From Divine Caroline: The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

And while, like most things on ebay, the items in the Ebay Food section are not necessarily cheap, it *can* be a good place to pick up cheap bulk products. Remember to keep an eye on expiration dates and factor the cost of shipping into your purchase. As always, it's good to know the retail cost of an item before you bid on it - don't be fooled by fake "bargains"!

In addition to those posted on Thanksgiving, there's the tried-and-true coupons.com,, the coupon cupboard, and Mr. Deal Finder, for starters.

Here's an interesting charity site. Donors Choose asks you to donate money for school supplies to American public schools in need. The twist? Unlike many other charities, DC is set up to encourage earmarking funds. You can donate money towards a very specific object - a computer for a classroom in NYC, for example. It's a very interesting idea.

Here are some coupon sites to chew on: http://www.retailmenot.com/, http://www.fatwallet.com/, and http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/.

Enjoy!

Prosper.com  turns loans into a social networking affair, allowing you to get help from friends and/or total strangers or lend money yourself. It's an interesting twist on investing, for those who want to get in on the bank's game.

You probably already know Freecycle, but it's worth a reminder.

I'd add the caveat that using Freecycle means 1) being prepared to wade through a lot of emails, so you may not want to sign it up to your regular email account and 2) I find it more useful if you have a car (and can thus go and pick up awesome stuff.)

Obama's economic plan: say yes to job creation!

Do you have money to invest? Then avoid these bad bargains.

Do you like Zappos? Then let me introduce you to my friend, 6pm.com. It's Zappos' secret discount store, selling shoes for as much as 75% off. You can get similar prices at places like TJ Macs, but you can't get as good a selection.  So if you have interview shoes to buy, or Xmas presents to get, check them out.

That said, remember Recessionista Maxim #1: There's need-need and then there's like-to-need. If you don't need it, don't buy it!

I've been a recessionista for years now without realizing it. As a grad student surviving on a truly sad stipend (hello poverty line!) I've had to make do with less than $20,000 a year for a looong time. Luckily (?), that means that when the economy is in the crapper, I've got plenty of recessionista skillz to carry me through!

Got tips for saving money? Found some good deals online? Want to vent? Go ahead! You are not alone.