Why is my available hard disk space disappearing?

Hi,
Occasionally my hard disk space will start disappearing for no apparent (to me) reason.  I'll have 15 gigs of available hard disk space that will disappear, and I'll get messages that I'm running out of disk space, interfering with what I'm doing.
After I restart my computer, it seems to reset, but I would like to stop it altogether (as, obviously, it's not always convenient to restart my computer in the middle of tasks.)
I tried Disk Utility, but it didn't find anything.  Are there any other legit programs I should use to solve this and other general issues?
Or is it something I could fix myself (with only basic computer knowledge)?
Thanks!
L

1. Empty Trash.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10677
2. Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Hold the option key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.
    Select "Library" from the dropdown.
    Library > Mail > V2 > Mailboxes
    Delete "Recovered Messages", if any.
    Empty Trash. Restart.
3. Repair Disk
    Steps 1 through 7
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH5836
4. For more on this and very helpful tips:
    http://pondini.org/OSX/DiskSpace.html
    http://pondini.org/OSX/LionStorage.html

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