A recent report shows women of all ages are shaping the Internet by spending more money than men while online shopping. Marketers have taken notice and now cater directly to women with innovative blends of commerce and social media.

In a time when everyone is pinching pennies and trying to figure out how to cut down on expenses, there is one expense that no one seems to be able to avoid because most people have a way of justifying it. This expense is the called the convenience expense.  

A sweet coupon is tough to resist, but offers that appear too good to be true can be fraudulent. Coupons are easy to find and have become so popular that scammers regularly reared their ugly heads with sophisticated cons.

Groupon is the big daddy of the daily deal sites, serving more than 140 markets around the world. But yesterday, second-place competitor LivingSocial sounded the battle call by announcing it was adding 25 new markets to its roster.

If you could pay what you wanted for a song, a work of art or a meal, would you pay a penny, full price, or toss extra into the pot? National chain Panera Bread opened an experimental Pay What You Want outlet in June and just announced it was launching two more.

"Tab-Napping" is not just another name for cat napping. Sadly, tab napping refers to stealing your banking information and preys upon those who open lots of tabs on their browser at the same time.

Would you pay $16,000 for a martini at the Ritz in Tokyo if they replace the olive with a one-karat diamond? How about if they include a free setting for that diamond, courtesy of any Bulgari location in Tokyo?

Internet coupons have drastically increased in popularity of late, but mobile coupons are hot on their heals. Marketing researchers commonly agree consumer interest has grown as smart phones and coupon apps become more affordable.

The question isn't "Why can't Johnny read?" but rather "Why can't he read in the johnny?'" The average American spends anywhere from 700 to 2,000 hours on the toilet. While cavemen were relegated to counting rocks to pass the time, modern man is blessed with a plethora of books designed to keep us amused.

While the tight economy truly sucks, we're seeing one big advantage: Many consumers have returned to the frugal ways our grandparents used during the Great Depression.