Harder times appear to be on the way, even if lawmakers succeed in unclogging the nation’s credit system. It’s time to look around our homes and do what we can to cut costs, avoid unnecessary repairs and preserve cash.

Normally I would add “cut debt” to the chore list, but I’m not convinced that’s the smartest strategy during this anything-but-normal period. New loans are hard to come by. If you can comfortably manage the payments on existing debt, you may be better off sticking to your regular payment plan and saving the cash that would have gone toward prepayment.

If you’re already struggling under the debt burden, however, put every effort into paying off those loans right away so you could better manage a short spell of unemployment or another hardship.

Here’s a 20-point to-do list that reflects the sort of habits our parents and grandparents developed growing up in the ’30s and ’40s, but which many of us have let slide in this busy, busy era. Fix things now so you won’t have to replace them later. Buy only what you need. Wring every drop of comfort and conviviality from the home you already have.

¢ Take a break from mortgage prepayment. Just in August, I advocated prepaying the mortgage as an alternative to risky stocks. But the money world has changed. Keep your cash where it would be easy to get at – in an FDIC-insured bank account – should trouble arrive at your door.

¢ Consider borrowing from an existing home equity line of credit – but with caution. Let’s say you were planning to tap your equity line to pay a big tuition bill six months from now. With credit availability so uncertain, go ahead and use your equity line, and deposit the cash in the bank.

¢ Add movies to your cable TV plan or sign up for Netflix. Yes – spend more. You have to have some entertainment, and Netflix charges only $17 a month for its three-at-a-time unlimited movie-rental plan. It beats $22 plus popcorn for a couple to visit the local gigaplex just once.

¢ Entertain at home. Take turns with your friends hosting dinners or card games.

¢ Pare overlapping phone services. You might drop the house phone entirely. Or you could cut back to minimal service and rely on your mobile for long distance.

¢ Caulk, repair and paint (or seal) exterior surfaces. A paint brush now avoids a carpenter later.

¢ The latest thing in kitchens: less remodeling, more cooking.

¢ Search and destroy water leaks.

¢ Test the sump pump.

¢ Can the catalogs. Why tempt yourself? Go to www.dmachoice.org to have all catalogs stopped.

¢ Tone down the holiday decorations. Fifty bucks on a fog machine? Not this Halloween. Pare back in December, too.

¢ Count the holiday kilowatts. If you need new holiday lights, choose LED bulbs.

¢ Switch to compact fluorescent bulbs throughout the house.

¢ Boost your homeowners insurance deductible. Raising it to $500 typically cuts a premium by 10 or 15 percent; going to $1,000 could save 25 percent, says the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group.

¢ Shop your insurance. You might save hundreds. Shop auto and homeowners policies because there are substantial multiple-policy discounts.

¢ Tend the fireplace. You closed the flue after the last fire, right?

¢ Trim the trees. Clear tree branches away from the house; they can rip up roofing tiles in a storm – or worse.

¢ Discourage wild critters from homesteading in your attic. Make sure there’s steel mesh covering attic vents.

¢ Get the furnace serviced and sign up for the service contract.

¢ Bulk up window coverings. They keep rooms less drafty and will help keep your sofa and carpets from losing their color.