “To combat tightening wallets, we’re trying to do more marketing with coupons.” He advises to start small and test the demand for your product, leaving yourself room to grow, rather than trying to immediately manage a multi-million-dollar headache.

Most small business startup tips seem to center on finances. Taylor Spellman, a 25-year-old who began a NY interior design shop, admitted that his vision was not fortuitously timed. Just as he was pitching to young professionals in the finance industry, “many of them lost their jobs, or never got those bonuses,” Spellman explains. As a result, he had to cut his fees from $100 down to $50. “Be sure to have some money in the bank as a cushion,” he advises. “If you’re not willing to go into debt, this probably isn’t the right time to start your own business.” Perhaps this is the cautionary tale many eager entrepreneurs skip over with their market plans. With 3/5 of small businesses failing within the first few years, the statistics certainly aren’t in your favor; but with enough capital and enough patience, you can still realize your dreams.

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