"It certainly wasn't cool to be a saver," said Dodson, 29, a chemical engineer in Tulsa, Okla. "It was something I did on my own."
That all changed last year after the recession hit. Now Dodson is helping her friends find supermarket sales and free lunches, not to mention deals at thrift shops and car auctions. They e-mail each other when they uncover great coupons or discounts, which has expanded Dodson's bargain hunting.
"Now that the economy has changed, people get excited if I'm passing out coupons for Arby's," said the married mother of two young daughters.
Dodson has three favorite coupon sites -- slickdeals.net, madaboutsavings.com, and 918couponqueen.com -- that she trolls several times a week. She also finds that more stores are offering coupons in hopes of drawing in customers during the recession.
Though Dodson and her husband, Ryan, an electrical engineer, are not particularly concerned about losing their jobs, they have decided to live frugally. This dates back to soon after they had graduated college when Dodson's job was threatened and her husband lost his at Worldcom.
Nowadays, however, she can be more open about her cheapness.
"If someone compliments me on a shirt, I'll say I bought it at a thrift shop for $2," she said. "Before, I'd just say thanks."
NEXT: Diane Dion: Fishing for her family
