Whether you are an employer, an employee, or just between jobs, it is my opinion that in this economic environment most of us are looking for ways to stretch a dollar. I have come up with a few you may not have heard about.

• Save on electricity with power backup. If you don’t want to spend the big bucks to get completely off the grid, you can beat part of the rising cost of electricity with a new in-home solar electricity generator. Ideal for our climate. This unit is so small, you can move it from room to room. No moving parts, it produces no exhaust or noise. You could safely put it in your bedroom. It will produce 1,800 watts of electricity and is truly plug and play. Just put the solar panels where they can collect sunlight, and you’re in business. Figure to pay about $1,500. There may be state and federal tax benefits available. I calculated even without the tax breaks, you could break even in about a year. Warrantees: Panels for 20 years, battery for 10 and the charger for one year. Check out www.mysolarbackup.com or call them in the western Illinois town of Thomson at (815) 259-4552.

• Vacation worldwide for almost nothing. There are time-share properties all over the world. Most of them are desperate for business right now. They want you to make a short visit and tolerate their sales pitch. They want you so much they will pay most or all of your expenses including air fare if you will just come. I spent a delightful weekend in Spain a few years ago for $200, expenses and air fare included. Who knows? You might even buy one. The availability of these deals is constantly changing. Check them out by searching “time shares” online.

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• Special arrangements for hotel rooms. To get the best rate or to get any room at all when they are “fully booked,” do not make hotel reservations through a chain’s toll-free 800-number. You’re better off calling the hotel directly. Try to get a manager. For a room for tonight, try booking at 6 p.m. when they release the rooms of the no-shows. They will be highly motivated to rent those rooms. Always ask for a discount. Are you a member of anything, AAA, AARP, State Bar, Hair Club for Men, plumber’s union? Any one of those will probably get you a discount. In fact, when rooms are plentiful, almost any cock-and-bull story will get you a discount. Are you affiliated with any government office on any level? Ask for the government rate. Tell them their government rate exceeds your per diem and tell them how much you are allowed to pay.

Even when a hotel is sold out, it has rooms held back for perhaps minor repairs. You can usually get one if you ask for it. I managed to get a suite in a sold-out hotel in Luxembourg once. An Arab prince had reserved the suite for the next night so they were holding it for him. I needed two nights. But the hotel agreed to rent me the suite for one night only at the rate for a single. It was great. The second night I slept in a broom closet for free. Sometimes you have to be flexible.

• Travel in an RV for half price. There is a company that specializes in moving recreational vehicles around the country. If you are willing to drive a colossus from where it is to where it has to go, you can get the trip for just a few dollars a day. While you need a special driver’s license to drive a motorcycle, you don’t need a special license to drive a big RV. Figure to use the vehicle for about five days. Check out Cruiseamerica.com, click on “hot rentals” and then one-way specials. Last week, they had five vehicles — two from Los Angeles, two from San Francisco and one from Las Vegas — they wanted back in Phoenix. (520) 293-7076.

• Phone calls cheaper than cheap. If you watch late-night TV you have no doubt heard about magicJack. If you have broadband Internet access, this gizmo plugs into your computer and connects to your phone to give you unlimited calls in the United States or Canada for a $20 annual fee. Other international calls can be made for prices as low as 2 cents per minute. The device costs $19.95 and can be found in places including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy. Their website is www.magicjack.com.

Contact Lionel Waxman at territorial@waxmanmedia.com or visit his website: www.newflashpoint.com.