I'm not truly tight, stingy, or a Scrooge, mind you. I tip 20% in restaurants and beauty shops and remember the postman and newspaper carrier at Christmas time. I am able to pass out my largesse because I am FRUGAL!

        Take postage stamps, for instance. You'd be surprised at how many 37¢ stamps on received mail have escaped being cancelled! And the stamps on envelopes that you've messed up? They can all be soaked off with extreme care and reused. You may save yourself a buck or two a year!

        Ziplock bags don't wear out after one use, you know, despite what men think. Wash them in soapy water and turn them wrong side out so they will stand up to drip dry! Aluminum foil is reusable forever until you hold a piece up to the light and see holes in it! Put it in the dishwasher. You've saved another $5!

        Those fancy expensive yard bags fill up in a hurry. I reuse softener salt bags, dog food bags, mulch bags, anything big enough to hold weeds. My trash is a constant puzzle to Waste Management. There's another $5!

        My yard lights are set to go off at 10 P.M. I figure my company should have left by then and the neighbors should be home, too. Electricity doesn't cost that much, but maybe I've saved $1 a year.

        The great experiment in cutting off the "bad" legs of two pair of panty hose and donning both pair to have two good legs was the ultimate disaster, however. Do not attempt this, ladies, unless you enjoy walking bowlegged!

        I am a firm believer in owning lots of clothes, especially underwear. Run your appliances only with a full load and you save on water, electricity, gas, soap, wear and tear on appliances, and, best of all, your physical energy! Perhaps the cost of a bulging closet doesn't actually SAVE any money, but shopping is a lot more fun than doing laundry.

        I economize on furniture polish and Windex by having invited guests only after dark and burning 40W light bulbs. Friends know to wear tweed because dog hair won't show. Great labor~saving schemes, eh what?

        I have perfected the practice of conning friends, neighbors, and relatives into helping me save money, too. Buy One/Get One Free is great, but I don't WANT two of something! I sell the extra at half price and I've saved 50% off the regular price! (Isn't it fortunate that I never gave birth to twins?)

        I'm big on free shipping if the order is over a certain amount. If I can't find a buyer for the extra merchandise that I bought to qualify for the freebie, then I jack up the price and put my excess treasure in a friend's booth at a local antique/collectible/junk mall. ( I do, however, have 12 suet cakes in my freezer that I'm holding on to!)

        And now you know how I'm able to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. (Eat your heart out, Robin Leach!)