The Complete Tightwad Gazette
by Amy Dacyczyn
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Book Reviews of The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Book Review: "Tightwadding" more than just a cold, hard cash-saver
Summary: 4 Stars
Many readers have swooned with starry-eyed admiration and wastemonger guilt over the Gazette's innovations -- page after page of Tightwad recipes, unconventional uses for throw-aways like breadbags and juice can lids, miniscule price calculations, and even a dryer-lint substitute for papier-māché could make anyone feel like an uncreative spendthrift. Many other readers scoff at her "eccentricity," dismissing her cost-cutting strategies as "problematic for most of us in the real world" and snicker contemptuously at her holey socks and experiments in "dumpster diving." Indeed, some of the Gazette's ideas are simply not universally useful.But the point of Dacyczn's books is not to convince us that every family ought to eat food frugally retrieved from dumpsters, ignore the evil lure of "unstable" stock market investment, and string winter-time clotheslines in their attics for the sake of saving a few cents. Dacyczn encourages readers to rethink the way they spend money and the way they prioritize their reasons for spending.
Naturally, all this comes with a little commentary on American socio-economic values in general and and amateur ventures in economic theory. She even suggests that readers seeking information on the workings of a successful economy should thumb through works by the widely discredited H. Ross Perot.
But she confesses she is indeed an amateur and certainly no financial expert. She cautions her readers not to take anything they read for granted -- "not even The Tightwad Gazette." She also firmly states that she does not practice every idea that comes her way, that some ideas are better-suited to certain people, and that none apply to everybody. Rather than a catalog of absolute commandments, her brand of thrift is an open-ended game of creativity to sharpen the mind and discover what life can really be worth.
When my family was poor from low income, I was too young and easily-contented to notice. When my family came into an upper middle-class lifestyle, we lived a little more comfortably. When my family lost our footing to divorce, our attempts to maintain a life of ease with a drastically reduced income swallowed our finances and made us feel our very poorest. But this book, for me at least, made me feel proud to wear my socks and undies to pieces, unafraid to reexamine life's "necessities" (like the subscription to a newspaper we never read...), and inspired to live well -- with a little old-fashioned ingenuity -- despite scarce financial resources. It also fed my compulsions for hoarding scratch paper and boxes, picking up stray clothing on the sidewalks, and cafeteria-leftover scrounging.
Yet through it all, I still take indulgent twenty-minute showers with brand name liquid soaps.
The consequences of all-consuming, compulsive thrift are good and bad. But thrift need not be bad -- or all-consuming. It's all about financial and personal balance, knowing what's important to you -- knowing what's "worth it." This is Amy's message. Bless her for sharing it.
Book Review: "Tightwadding" more than just a cold, hard cash-saver
Summary: 4 Stars
Many readers have swooned with starry-eyed admiration and wastemonger guilt over the Gazette's innovations -- page after page of Tightwad recipes, unconventional uses for throw-aways like breadbags and juice can lids, miniscule price calculations, and even a dryer-lint substitute for papier-māché could make anyone feel like an uncreative spendthrift. Many other readers scoff at her "eccentricity," dismissing her cost-cutting strategies as "problematic for most of us in the real world" and snicker contemptuously at her holey socks and experiments in "dumpster diving." Indeed, some of the Gazette's ideas are simply not universally useful.But the point of Dacyczn's books is not to convince us that every family ought to eat food frugally retrieved from dumpsters, ignore the evil lure of "unstable" stock market investment, and string winter-time clotheslines in their attics for the sake of saving a few cents. Dacyczn encourages readers to rethink the way they spend money and the way they prioritize their reasons for spending.
Naturally, all this comes with a little commentary on American socio-economic values in general and and amateur ventures in economic theory. She even suggests that readers seeking information on the workings of a successful economy should thumb through works by the widely discredited H. Ross Perot.
But she confesses she is indeed an amateur and certainly no financial expert. She cautions her readers not to take anything they read for granted -- "not even The Tightwad Gazette." She also firmly states that she does not practice every idea that comes her way, that some ideas are better-suited to certain people, and that none apply to everybody. Rather than a catalog of absolute commandments, her brand of thrift is an open-ended game of creativity to sharpen the mind and discover what life can really be worth.
When my family was poor from low income, I was too young and easily-contented to notice. When my family came into an upper middle-class lifestyle, we lived a little more comfortably. When my family lost our footing to divorce, our attempts to maintain a life of ease with a drastically reduced income swallowed our finances and made us feel our very poorest. But this book, for me at least, made me feel proud to wear my socks and undies to pieces, unafraid to reexamine life's "necessities" (like the subscription to a newspaper we never read...), and inspired to live well -- with a little old-fashioned ingenuity -- despite scarce financial resources. It also fed my compulsions for hoarding scratch paper and boxes, picking up stray clothing on the sidewalks, and cafeteria-leftover scrounging.
Yet through it all, I still take indulgent twenty-minute showers with brand name liquid soaps.
The consequences of all-consuming, compulsive thrift are good and bad. But thrift need not be bad -- or all-consuming. It's all about financial and personal balance, knowing what's important to you -- knowing what's "worth it." This is Amy's message. Bless her for sharing it.
Book Review: Encouraging and a bit discouraging, all in one!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is the compilation of The Tightwad Gazette newsletter issues, and I subscribed to The Tightwad Gazette back when it was still a subscription newsletter. I started reading it because our family was facing some serious financial difficulties and I needed help NOW! The first time I read the newsletter, I was able to pick up tips that turned our family's financial situation around right away. The author is a black-belt tightwad and has been from the beginning of her marriage. She and her husband did things "right" from Day One. Which is great for them, but that's where the discouragement from this book came in for me. My husband and I didn't do things "right" from the beginning and consequently weren't going to be able to live in a big, beautiful farmhouse in the country while our children were still small. It was sort of depressing to read about all the wonderful benefits that frugal living brought to the author's life. We'd made some major mistakes in the past (both of us were raised in spend-thrift homes so we really didn't know another way until we'd hit rock bottom ourselves) ... and all of the penny-pinching in the world now wasn't going to allow us to live out our "dream."
Anyway, please know that I LOVE this book for it's tips and ideas! Frugality really is an alternative lifestyle in this day of easy credit and disposable everything, so the author's voice is desparately needed by those of us looking for some frugal encouragement.
But because of the depressing aspect of feeling like the author doesn't "get" the situation of people who've made financial mistakes, I found that reading Mary Hunt's books (especially "The Cheapskate Monthly Money Makeover") has helped to balance things out a bit for me. Mary Hunt's family overcame more than one-hundred-thousand dollars in consumer debt (her family's debt made my family's finanicial situation at its worst look GOOD!).
A good friend of mine -- who's made "right" financial decisions her entire marriage -- thought Mary Hunt's books were just plain "stupid." But then she LOVED The Tightwad Gazette and found it incredibly encouraging -- she also couldn't figure out how I could find The Tightwad Gazette depressing. But she'd never seen life from the view I have. So I think it's a matter of perspective how people relate to the different books. That's why I'm so glad there are numerous people writing on frugality. Somebody's voice is bound to speak to you whereever you're at in your personal financial journey -- if it's not Amy Dacyczyn ("The Tightwad Gazzette") or Mary Hunt ("The Cheapskate Monthly"), maybe it'll be Jonni McCoy ("Miserly Moms") or Deborah Taylor-Hough ("Frugal Living For Dummies").
If you're facing a mountain of debt -- or living the consequences of bad decisions in the past -- be warned that this book could make you feel a bit "down" ... but keep a stiff upper lip, buck up, read this book, and apply its tips ... you -- and your bank account(!) -- will be glad you did!
Book Review: Fun book on saving money
Summary: 5 Stars
I've never written a review before and I felt compelled to write an answer in response to the latest post from Dec 17 about how Amy's children must feel growing up in such a household. I can't answer for her children, but I can answer for myself having grown up in a frugal household. As I'm re-reading the Tightwad Gazette for the second time (thoroughly), I was amused with how many ideas were similar to the ideas my mother practiced when I was growing up - making her own yogurt, buying second-hand, creating toys from scratch, making our own playdough, making her own bread, canning, growing our own garden. My parents had made a conscious decision, similar to the Daczysn, for my mom to be a stay-at-home mom. My parents had grown up as "latch-key" children and didn't want the same thing for their kids. However, that required material sacrifices and strategies as noted above. The one attitude I prize the most as an adult is the creativity my mother fostered in us and a lot of the creativity came from being frugal.
For example, my parents occasionally bought a new toy after very careful consideration about the long-term value we would get from playing and the creativity it would foster and what we could learn from the toy. A Barbie doll was one of those brand new toys. However, we couldn't buy brand new Barbie clothes--so we learned to make them. We couldn't buy the Barbie accessories, so boxes, crates, material became our own homemade version of Barbie accessories. I believe that creativity has served me well in my adult years. I have really fond memories of my youthful years because of the things I learned from my parents. I spent a lot of time with my family doing useful activities (learning to sew, bake, cook, garden, etc.). I also loved having my mom be a stay-at-home mom. There's a pleasant sense of security knowing your mom is always available. I appreciate the values my parents raised me with...not to feel entitled to have everything my parents have, like today's generation, but to contribute and work hard. Living frugally as a child and young adult has instilled a basic appreciation of material possessions and what you really NEED vs. what a person WANTS.
I regret that with increasing income, I felt entitled to become a spendthrift. I compare my young adult years where I didn't make much money and HAD to be frugal vs. now where I have a good income but more consumer debt. I was much happier and LESS STRESSED when I had less materially. I bought Amy's book last year to look for ideas on how to use coupons better or something like that. Little did I realize that all the things I learned growing up and that I naturally did as a young adult were the very tactics I needed to use to realize my personal dream. Now, as a thirty-something adult, I'm re-working my budget to find ways to pay off my bills. I'm re-reading the Tightwad Gazette again to comb through for additional ideas on how to be less wasteful with my resources.
Book Review: It's all in your attitude - from an Unemployed Single
Summary: 5 Stars
When I lost my job in October, with very little hope of regaining employment in my field in the near future, this is the first book I thought of.
Other reviewers have derided Amy's suggestions as ludicrous. I could not disagree more. I've read the complete series through twice now. The most important thing I've gained from this book is NOT specific suggestions (although there are plenty of great ones), but rather mindset and method.
Nobody will use every suggestion in this book. I'm single and live alone; I don't need to stockpile kids' clothing! There's still plenty of useful information to be had.
What you will find is that the book opens your mind to the possibilities for savings in your own life. I found my creativity blossoming by coming up with inexpensive or free solutions, instead of the my too-common "go out and buy a new gadget" approach.
I've never had a problem, regardless of my income, buying clothing, shoes, or any of a myriad of household items at thrift stores. When my entire wardrobe was destroyed in a house fire, I DID NOT want a closet full of brand-new clothes; what could I possibly wear to relax in, or garden in, or paint in, or fix the plumbing in - you get my drift.
Thrift stores - and eBay - were the solution. Folks, the clothing in thrift stores BY LAW must be cleaned before it enters the store! Besides the incredible savings ($5 jeans instead of $35), two really big plusses of thrift-store clothing are (1) the sizing has been washed out of the clothes, and (2) they're pre-shrunk; you never wind up with clothing that's too short! - unless you find, as I often have, clothing with the tags still on...Not to mention that thrift stores are a GREAT place to find replacement carafes for coffeemakers...
As far as your poor deprived kids: If you think that your kids will suffer lifelong damage because you didn't buy them their ideal clothing, video game system, iPod, etc., you're damaging them far worse than anything Amy suggests in her book. Amy let her kids know that they would have to earn the money THEMSELVES for anything that was outside the pale. Why is this considered to be a bad thing? We have to give up large chunks of our lives to earn the money to buy these things. Best we learn this earlier rather than later.
Given the horrendous economic problems we're now experiencing due to human greed, why is teaching personal responsibility to your kids and downplaying the importance of bling considered to be a fault? Who gave your kids the power to make you feel so guilty that you need to throw money at them in the first place?
I've never met a single person who lived through the Depression who came out worse in character for it. Likewise, thrift - NOT miserliness, which is pathological penny-pinching for its own sake - can uplift you in ways you never dreamt of.