Are you the guy who books the party bus and always ends up eating more than his share of the cost? Does your BFF frequently "forget" that you picked up the last three lunch tabs?

Technology can help keep the bank of best friends running smoothly. "Social bill pay" companies like PayDivvy and Splitwise track expenses both small and large.

A third company, Crowdtilt, lets groups fund shared goals as small as booking a skybox at the stadium or as large as renting Alcatraz Island for Halloween.

Yes, really: A group of 300 got together to rent "The Rock" at the end of October. Imagine trying to collect fees from 299 other people.

 

Back when I was a midlife college student paying off divorce-related debt, my default setting was "no."

No, I couldn't skip packing my lunch. No, I couldn't shop anywhere but the thrift store. No, I couldn't go to every new movie that came out, or even to most of them.

As my finances improved, the knee-jerk "no" morphed into "You can have it if you think it through." So how often does that translate to "yes"?  

When it comes to bills, think outside the payment envelope.

For example, how'd you like to pay for all your produce by "investing" in a small farm? Or to view your kid's college tuition as a series of monthly payments?  

Wish you hadn't bought quite so many mani-pedi Groupons, or that you'd eased up on the Living Social meal deals? The secondary market for social buying deals can help you unload your unwanted vouchers.

Sites like CoupFlip, CoupRecoup and MyCabbage (formerly Deals Go Round) are also a buyer's market, i.e., a great way for procrastinators to snag deals they missed the first time around.

Many are resold at original face value. "People just want to get their money back," says CoupRecoup founder Aren Sandersen. But as time ticks on, you might see discounts -- and sometimes those discounts are deep: 

• $40 worth of tapas for $1.71 (Chicago).
• $55 worth of spray-tan sessions for $2.25 (Washington, D.C.).
• $90 worth of waxing for $3.15 (Boston).

 

Last spring I donated a ton of things to a rummage sale: housewares, three-ring binders, books, knickknacks, CDs, puzzles, a yoga mat, greeting cards, cookbooks, art prints and clothing.

At one time those things had all been important to me. Truth be told, some of them still were. But I'd decided it was time to let go, especially since I'd decided to move to Alaska within the year.

"Good thing I gave away so much," I thought. "It'll make packing a lot easier."

Then I took a look at what remained. For a self-avowed frugalist, I sure own a lot of stuff.  

Experienced couponers know the satisfaction of getting food or household supplies free or nearly free. It's a great way to stretch available funds and maybe even free up money for long-term financial goals.

But some take it a step further: They use their coupon powers for good. Can you picture yourself as a coupon superhero? 

 

How's your wardrobe working? Somewhere between "I haven't got a thing to wear" and "I haven't got a single empty hanger yet I keep shopping" is a comfortable (and frugal) place to be.

Shopping trips and closet purges are not the way to get there. Not right away, anyhow. Try a "wear everything challenge" instead.  

An MSN Money editor recently heard someone say, "You get what you pay for." He wondered how I'd react to that phrase.

His first guess -- rolling eyes and derisive snorts -- was correct.