I know that in American grammar, one is supposed to put the punctuation inside the quotation mark. For example:
But apart from this common situation, what happens when the quotation marks surround a scare quote. For example:
Is it correct to put the comma within the quotation mark? I think it is, but I can’t find a good reference on the net from an expert source that “slam dunks” this issue for me.
Money is on the line. Please help me make next month’s rent!
Yes, same rule applies.
I’ve never heard of “scare quotes,” but putting the comma or other punctuation inside the quotation mark, as in your example, is correct. I’m a former English teacher, if that counts as “expert.”
As a bonus, can anyone define scare quotes?
Anyway, I don’t think quotes are needed (or correct) in the second sentence. Quotes are only used in direct quotations, not in references to quotations.
For example:
Yet:
As I understand quotations, one should always place punctuation within them. But quotes simply aren’t used in the context of your second sentence.
Scare Quotes
The use of quotation marks can be extended to cases which are not exactly direct quotations. Here is an example:
Linguists sometimes employ a technique they call “inverted reconstruction.”
The phrase in quote marks is not a quotation from anyone in particular, but merely a term which is used by some people – in this case, linguists. What the writer is doing here is distancing himself from the term in quotes. That is, he’s saying, “Look, that’s what they call it. I’m not responsible for this term.”
http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/local/doc/punctuation/node31.html
Ah, okay. That makes sense. I still think the quotes in your second sentence are wrong, but I have seen quotes used like that.
Normal rules apply, as I said.
“Scare Quotes” seem to be when the person your are quoting is quoting someone else, and may or may not be using the fingers. For some reason I belive the OP is refering to an old Chris Farly skit from SNL, can’t remember exatly which one though. Like Derleth said though, I would assume normal rules apply since your are quoting someone that is quoting someone else. Since they would apply normal rules to their quote, all you are doing is taking that and putting quotes are it. (Okay, that’s the programmer in me coming out, I feel like where talking about prorams/sub-programs etc)
Only the comma and the period always go inside the quotation marks – and that is just in the US. Other punctuation marks can be inside or outside, depending on the sentence:
Did I hear you say “gobsmacked”?
Ellen heard him say, “Why are you here?”
Source: Harbrace College Handbook
The British viewpoint is that the punctuation goes inside the quotes if it is part of the material quoted, otherwise it goes outside.
The style guide of The Times says:
So in your example we would write:
She said that I “smoke too much”, that I “smell bad” and that I “have bad breath”. (No comma is needed after the second quote, but if you did use won it would go outside the quotation mark.)
This seems to me to be inherently more logical. (But then I would say that.)
Incidentally, if she really did say those things, it might be time to move on.
I am going down with a bad case of homophonitis. That’s the second one today. 
Not even the whole US. The “hacker writing style” described in the Jargon File is somewhat common, especially online, and only puts a period inside the quotes when quoting a full sentence (i.e. when the period is actually part of the quote).