I’m sending out the old year with a countdown to my five favorite posts.

5. I never knew a cookbook could inspire so many comments until I wrote about Frugal Foodie Recipes. “What I like best about The Frugal Foodie Cookbook is that to make three different recipes I did not need to buy a single ingredient. Not having to go to the store saved me time and money – plus I got delicious food out of my pantry! The authors’ food philosophy is to keep it simple but not necessarily cheap”…keep reading.

4. Forgive me for indulging myself, but I just can’t believe that my Dad is 63. I’m 31. Guess who’s faster? “I learned how to ride a bike at 3 to keep up with my older sisters. But I really learned how to ride from my Dad, a lifelong cyclist who has covered 300 miles in a day. My Dad’s motto on the bike is “never stop pedaling.” I started riding with him because my public high school offered six classes a day. To squeeze in symphonic band, I skipped P.E. and made up the credits by cycling with him. It wasn’t easy to keep up with him and on most rides I did not. Oh, who am I kidding? I never once kept up with him”…keep reading.

3. Readers jumped on me for going along with the crowd and stiffing a waitress, but in the end I learned my lesson about Money morality: if someone undercharges you…“I was chomping on a tasty BBQ dinner with five friends when – GASP – the waitress undercharged us. The bill was $20 a head – a fab deal for the meaty meal – because she had failed to add another $11 for the booze. The four of us who split the drinks would have owed another $3.50 per, which includes tax and tip on the beer. “Should we tell the waitress?” I asked“…keep reading.

2. I ventured a spending moratorium for the entire month of July, which I stuck to religously. Er, except for the three times I broke my moratorium. “The first time exposed my weakness for coupons. The second time exposed my soft spot for hard-working waitresses. The third time it was the library that did me in.”…keep reading.

1. My absolute favorite post this year was about a reader comment in response to a guest post about saving money in Las Vegas. Not because I like being called a “douche,” but because the comment triggered a heated debate about the difference between being frugal and being cheap. It is a fine line that I strive never to cross. “This week’s reader comment of the week shocked me. When I first read reader Julie’s response to the post, I didn’t understand why she was so upset over a total stranger taking tissues and toilet paper from a hotel room“…keep reading.