It's easy to come across loose change in spots like under couch cushions and in your car. You'll find that saving money works the same way. Here are some everyday places and simple ways to help you set money aside:

• Be a star – With products given ENERGY STAR® ratings by the government, you'll see more green (by saving on energy costs) and be more green, too–helping the country decrease its energy dependency. Look for ENERGY STAR washers, dryers, refrigerators and water heaters. Now that summer's over, it's a great time of year to find deals on room air conditioners. Check out the latest windows, too–the government estimates that replacing single-pane windows with new ENERGY STAR windows could save you $126-$465 a year.
• It's electric – Turn off power strips and unplug electronics when not in use, especially those connected to rechargers (cell phones anyone?). The government estimates U.S. households spend up to 20% of their home consumption on "standby" power.
• Here comes the sun – Having a solar energy system installed can add $8,000-$16,000 to your home's value and save you $800/year in energy costs.
• Grocery savings are not out of reach – The highest-markup items in stores are right about chest high. Reach a little higher or lower to find the bargains. Use coupons, too–many are available on manufacturer's sites and on third-party websites.
• Click and save – Speaking of the Internet, there are websites where you can find codes to get free shipping on a wide range of products. Some sites will also monitor the latest specials from stores and send you an alert when items you're looking for are on sale.
• Insurance – Consider linking home and auto policies–it's cheaper for companies to sell more than one type of insurance to each customer than to find new customers, so you might save up to 15 percent.

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If you're like most people, your home is your most valuable asset. Owning one can also be a big advantage at tax time. Here are some possible tax-saving areas:

• Don't lose interest – Deducting the interest paid on your mortgage is the biggest house-related tax break you can take. If you've just bought the home, you may also be able to deduct the points you paid on the mortgage. Or if you refinanced your loan, you may deduct a certain portion of the points for each year you're repaying the loan. Check with your tax advisor for qualification.
• Make your getaway – If you rent out your second home, you can deduct its mortgage interest if you use the home for vacation or other personal purposes at least 14 days a year or 10 percent of the time it was rented, whichever time length is greater.
• Improve yourself – Home additions, improvements and repairs may qualify for a nice deduction (save any receipts and bills).
• The powers of deduction – Selling your home? You probably can't deduct a loss from your taxes; however any gain (a capital gain) may qualify. Up to $250,000 ($500,000 on married, joint returns) of any capital gain on the sale of a primary residence may be deducted on your federal income tax. But you do need to have used the home as your primary residence for two out of the five years prior to the sale, and you can only take such a deduction once every two years.
• Get moving – If you must relocate because of your job (at least 50 miles away), you may qualify for a moving deduction. But don't forget to save all your move-related receipts.
• Damage control – Any damage from a flood, earthquake, tornado, hurricane or other sudden, unusual or unexpected loss not covered by insurance may qualify for a casualty loss tax deduction. Again, hold onto any paperwork documenting the loss and check with your tax advisor.

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