Frugality. It’s a word that, for many people, screams deprivation and even poverty. I get letters from readers who say they’ve had it with trying to live below their means and never having anything they love. “What’s the point if all of this deprivation if it just makes me feel even more miserable?” was the…

I enjoy discovering secret information—stuff most people don’t know about. And I love spreading the word. For example, my supermarket, like most, offers a rain check if they run out of a product that is on sale. This is really great, in my opinion, because my store’s rain checks have no set expiration date. But…

The most important thing you can do to make your personal economy strong is to have an umbrella—a rainy-day fund with at least enough money to pay all of your bills for at least three months without a paycheck. Call it $10,000. Save 10 Percent of Your Paycheck It may sound like a lot, but…

Secretly, I feel like a genius when I discover a secondary use for this or that—in case I run out of this but have plenty of that. Like using a paper coffee filter to wash a glass top or mirror when I’m in a pinch for paper towels. Or using a paper towel to create…