Web Wealth: It's cool to be frugal

Tightwad, me? An article from Knowledge@Wharton, at the University of Pennsylvania's business school, asserts that "Men are bigger tightwads than women; younger people are more likely to be spendthrifts than older people; and the more educated a person is, the more likely he or she is to be a tightwad." Follow a link to the "spendthrift-tightwad scale," to see where you fit.

go.philly.com/frugal1

Frugal life. It isn't easy being cheap. But when saving money becomes a priority, there are plenty of ways to do it. Fix your own car. Install a corn-burning stove. Hold a garage sale. Nobody's saying a recession is supposed to be fun. Make sure of it at this site.

Dollar store. This blog post says you know you're cheap when you hold an internal debate over dollar-store purchases. Look for the link to "recession-proof your marriage," a list of articles on money management and communication. Neglect this, and you'll be looking for ways to recession-proof your divorce.

go.philly.com/frugal2

Suddenly frugal. We checked in here before the holidays only to discover it was National Regifting Day, which warmed our cheap heart, but did not play well among the loved ones at home.

Contact staff writer Reid Kanaley at 215-854-5114 or rkanaley@phillynews.com.