The recession was a shock to everyone's systems, and as a result, more people have picked up frugal habits. According to a New York Times article, consumers have stuck with those thrifty ways post-recession. One of the bigger saving trends is extending the life of products. For example, people are taking longer to upgrade cars and gadgets like phones and laptops; even daily hygiene products like Read more

With the downturn in the economy, saving and scrimping has become the norm, and lavish spending almost frowned upon. Recent statistics by Coupon.com, show the most frugal cities in America with cities in the South leading the pack. The website measures frugality of the cities through their use of coupons, and on average an Atlanta user cashed in more than $1,000 in 2010. Now that's a lot of Read more

Turns out, millionaires can be cheapskates, too. Edward Wedbush, CEO of Wedbush Inc., a billion-dollar investment firm, is apparently a scrooge. In fact, one of his employees even called him the "cheapest man alive." According to the Los Angeles Times, although Wedbush has a net worth of over hundreds of millions, he still penny pinches by bringing his lunch to work every day, repairing the Read more

After looking at the results of the Are You a Penny-Pincher? quiz, I discovered that SavvySugar readers are smart about their money, but not to the point of penny-pinching. Here are some of the more interesting results:   Maximizing Buffets: A third of you said you skip meals before a buffet to eat more, while 43 percent of you say you never do that. About 23 percent of you say you do it Read more

Many people tend to skip meals before a buffet, just so they can chow down more food. In fact, in a recent Are You a Penny Pincher SavvySugar poll, 39 percent said they skip a meal before a buffet and 20 percent said they do that occasionally. Reader isahrangme disagrees with that mentality and shares her buffet tip: Actually, you're supposed to eat before a buffet! just something small! If you Read more

This post comes from Savvy Community member PoArt in the How Do You Save? group. The pressure associated with trying to impress someone and make sure they have a great time can take the fun out of planning a date. Coming up with a great date idea is difficult enough. Add to it the fact that you want to be frugal while making the date awesome makes it even more difficult. So how do you make Read more

When Oprah featured a group of freegans on her show a couple years back, it didn't seem like a movement with a ton of staying power. After all, wouldn't the novelty of digging through the trash wear off pretty quickly? But according to an in-depth piece in this week's New York Times Magazine, freeganism has become much more than just Dumpster-diving. The article follows a group of people in Read more

According to the results of a survey from financial planning firm First Command Financial Services, the upside to the recession isn't just a renewed focus on financial responsibility, it's an improvement in our health. Indicating that there's an unlikely link between health and frugality, survey respondents "said their frugal behaviors were making them healthier, while another 45 percent said at Read more

You can never have too many books on your reading list, and this suggestion might bring some variety to those you've already cracked open. Former reporter for Reuters and Newsday Lauren Weber just published her book In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue, which focuses on the evolution of thrift, from the Puritans to the freegans. She keeps the text fresh by including Read more

Novelty dates are always popular for people getting hitched. The date 7/07/07 was especially hot because it was a Saturday, but yesterday got its fair share of nuptial attention thanks in part to the 99 Cents Only Store. In honor of 9/09/09, The 99 Cents Only Store chain hosted weddings for nine couples at its Sunset Boulevard branch. The newlyweds paid $0.99 at the register and were then Read more