Crash Survival Zone

Everyone wants to save money these days. The economy is struggling, energy costs are still high, retirement accounts have been decimated, so finding ways to stretch your dollar have become more popular than ever. But what are the best ways to save money?

I stumbled across this article by CNN Money that lists the 7 best [...]

In these difficult times, negotiating for a good deal is worth a try

Haggle over the price? Are you kidding? I couldn’t do that, I’d feel foolish.

Does this sound like you? If you want to save money, you’d better get over it. The old art of haggling is making a comeback.

And in this economy many companies, [...]

Hard times are creating economic survivalists such as the Wojtowicz family who are paring expenses by becoming more self-sufficient.
Reviving “almost lost” skills and preparing for tough days make people feel more in control, says Charlotte Richert, consumer sciences educator for Oklahoma State University’s Extension Service in Tulsa County.

Karen Gulliver, MBA program chair at Argosy University [...]

Americans’ spending is down and their personal savings are up — sharply. The savings rate in the United States, which had fallen steadily since the early 1980s, dropped to less than 1 percent in August of 2008. It has since spiked to 5 percent.

“It’s huge,” said Martha Olney, an economics professor at the University of [...]

The current economic slump isn’t just squeezing people’s incomes. It’s also jolting the ways we think about money. Household budgets are tightening up everywhere as people scramble to save cash and guard against hard times. The frantic race to keep up with the Joneses has been put on hold. And as layoff notices and foreclosures [...]

Saving Money, Spending Wisely, and Living Well in Today’s Economy

Everyone wants to make more money, especially in today’s economic climate. But what if I can show you how to spend less, rather than make more? What if you make 10 small changes to your life that boost your spending power by 5 to 10%? That’s [...]

By William Rivers Pitt

It occured to me the other day that everyone has been writing and reporting on what is happening to the economy, why it is happening, who’s to blame, etc…but I haven’t seen anyone write about what it is like to have it happen to you. Thus:

Being broke means knowing about Coinstar machines [...]

Bartering — the trading of goods or services without using cash — is making a comeback in a troubled economy. It can be as simple as trading baby-sitting with another family, or as complex as an exchange with strangers facilitated by one of the several Web sites that have sprung up to connect barterers.

Bartering ads [...]

Amy VanDeventer has always been a cheapskate. The recession is taking her to new extremes.
Before the economy tanked, she was still wearing maternity clothes from her last pregnancy, clipping coupons and using hand-me-downs to dress her daughters, ages 2 and 3. Now, she’s salvaging bagel scraps left on their plates for pizza toppings and cutting [...]

Dozens of money saving ideas at Money Saving Tips archive from US News & World Report