Food prices are skyrocketing these days for normal Americans.   And for arugula-organic-free-range slaves like me, sticker shock is becoming a cardiac arrest.  So I’ve found a few creative ways to cut food costs at the supermarket.  And if done right, they won’t get you banned for life from your favorite store.
1)    Look for mold in the produce aisle.  While others look to make sure a box of strawberries is mold-free, I go for the ones with mold.  Then, after I’ve eaten all the good ones that day, I return the …

Video games have influenced many things in our culture. Music, movies, fashion, other video games, everything (aside from all the stuff that isn’t covered). If your age falls anywhere between the classification of small male child and large old male child, you probably have an extensive video game collection and a super specific memory of moving pixels. Sadly, video games are expensive, and a good one can run you about 60 dollars or more. Thankfully, you can buy used games, but even those are expensive.
Game stop, because they often do …

An entire sub-specialty in advanced schnorring studies revolves around techniques for eating the lion’s share of the food at restaurants while paying the gazelle’s share of the bill. But an alternative tactic relies on the intricate mathematics of check-splitting and the fair-minded equality of your dining compatriots. It also relies on timing.
Arrive at the restaurant early and head straight to the bar. Load up on drinks and appetizers. If you’re feeling daring, buy an appetizer to go and stuff it out of sight in your bag. When the rest of …

Any nicotine fiend surely knows that cigarette prices are through the roof, but knowledge alone is never enough to crush your craving.  Fortunately, this situation can usually be saved by simply asking your fellow smokers for a kick-down.  Bumming is by far the most widely accepted way to Schnorr a smoke.  In fact, most smokers have probably turned to it at least once in their life.  The true Schnorrer, however, manages to turn it into an art form. 
1.  Choose your hunting grounds.  To maximize your potential earnings you are going …

Sorry, boys… but this one’s for the ladies, and no, girls, it doesn’t have anything to do with showing a bit of cleavage (though I’ve got nothing against worming your way into a free drink with a well-placed neckline). I’m talking about brushing up on your acting skills, more specifically, crying.
Crying can get you out of a lot of little problems—I’ve been known to get a due date or two extended by shedding a few tears—but crying can also be quite useful in avoiding monetary missteps and keeping a few …

Recently, The Schnorrer was sitting in a subway car, minding his own business, looking at his fellow riders and marvelling at the great variety of humanity created by the Almighty.  A burly man got on the train and sat next to The Schnorrer.  He didn’t just sit, however.  He spread his legs and squirmed, forcing The Schnorrer to sit with his legs tightly touching one another, the rest of his body positioned like a West Point Plebe at attention. Clearly The Schnorrer was being out -manuevered by a space schnorrer, …

If your friends are always dragging you to Starbucks for $5 venti chai lattes, you can quench your thirst without bleeding Lincolns. At the coffee shop, the schnorrer avoids caffeine in order to avoid paying. Most coffee shops offer complementary coffee accouterments: milk, half and half, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, etc. The schnorrer knows that these are the recombinant elements of a delectable drink. Surreptitiously grab an empty cup and then head over to the coffee primping station. Start with the cocoa powder, unscrewing the lid to knock a few tablespoons …

To say the corporation is the schnorrer’s best friend may seem a truism hardly worth elaborating. Its customer-is-always-right attitude and its affinity for “writeoffs” are a godsend to the freeloader. But to reach the large bills in companies’ ample wallets, the schnorrer knows you have to move beyond the storefront to the generous bureaucratic bosom that is the Customer Service Department. 
The schnorrer is always on the lookout for imperfections and irregularities in the products he buys. These flaws do not have to be major–a slightly curved baseball bat, a pair …

Here we go again. Another year is almost over. For a lot of people it symbolizes a fresh start and a clean slate. In reality, January 1 is an entirely arbitrary date, but that has never stopped your friends or anyone else from waiting until now to make positive changes in their life.
But with everyone trying to make changes for the better, a natural support network can emerge. So why not help your friends along while making some changes of your own? This is a once a year opportunity to …