It used to be all about the bigger house, the bigger car, the bigger bank account. But today's lagging economy has changed our attitude when it comes to flaunting our wealth.
Now people are bragging about saving money and simplifying their lives instead. And they're spilling all their secrets online.
When Cristin Frank and her husband bought their first house, they didn't have much money left over for furniture.
"Seriously, it was like a card table in the kitchen type thing. And it was, 'How are we going to furnish this house?'" said Frank, founder of TheEveofReduction.com.
So they started garbage picking, reclaiming discarded furniture and refurbishing it.
"In our suburb, people were throwing things out left and right - things you couldn't even imagine," said Frank.
If they didn't need an item, they fixed it up and sold it. In less than eight years, they paid off their mortgage.
"We've saved tens of thousands of dollars," said Frank.
According to a recent Gallup poll, six out of ten Americans say they now enjoy saving rather than spending. With 57 percent spending less money than they used to, it's a growing trend.
"Fifteen years ago, according to a survey we did, seven percent of people used the Internet to find coupons. Today, it's more than 70 percent," said Heather Cabot, Yahoo Web Life Editor.
It's not just coupons. Blogs, forums and social media sites are full of money-saving tips and tricks.
"They know that other people are struggling as well. And when they find a good deal, they want to be like, 'I found this. I want to share it with other people,'" said Cabot.
There are thousands of sites, like Frank's TheEveofReduction.com. Others include the One Dollar Diet Project, where a San Diego couple blogged about spending a dollar a day on food for a month, or The Compact, where a group of San Francisco friends bought nothing for a whole year.
Former fashion editor Melissa Massello stopped buying new clothing ad launched TheSwapaholics.com to help others swap instead of spend.
"You know, pretty much anything you find at an upscale boutique, I've found at a swap for free," said Massello.
Of course, it's important to remember bloggers are not necessarily experts.
"I think it's important to make the distinction between someone who gives you that anecdote about, 'Hey, this worked for me', and somebody who's saying, 'I invested in X, Y, and Z and this really worked.' Who is this person? I think it's really important to consider the source," said Cabot.
But she says as long as you're cautious, you may find some great ways to live a simpler, thriftier life.
"Here we are in our mid thirties with no mortgage," said Frank. "All just because we were thrifty, really."
What's the best way to search for these kinds of thrifty websites yourself? Heather recommends entering the keyword "frugal" in your search engine.
More information:
The Swapaholics
Shoe String
Eve of Reduction
Groupon Seattle
Blogs: Money Saving Mom
Forums: Mommy Savers
Twitter: MyOwnMoney
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