find ways to economize that don't detract from quality of life

No need to buy books, the library has them for you. I’ve been saving big bucks on books this way for about, well, always.

What’s to great about this is that even if they don’t have the particular book you want, they can still get it for you. Inter-library loan is genius.

It’s unusual for me to buy a book anymore.

We’ve been buying whole chickens around here lately, since they’re a better deal than just buying the breast—and the name of the game in 2009 is to save money without having a life that sucks. So answer one is whole chickens in a slow cooker.

But we’re not done with chickens once they’re cooked and eaten. No. Not hardly. There are still bones and skin and fat left. Back into the slow cooker with all of that. “But,” you object, “that’s nasty stuff. It’s not food!” It is. Put in your slow cooker whatever you can’t eat from the chicken, bits of carrot you didn’t use, paper from your garlic and bits of onion you don’t use (what, you’ve not been saving that in a bag in your freezer?). Cover all of that with a lot of water and put it on low.

Come back in a few hours and strain out the solid stuff. Like magic, you’ve got chicken stock and don’t need to buy any from the store. It’s more expensive and doesn’t taste as good anyway.