Bring out your inner skinflint

Money is tight these days, and most of us appreciate whatever advice we can get on saving. Our resident penny pincher, Anthony Giorgianni, shares one of his recent money-saving moves.

I recently decided to upgrade to the expanded-function "pro" version of one my favorite freeware computer programs, RoboForm, a handy and high-rated password manager and Web form filler. Just as I was about to pay $29.95 at the "checkout," the wise shopper (make that "skinflint") in me took over. In a new browser window, I Googled "Roboform coupon." Right near the top of my search results was an online coupon for 20 percent off. I pasted the coupon code into the checkout page and got an instant $6 savings.

The lesson? Don't even think of shopping online (and maybe elsewhere) without searching thoroughly for an online discount coupon. You'll likely find that a simple Web search works best, though here are just a few of the many Web sites that offer free coupons and coupon codes: couponchief.com, couponcabin.com, fatwallet.com, retailmenot.com, and ultimatecoupons.com. Who knows how much the skinflint in you can save?