artofthecoupon.com

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Although frugality is becoming a bit more common, what with the Economic Collapse of the entire U.S., there is still a large camp of people who think that it is strange to be extremely frugal.  There are people who look down on coupon-cutters (my most hated CVS cashier included) and those who will make comments about driving really old cars or shopping at thrift stores, or some of the other tactics that allow us to cut our budget.  Even one of my own relatives has come right out and said that he thinks me and DF are ‘weird’ about money.  And, quite frankly, I am very proud to be weird! Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, I made homemade pasta from scratch.  It was delicious and I used an extremely simple recipe from All Recipes that had four ingredients in it.  It did not take me very long, and it got me to thinking about how many simple things in life we don’t do, that cost us money.  Our society has become very focused on ‘convenience’.  We have Campbells Soup at Hand cups and bagged cookie mixes and drive-thru’s, and instant oven cleaners, and all sorts of products designed to ’simplify’ our lives.  But, are these things really making our lives better or are they costing us money and possibly making us less healthy and happy overall?   Read the rest of this entry »

What would you spend on, and what would you continue to be frugal on?  Would you invest it all and keep living just as you do, or would you earmark a small portion to buy that thing you always wanted?  Unfortunately, a million dollars doesn’t go quite as far as it used to, but it definitely is still an astronomical sum of funds and it sure is fun to think about what would happen if I suddenly won Deal or No Deal and had the big wad of cash lying around. Read the rest of this entry »

Tis the time of the month for the spending & income roundup.  We did pretty good, income wise, again this month.  However, we also spent a fair bit more than I would have liked us to.  We bought a new vacuum, for example.  And we don’t like to buy ‘cheap’ things that will have to be replaced, so we went all out & bought a Dyson (we split the cost with a relative that we live with, and we LOVE the vacuum).  We also had some other expenses this month that were higher than usual.  Check it out & tell me what you think- any suggestions?  Read the rest of this entry »

The Twelve Days of Christmas have gotten pretty expensive this year.  So, I’ve compiled my own list of the twelve days of Christmas- twelve things you can and should do this Christmas season to save yourself a little green at what tends to be a time of year when a lot of peoples budgets go into the red.   Read the rest of this entry »

My name is Coupon Artist and I am a deal-a-holic.  I am addicted to getting a good deal.  Sometimes, I lose sight of a bit of common sense, when it comes to getting things cheap or free.  Do you suffer from the same affliction?  Here are ten signs that you do: Read the rest of this entry »

Inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poem The Debt, Talk About Debt held a contest a little while back to find this centuries Debt Poem.  Although I’m a little late to enter the contest, I was inspired by reading some of the many great entries over there, and so I decided to write my own little ode- A Law Students Lament.  I hope you enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

The retailers are praying that you are, to help salvage what may be a dismal Christmas season due to the current economic crisis.  However, is it really in your best interest to hit the streets at 5 AM to score the amazing deals that stores are touting?   Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Thanksgiving One and All.  Today is a day to think about gratitude- to stop focusing on all the things we want and need, and to take a minute to look around at all we have. So, on your blog, in the comments, or even just  around your dinner table today I ask you to list the 5 things you are thankful for.  As you do, make a note about how few of them are silly material possessions (unless of course you are thankful for your iphone… I won’t judge, but I’d be surprised if that is on too many people’s top 5 list, although I suppose it might make some people’s top 10 ) Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas is supposed to be a time for celebrating the Birth of Christ (if you believe in such things).  At the very least, it is supposed to be a time that we spend with our friends and family, sharing good memories and letting each other know that we are loved and appreciated.  But, all too often, Christmas becomes something else entirely.  It becomes a time to overspend, to fight in the aisles to get the latest must have toy, to trample each other to get the Early Bird Special on Black Friday so we can add yet another useless gadget to our already overcrowded homes.  And, it becomes a time when we charge, charge, charge on our cards to allow us to maintain extravagance.  In other words, we are a long way from the manger.   Read the rest of this entry »