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...

<p>As if skimpy interest rates and long teller lines weren't enough, now beleaguered bank customers have another indignity to contend with -- broken pens.</p> <p>According to a survey in the banking meccas of New York and San Francisco, banks treat their customers poorly when it comes to meeting the simplest needs -- such as providing clean and well-maintained check-writing desks with pens that actually work.</p>