ABC News has this report: How to help unemployed friends.

A snippet:

Workplace specialists caution that friends should avoid general offers such as, “If you need anything, I’m here.” They should also not act like surrogate head hunters or psychotherapists.

“Avoid the temptation to interrogate and find out the missing pieces because you are curious,” says Debbie Mandel, a radio host in New York. She notes that unrealistic cheerfulness can be grating, but encourages friends to offer fun and humor. “Suggest an enjoyable activity you can do together. And don’t feel guilty that you are still working.”

While the story focuses on how to help your friend with job searching, another way you can help is in figuring out how to get by financially in the meantime.

Now, this can be an even trickier situation because people generally do not like to be told what to do with their finances. Saving money is also not a “one size fits all” scenario – a tip that works easily for one family may not be practical or possible in another family’s circumstances.

You could start the conversation by asking “What are some of the things you are doing to cut back on expenses?” Or tell your friend, “I’m quite good at (name your favorite frugal trick) and it has saved my family quite a bit of money. Let me know if you’d like some how-to lessons.”

And here is a non-confrontational approach: if you keep in contact with friends via facebook or other social networking sites, post your favorite frugal living sites, links and blogs on your profile pages. The unemployed friends just might be curious enough to check out those resources.