Who’s this Tightwad guy?

Unless you’re richer than Warren Buffett or have been living in a cave for the past six months, you know that times are tough and getting tougher. Saving money is probably a top priority around your house these days, just as it is at mine.

So to help you do that, we’re kicking off a new feature on the Consumer Reports Money Blog today. It’s called “Tightwad Tod,” and will be written – mostly – by me, Tod Marks, for whom the section is named.

Now odds are you don’t know me – we write without bylines at Consumer Reports, after all – but for nearly 20 years I’ve been finding the deals and exposing the scams in every area of your spending, from food to clothes to travel to real estate and more. And that nickname “Tightwad” didn’t come loosely. Even around here, where the place is crawling with deal-finders, I’m known as someone to go to for advice on how to get more for your money every time you shop.

With the launch of Tightwad Tod, we’re kicking that mission into overdrive. Every day, I’ll be posting on the news that affects your pocketbook, sniffing around for great buys, challenging offers that sound too good to be true, and heaping shame on the scams and ripoff artists that abound out there.

I’m also asking for your help. We’re looking for your best tip on how to save money, and also for help in identifying any really bad deals that should be exposed. If you’ve got an idea, please write to me at tightwad at cro.consumer.org. If we publish your tip, or develop a posting from your idea, we’ll send you a nifty “I’m a Tightwad” T-shirt – by the cheapest possible mail, of course – that you can wear to impress your friends or hide away forever, as you choose.

So I hope you’ll join me in spreading the Tightwad message. Remember: Being a Tightwad doesn’t mean you’re a cheapskate. It just means you spend your money wisely, so you don’t get fooled and have more to spend on the things you really want. So please let me know how you’re stretching your dollars, and I’ll pass along the best tips and tricks that we develop here. Together we’ll make it easier for all of us to get through whatever may lie ahead – and hopefully even have some fun along the way!

Comments

[Doug Kammeier]

I tried submitting a reply to tightwad@consumer.org and got it back as non-deliverable.

TOD REPLIES: Good point & our goof! The address should have read tightwad at cro.consumer.org. It's been fixed.

Incidentally, for those who may find the "at" puzzling, We had the email address in there with the usual "@" sign originally, but then realized that publishing it that way would invite endless automated spam. So the address is offered in this form: name at domain.com, which, in this case, is tightwad at cro.consumer.org.

[Kristen at The Frugal Girl]

This seems like it will be an awesome blog. You've been bookmarked.

[CJ]

Hi, I'd like to receive updates in my e-mail. is that possible? Thank you, & I look forward to reading more.

TOD REPLIES: Thanks CJ! I'll have to look into the e-mail question -- not sure. But the best way to get regular updates is to simply subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog. Click the link that says "subscribe to this feed" in the right hand column of the page. You will need to have an RSS reader, however, either as a separate stand-alone program or as part of your browser. I happen to use Firefox, and they recommend an RSS reader called Wizz RSS News Reader (see https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/recommended for details) that works in conjunction with the browser. But any RSS reader will do. Then you'll get each new post on the Money blog nearly as soon as it's posted. Hope this helps!

[Edgar Dworsky]

TT,

Mazel Tov on the new blog.

Finally we are getting the respect we deserve (and others are catching onto the skills we've honed for decades)!

MrConsumer

[Debt Settlement]

Your blog is very nice.
Thank you.

TOD RESPONDS: I appreciate you dropping by. I hope we can keep you interested!