Living On The Cheap is owned and operated by a group of like-minded frugalistas and consumer advocates, with decades of experience in journalism or marketing. Our goal is to help readers find a myriad of ways to not merely survive tough economic times, but to enjoy themselves and not feel deprived. These are our contributors, staff and experts.
Publisher Teresa Mears is a website publisher, writer, blogger and editor who was raised to be frugal. In her 30-plus years as a journalist, she has written for papers ranging in size from the weekly Portland (Tenn.) Leader to The Los Angeles Times. She was an editor for the Miami Herald for more than 17 years, overseeing coverage of home, real estate, family and other subjects. She has also been a contributor to The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News and other publications. Teresa owns and operates South Florida On The Cheap and Orlando On The Cheap.
Executive Editor Laura Daily has risen to the ranks of Jedi Warrior in the fight against the evil empire of high prices. A confirmed coupon clipper, Laura is always on the lookout for ways to save or stretch that hard-earned dollar and prides herself on digging deep to unearth a great deal. She is a consumer strategist reporting for a variety of national publications including AARP The Magazine (for whom she is a Contributing Editor), AAA World, Miami Herald, Denver Post, and Westways and is a correspondent for OnTravel Radio. Laura owns and operates Mile High On The Cheap, which covers the Denver/Boulder (Colorado) area.
Gigi Lehman, the editor of LivingOnTheCheap.com, has been an editor and writer for more than 30 years with special emphasis in food journalism; health and education topics; and business and finance. She has worked for major metropolitan newspapers in Florida and Texas as well as for lifestyle magazines and specialty business publications. Before joining Living on the Cheap, she worked in communications for a large banking and insurance company, which helped give her a deep knowledge of consumer issues surrounding the financial services industry. She and her husband believe in spending carefully so they can donate generously and travel widely.
Jody Mace is a freelance writer who has written for publications like O Magazine, Washington Post, and Parents. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two teenaged kids. Her colleagues are dogs named Harlow and Shaggy. She publishes Charlotte on the Cheap and Triangle on the Cheap takes the “cheap” seriously. For fun she plays mandolin and browses at her local Goodwill Store, where she is “Foursquare Mayor,” as long as that Russell G. doesn’t steal it from her again.
LOTC National Deals Editor Bryan K. Chavez carries his purple coupon binder with pride everywhere he goes because he knows it’s as “good as gold.” His deal-seeking skills are so sharp that he regularly saves upwards of 75% on his grocery receipts. One of his passions is helping others save money. He’s also an expert on saving at the movies, concerts and other cultural events. When he’s not clipping coupons or sniffing out the next great promotion, his professional background is in public relations & marketing for non-profit organizations. Bryan is an editor at Mile High On The Cheap.
Carole Cancler is a Seattle, Washington native and granddaughter of immigrant farmers. Her corporate career crisscrossed the food and technology industries. Carole transferred her management skills to entrepreneurial ventures as a food product manufacturer, website developer, and business development consultant. Author of The Home Preserving Bible, Carole also writes food preservation articles for Mother Earth News. Raised in the fifties and sixties by Midwestern parents, Carole was imbued with a strong work ethic and prudent values (second hand clothes, home-cooked meals, and after school jobs). She transfers these pragmatic, though sentient ideals to the pages of the frugal website she operates at Greater Seattle on the Cheap. She also publishes Hawaii on the Cheap.
Val McCauley was drawn to writing about Living on the Cheap after moving to Columbus from her small hometown after college. She realized that there were a ton of events and activities going on around the city, but there wasn’t a website that made it easy to find out about these things. Her love of travel and desire to get out of debt after college cemented the need to live on less while still having fun. Over the last several years, she has paid off all of her debt and still has fun. In her free time, she loves to workout, play sports, and cook gluten-free meals. Val is the publisher of Columbus on the Cheap.
