macbook pro acting slowly

Hi,

im on 10.8.5, i have a macbook pro, 4gb ram, 2.4ghz intel core i5 processor.

I have 122gb space free on the mac HD.

I am finding lately that things are becoming really slow to respond, like opeing itunes takes about 10-15 seconds sometimes, when i open the finder window its blank for about 5 seconds, i get the spinning wheel, then it shows my stuff. Opening safari also, the icon bounces in the dock about 6 times before it opens.

ive done the disk utility thing, verified permissions, repaired permissions etc..

Anyone know what i can do to get it back to acting normal again? its becoming really annoying.

Thanks for any help or advice.