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Helicopter Ride Ed and his wife, Norma, go to the state fair every year, And every year Ed would say, " Norma, I'd like to ride in that helicopter " Norma always replied, " I know, Ed , but that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, And fifty bucks is fifty bucks! " One year Ed and Norma went to the fair, and Ed said, " Norma, I'm 75 years old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance" To this, Norma replied, " Ed, that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks"...

One of the many reasons I love frugality–beyond, you know, the money it saves me and the financial independence it brought me–is the fact that its application in my life has made me a more environmentally conscious person. I’ve always respected natural resources, been a fan of mother nature, and loved the outdoors, but it wasn’t until I became a frugal weirdo that I began living a holistically environmental life. I’ll say right now that I know there’s more I could do in the arena of environmentalism–deeper changes I could make and countless ways I could further reduce my carbon...

A 30-year-old man who has paid off his mortgage in three years has drawn not the admiration but the ire of the Internet. Sean Cooper, a financial writer and pension analyst, worked three jobs and lived the life of a cheapskate for years while paying down the $255,000 mortgage on his $425,000 bungalow in Toronto, Canada. Cooper was emotionally scarred after seeing his single mom almost lose their childhood home after she became unemployed in the aftermath of the dotcom crash in the early 2000s. 'I didn't want to be in that situation. I saw how tough it was on...

I have a client I'll call Linda Loaded. When making coffee, she is so frugal that she puts less coffee into the coffeemaker than she should and compensates by, when the coffee is ready, squeezing the filter with the hot grounds in her hand to get the concentrated coffee into her cup, incurring a bit of pain. To save a few pennies. She is worth $10 million dollars. Not surprisingly, I asked her why she does it. LL: Being not wasteful is core to who I am, why I'm worth $10 million, and why I'm able to live a life...

What are some of your favorite frugal tips? I'm looking for more ways to save money (can you guess why?) and I already do most of the things Yahoo's frugal experts suggest. I already comparison shop, pack my own lunch, buying generic, and plant a garden. What are some of your frugal secrets?

When it comes to ways to save money, ideas abound. You can try old standbys like limiting your cable TV and cell phone plans, or clipping grocery coupons. But for an even greater dent, look for items you can get for free - that's right, no cost. There are actually many valuable, necessary goods and services available gratis, but you have to know where and when to pounce. Here are several you might not have been aware of: 1. Batteries. Batteries can take a significant bite out of your checking account year-round, but especially during the holiday gift-giving season. However,...

As Congress and the president try to strike a deal to cut spending and raise the debt ceiling, one Republican Senator tells ABC News that prospects look bleak. “Right now I’m very worried,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told ABC News “Subway Series.” “If I were a betting man, I’d bet no [deal].” (snip) Senator Graham said Republicans should be willing to accept a deal that curbs entitlement spending and increases tax revenues by closing loopholes. (snip) The obvious solution, Graham said, is for Republicans to give some ground on taxes and for Democrats to give some ground on entitlements. But...

John McMonigle claims to be the world's number one real estate agent. With $2.5 billion in residential sales over the past six years, this 46-year-old realtor may well have been. And now he's declaring bankruptcy. According to the Orange County Register, McMonigle has amassed $50 million in debt, even after selling his luxurious Newport Beach condo, his car and personal effects. The Oklahoma native started small, arriving in California with only $73 in his pocket in 1989. But within four years he was grossing $100,000 a year. McMonigle's ascension through the ranks of top realtors reached dizzying heights during the...

1. Analyze your expenses. Budget your money. Find out where it's coming from and, more importantly, where it's going. This can be a very surprising and enlightening exercise for many people. 2. Find where you spend the most money on a monthly basis. The top two or three items are where you need to do the most work. 3. Is rent your biggest expense? If so, consider moving to a cheaper place. Consider getting a roommate to split the costs of living. Consider moving back in with your parents or guardians. Offer services (e.g. looking after a relative) in exchange...

What if I were to offer you $10 for every 54 cents you give me. Even better, to sweeten the deal for you, I would kick in 30 bucks worth of stuff for FREE. Sounds like a fantasy. Too good to be true, right? Well, guess again because that is EXACTLY what I did today many times over.

I'm kicking off the New Year with a new blog. The main purpose of "The Coupon Whisperer" won't be to provide hot coupon tips, although I will be doing that. The primary purpose of this blog is to provide you with entertaining "war stories" from the field. Think of it as adventures in couponing. And so we start of with our first story...the strange story of Coupon Mike...I met Coupon Mike earlier this year at his job when I was introduced to him by a mutual friend, who worked at the same place, because of our common interest in...

While reading another thread I noticed someone speaking of how they were able to spend $400 per month to feed their small family very well. So, I had an idea of asking how everyone budgets for groceries,

Economides clan defend buying aging meat and other frugal strategies As the American economy sputters and families continue to struggle mightily just to keep their heads above water, the Economides family of Arizona believe they provide a model for how to not just survive, but thrive on a tight budget. Eschewing credit cards, car loans and home equity borrowing, the clan of seven stay solvent and then some on just $44,000 a year — and that includes owning a home in the pricey Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale. Mind you, they eat nutritious meals and their children are decked out in...

If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used. 1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - When he takes to the campaign trail, Jerry Brown is fond of reminding voters that he shunned the governor's mansion in Sacramento in favor of a rented apartment during his first tour in the executive office and lived in a downtown loft in Oakland while he was mayor of the crime-ridden city. The stories are part of a campaign narrative of frugality. The Democratic nominee wants voters to remember that when they consider whether to send him back to the governor's office as California faces a $19 billion budget deficit, an unemployment rate above 12 percent...

Before the economy imploded, cheapskates were considered a pitiful bunch -- frumpy coupon moms racing across town to save 19 cents on baby wipes, joyless penny-pinchers subsisting on ramen noodles. Meanwhile, the cool kids were starting wine collections and equipping their homes with plasma TVs and stainless-steel kitchen appliances. Then, in the drop of a Dow Jones average, frugality suddenly became fashionable, and all those still-unpaid-for off-road vehicles and granite countertops became symbols of foolishness and excess, rather than success. Lifestyle sections brimmed with redemptive stories of former mortgage brokers/derivatives traders/entertainment publicists who had suddenly discovered the humble joys of...

Even as the economic recovery plods ahead, many American consumers are refusing to come along. They're not spending freely -- and they have no plans to. Many of them have steady income. They aren't saddled by high debts. They don't fear losing their jobs. Yet despite recent gains, they've lost so much household wealth that they're far more cautious about spending than before the recession.

Even as the economic recovery plods ahead, many American consumers are refusing to come along. They're not spending freely -- and they have no plans to. Many of them have steady income. They aren't saddled by high debts. They don't fear losing their jobs. Yet despite recent gains, they've lost so much household wealth that they're far more cautious about spending than before the recession. Their behavior suggests that the Great Recession may have bred a new frugality that will endure well into the recovery. And because consumers fuel about 70 percent of the economy, their tightfisted habits means the...

Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15) Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years. To us, Suelo probably sounds...

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...