Frugal cities

Atlanta tops the list of Most Frugal U.S. Cities, according to the 2009 Savings Index released Jan. 7 by Coupons.com, a Web site for coupons and savings.

The average Coupons.com user in Atlanta saved more than $531 using coupons from the site in 2009. Tampa, Fla., follows closely in the number two position.

“Shoppers in all parts of the U.S. should look to the Buckeye and Tar Heel states, where consumers are putting money in their pockets every month by using coupons smartly,” noted the press release.

Cities in the Midwest and South account for almost one-half of this year’s top couponing locales. The South’s strength in couponing is reflected in the fact that more than one-third of the top 20 couponing cities are in the Southern region of the United States.

“The top couponing cities reveal the tremendous savings potential coupons offer nowadays,” Jeanette Pavini, Coupons.com household savings expert, noted in the statement. “By spending just minutes each week printing online coupons, anyone can really cut back on their household expenses. I don’t need to tell people in Atlanta and Tampa that coupons are essentially found money.”

The Top 20 Most Frugal Cities (with savings index number)
Atlanta: 918
Tampa: 522
Cincinnati: 511
Saint Louis: 468
Minneapolis: 351
Nashville: 308
Charlotte: 306
Cleveland: 272
Pittsburgh: 254
Kansas City: 254
Raleigh: 243
Boston: 229
Oklahoma City: 207
Miami: 205
Washington, D.C.: 191
Indianapolis: 186
Denver: 186
Dallas: 186
Wichita: 159
Columbus: 152