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Give your babysitter a bonus and see the dentist. “Employees can give themselves an extra raise” by making sure they use up every last dollar sitting in their company health care and dependent care spending accounts, advises William E. Massey, a senior tax analyst at Thomson Reuters. Typically, they have until Dec. 31 to spend the tax-deferred funds or forfeit them, though some employers offer a grace period until March 15 of the following year. Qualified health expenses usually include discretionary items like eyeglasses, dental visits and even over-the-counter medications. Dependent care funds can be used for children or an aging parent who is legally your dependent.

Get a tax credit for buying energy-efficient items like replacement windows, insulation and water heaters. The credit is for 30 percent of the purchase price, up to $1,500, and it’s available through 2010. To make sure your purchase qualifies, check the Department of Energy’s list.

Charitable gifts are tax-deductible, but that’s not much help to those of you who don’t itemize your deductions. In 2009, if you are 70 1/2 or older, you can distribute up to $100,000 directly from your tax-deferred IRA to a charity without paying tax on the distribution. That gift cannot additionally be claimed as a charitable tax deduction, however.

Make extra payments in 2009 for deductible expenses you ordinarily would pay early next year. Good candidates are your estimated state income tax payment, an extra mortgage payment and your property tax bill.

Some expenses are deductible only if they exceed 2 percent of your adjusted gross income. Many tax advisers recommend “bunching” these deductions into every other year, to maximize their benefit. The IRS website has a list of allowed deductions—investment fees and expenses, safe deposit box rental fees, job-related expenses and more. That includes tax planning fees, too, so if you ask your accountant for a quick review of your taxes now, you can write those charges off, too.

Linda Stern is a freelance journalist who writes about taxes and other financial issues. She lives in Maryland.

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