American households are substantially poorer -- and a whole lot thriftier -- than they were when the recession started. Many families are cutting expenses that once seemed hardly worth quibbling over. They're avoiding ATM fees, nixing "extravagances" such as delivery charges and declining to pay extra for more-convenient parking at ballgames and other events.

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MSN Money readers have sounded off on our message boards about the things they now go out of their way to avoid paying for. Click through the slide show to see what the top 15 are.

Continued: Movie theater popcorn

Readers are doing more of almost everything themselves. Cooking at home instead of going out is one basic change. Another big project we're taking on? Oil changes.

Oil changes run from $15 to more than $40 at a retailer, depending on the package and the oil used. An at-home change can set you back about $10. (Plus, of course, the cost of your time, for all those economics experts out there.)

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The folks who can't do it themselves can keep an eye out for coupons. Chains such as Pep Boys and Jiffy Lube offer coupons for discount oil changes on their Web sites.

From MSN Money's message boards: "(It cost) $42 when I was going cross country, had to get one, never again. I will bring a jack next time," wrote "Wakerider45."

Continued: Airport food

Everyone knows that airport food costs extra. It makes sense. Unlike, say, the restaurants in the average food court, which have to compete with each other, nearby restaurants and the food in the average shopper's home pantry, airline retailers are partial monopolists with captive consumers. And they know it.

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But what consumers may not realize is that the closer you get to your gate, the more the food generally costs. Daniel Hamermesh, an economist and a writer for The New York Times' Freakonomics blog, noted this in a recent post.

One reason, Hamermesh says, is that dining options tend to decrease farther from the main terminal areas. Another reason is that it's more convenient to eat closer to the attendant who will eventually call passengers for boarding. Convenience costs.

Nowadays, that cost is getting cut. Readers say they are becoming more likely to pack food before flights.

From MSN Money's message boards: "Generally fatty, starchy, full of artificial ingredients and overpriced," wrote reader "Athena53." "I bring my own from home or stores when I can."

Continued: Ticketmaster fees

Some MSN Money readers say they would gladly forgo the convenience of ticket sellers and buy directly from box offices if they could avoid the "convenience" fees. The charges vary widely, partly depending upon the venue. Often they amount to more than 20% of ticket prices.

For example, earlier this year a Metallica fan in Nashville could have spent about $69.50 for a concert ticket and $16.35 in fees. That's nearly 24% of the ticket price in fees.

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Those fees threaten to climb even higher now that Ticketmaster is merging with concert promoter and ticket seller Live Nation. Opponents of the deal say the reduced competition will enable Ticketmaster and Live Nation to gouge consumers and hurt artists by making it more difficult for fans to see their shows.

From MSN Money's message boards: "Service charges on concert tickets. I actually go to very few concerts because of this," wrote "burghmom," adding that she will pay the charges for Bruce Springsteen and Harry Connick Jr. performances.

Continued: ATM fees

Blame a backlash against the banking bailout, but some readers don't want to pay banks a single penny to withdraw their money. Especially not since many banks have increased their ATM usage fees to generate additional revenue.

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The average ATM fee jumped last year to nearly $2. It is not uncommon to charge noncustomers as much as $3 or more to use ATMs. Many banks also charge their customers additionally when they use ATMs outside their network.

From MSN Money's message boards: "ATM fees, anyone? I refuse," wrote "DontGetStung."

Continued: 401k management fees

It's understandable, given the performance of most investors' portfolios last year, that readers would be angry about paying money-management fees on their retirement savings. The average 401k balance shrank 27% last year, according to Fidelity Investments. In retrospect, many investors were undoubtedly thinking they would have done better had they tucked their money under a mattress.

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Management fees are typically less than 1% of the assets in the 401k. If you're paying more, make sure it's for good reason.

From MSN Money's message boards: "I hate paying 401k management fees," wrote "Deregulate This." "They steal the paltry gains (if there are any) and they still charge . . . even when they lose a ton of money."

Continued: Airline baggage fees

When it comes to flying, readers say they're getting less but paying more. The free food is gone. Legroom costs extra. Some airlines charge for blankets and pillows.

But no fee has rankled readers as much as baggage fees. It just doesn't make sense to some readers. If airlines are assessing the fee because of the fuel cost associated with the added weight of a bag, then they should weigh everyone's luggage and charge by weight, readers say. As they stand, the rules seem to force folks with, say, a couple of small bags to subsidize those with larger ones.

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Some readers have taken their weight complaints even further, arguing -- mostly tongue-in-cheek -- that tickets should vary based on the weight of the flier, too.

From MSN Money's message boards: "They say (the fee) is due to the extra weight that luggage requires. Well, my wife weighs 115 lbs and she gets charged for checking a 20 lb bag . . . The dude behind us weighs like 280 and gets charged the same," wrote "DontGetStung." "I say put both the passenger and the bag on scale and charge accordingly! Under 200 lbs total, your bag is free."

Continued: Hot dogs at baseball games

"Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out to the crowd. Buy me some . . ."

Stop right there, readers say. Many maintain they will never buy ballpark food because of the high prices.

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The prices have risen steadily in recent years. On average, baseball fans will pay $3.70 for a hot dog and an additional $3.44 for a soft drink this year, according to ISM Media's annual fan cost index. In fact, despite the recession, fans will pay an average of 3.2% more on ticket and concession prices this year than in 2008. (New York Yankees fans will pay a whopping 49.4% more, due largely to increased ticket prices. That increase is, by far, the highest in the sport.)

From MSN Money's message boards: "Baseball park snack prices: Come on, people, quit ripping off the public like that," wrote "Spotmefive."

Continued: What do you think?