Free Republic

Frugality. That's been the buzzword of the Great Recession.   Sliding home values, stumbling stock portfolios and a shaky job market brought with them a consciousness about spending that many of us misplaced during years of consumer overindulgence. Americans responded to the crisis by buying less, clipping coupons more and increasing savings to 4.8 percent of disposable income in December, up from near zero before the recession.   In the past year, blogs about frugality went viral. Everyone from Oprah to President Obama joined the frugality parade.   Now a new term is marching through the blogosphere: Frugality fatigue. But...

I offer here a list of spots you mught use to arm yourself and your family against current economic pressures. Please feel free. I don't work for any of these places. I just think things may tighten up before they loosen up, and would like to have a discussion aimed at helping people out.

After a two-year hiatus, I've brought back my Penny Pincher of the Year contest. The number of frugal folks and the lengths they go to to save money amazed even me. I received hundreds of entries from all over the country, from the tried and true (reusing plastic bags) to the disgusting (bathing in someone else's used bath water is just not right, and it's not sanitary) to knee-slap funny (sisters a year apart sharing the same high school ring). But I just love penny-pinching people. And believe me, I'm right there with them. In fact, my friends and family...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Gov. Mark Sanford said he might shut down the Governor's Mansion for four months because most of the mansion's budget was spent before his predecessor, Jim Hodges, left office last month. Sanford said that he will either have to close the mansion until June 30 or raise private money to cover operating costs like utiltity bills, food and salaries for the 11 employees. If the mansion is closed, Sanford's family would continue to live in the private quarters but wouldn't have a staff and would cook their own meals. Hodges left office Jan. 15 to work for...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. NORCROSS, Ga. -- CheckFree Corp., which provides electronic payment services, said Tuesday it will consolidate some operations and eliminate 450 positions, or 13 percent of its work force, by this summer. CheckFree will close its Texas offices in Austin and Houston, putting about 150 people out of work. The company will manage its electronic commerce business from offices in suburban Atlanta; suburban Chicago; Dublin, Ohio; and Phoenix. About 150 more positions will be sliced at those offices. CheckFree also will close its software division offices in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Singapore,...