Frugal living isn't being cheap

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...

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List: 20 Cheapest Cars of 2010

Welcome to the Golden Era of budget cars. Think about it — at one time a small budget meant buying a small car with limited equipment and even more limited style. Things are different now. Not only do inexpensive cars come decently equipped but some are even considered cool. Prices are MSRP (sticker price) plus destination charge. View List of the 20 Cheapest Cars of 2010...

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I Was Banned For Not Tipping

Every Tuesday I go to Murphy's Taproom in Manchester to hang out with a bunch of liberty-oriented people. This is a famous event among Free-staters. About 40-60 people gather weekly for about 4 hours and eat and drink and are merry. I'm no longer allowed to go there, because I don't tip. I've written some of my thoughts about tipping in the past, and have since fleshed out my position in my mind, so I won't focus here on the reasons to tip or not to tip. Here, I want to merely explain what happened tonight. About 6 weeks ago,...

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Michelle Obama to star in reality show

She is known for her unconventional choices and now US first lady Michelle Obama is setting another precedent by the first presidential wife to appear on a reality TV series. The First Lady will make a guest appearance on the popular series 'Iron Chef America' which features British cook Nigella Lawson as a judge, reported Daily Mail online. The episode of the popular series, which pits well-known chefs against each others, has been filmed at the White House and will be aired in the New Year. Many of the ingredients for the meals prepared in the show were chosen from...

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