The bad news? Taxes are almost due. The good news? Some restaurants and retailers are trying to soften the blow with a few freebies and special savings.

With millions of coupons floating around, how do stores ever keep track of them all? Well, handing the coupon over to the cashier is just the first step in the surprisingly complex life of a coupon.

The Learning Channel's "Extreme Couponing" show clued me into a new hobby: Dumpster diving for coupons. Of course, it takes a bit of finesse to make the most of your adventure, so here are a few basic rules.

Are you stuck in a grocery store rut...always hitting the same supermarket without comparing prices? Surely there can't be that much difference between the big guys, can there?

If extreme couponing is a game, stockpiling is the championship round. Timing is everything. You collect lots of coupons and wait for the in-store sales to use them, so you get multiple discounts.

Do you know when you're being ripped off? Anything can and does get marked up, sometimes beyond reason. It's a game. The retailer wants to see how much money he can make on an item and the customer wants to see how little she can pay.

Prices on many consumer products are either creeping or galloping upwards, fueled by the rising cost of gas and most food items. At the same time, dozens of products declined in price. Here's a look at items that are going up...and several that are sinking fast.

A frugal friend had bought a dual-flush toilet conversion kit to offset an the expected increase in his water bill. It cost about $20 and he planned to install it the next morning. I had to admit this was a great idea, but would it really save money?

It amazes me how quickly a house with only four people goes through TP. Such quick turnaround means plenty of empty, unloved and seemingly useless cardboard tubes. The entire situation reeks of waste (no pun intended).

Today's earthquake in Japan and the resulting Pacific Ocean tsunami are brutal reminders of the importance of being prepared. If you haven't already created a comprehensive kit for just such emergencies, here's what you'll need.