The Complete Tightwad Gazette
by Amy Dacyczyn
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.06 You Save: $8.89 (39%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.73 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Book Review: Excellent reference!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book. The recipes are tasty, the author has a good sense of humor, and you can find a lot of ways to creatively slash your budget. The author also does an excellent job of poking holes in the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. She asks "is it really necessary to buy a new ____ every year?" "Does one really need a lot of material possessions to be happy?" The essays on consumerism, distribution of household chores and other issues will make you think and give you a new way of looking at thrift.
It's also important to note that just because Amy often talks about the strategies she employs, it doesn't mean that you MUST use the same strategies. She recognizes that not everybody will want to be a "black-belt" tightwad and that some folks will only use the less extreme techniques. There is an article about this in the book where she says that she puts the "extreme" techniques in because she knows some people will want to try them due to circumstances or an interest in the subject. Others will not, and that's perfectly OK with her. There are a great many paths to thrift.
Similarly, when she explains the way she raises her kids, it's just that - an explanation. She doesn't expect everyone else to raise their children exactly as she does - or even *have* children. You can take the advice you like, and leave the rest. (It's also important to remember that we only get a partial picture of her family life - there are probably a great many details that the book does not show.)
Being single and childless, there was quite a bit of information in this book that did not apply to me, but I was able to learn some useful things. This book was not meant to be taken as a whole, but rather as a buffet of information.
Book Review: Not only the *hows* of saving money, but the *whys* as well
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great book to own if you need advice on how to save money. Amy Dacyczyn gives tons of money saving ideas. Many readers may feel she goes overboard in her quest to save money, but for those in a really tight spot, her "overboard" ideas may prove extremely helpful. Not all her ideas are "overboard" though; many are things anybody could do.This book is a compilation of the author's newsletters she published for several years. There are also three separate volumes of this book available; Tightwad Gazette Volumes One, Two, and Three. This book contains all three of these volumes, plus about ninety pages of additional articles.
I like this book because it not only gives tips for saving money, the author also goes into *why* you should save money. When I bought this book I thought I wanted to save money; what I didn't know is that I wanted a more simple life. Many money saving practices lead to a more simple life, which I discovered after reading this book. If you want a more simple, slower-paced life than what you have now, you may want to get this book because it will give you lots of ideas on how to do that. I don't think the author intended to lead people in this way; that's just how it worked for me.
It's also a valuable reference book. If you have a specific problem, you can look it up in the index for potential solutions. For example, last year my washing machine started to leak. Instead of running out to buy a new one or calling a repair man, I turned to the index of this book and found a solution to fixing the leak: a $3 tube of "liquid steel" which I bought at a hardware store and my husband applied that night! Worked great!
The author has a straighforward and yet humorous writing style which I find refreshing. This book is well worth the price.
Book Review: l love this book
Summary: 5 Stars
i checked the tightwad book out so many times from my local libary!!! i could never finish the books over the years andthe ideas are so many and so useful that after finding the
compliation of all three books on amazon.com for an excellent
price...i had to have it and i just mailed in my payment today!!!
IT IS CHOCKFUL OF USEFUl, very useful ideas that you have never
heard anywhere else!!! being a divorced, single mom of 2 children and 2 cats in a new home...the book has become more useful than ever...i was getting ready to donate another big bag of clothes...but after seeing a designer recycled jean bag and 'homemade jean' skirt made out of old bluejeans in a hot women's magazine going for hundreds of dollars ...i decided to make my own like i use to when i was a child...i just happen to have a copy of the 'tightwad gazette' from the library and just by chance i happened upon illustrated directions for recycled blue jean items including a purse and skirt by accident!!! it was lunchtime at work and i laughed with joy!!!! DURING these tough times for country with so many being laid off and all of us trying to cut corners that still have a current job we need this book more than ever...i admit...i did not take this book too seriously when i was still married and had two incomes...but now it is a blessing...a Godsend!!! i cannot wait for my very own copy to arrive from amazon...i have a quick hint to add...fancy sheets bought at discount stores or sales can be used as fabric for clothes, pillows, skirts, halters, etc. i am upholstering my lazyboy with leopard print ralph lauren sheets that i found at a discount store...i bought 3 twin sheets with elastic total= way, way under 30 bucks!!! THIS i find is cheaper than buying fabric by the yard...
Book Review: Read this BEFORE the other "frugal" books...
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw Amy D on Donahue in the early 90's and thought, what a crazy lady! A few years later I found Tightwad Gazette #3 and was hooked.
As you may have deduced, the information here is based on both Amy's experience with what she calls "black belt frugality" in her own life, and suggestions sent in from readers of her newsletter from the late 80's - early 90's.
Many reviewers here are critical of the way Amy raised her children or snobby about suggestions such as thrift store clothes or dumpster diving. Folks, the material is presented in such a way that you can CHOOSE certain strategies, and ignore others. Nowhere does Amy insist that her way is the only right way. I consider this book to be a springboard for your OWN ideas. There are so many things in this book that I have unconsciously absorbed in my life. Cost Per Wow (CPW) is the one that comes to mind first, but learning to think outside the box, making your own recipes, the Pantry Principle...all these things have just become part of my life.
I agree that this book is in serious need of updating. However, it's doubtful this will ever happen, as Amy has retired and, from what I have heard, has no interest in revisiting this as she has moved on with life (put into practice what she had envisioned).
This book (or should I say compilation of three books) has become the touchstone for a whole industry of "frugal" books out there. Many books I've perused on saving money over the years borrow heavily or take ideast STRAIGHT from this book. Save yourself the bother of reading all those and buy this instead. Practice selective reading, discard what is not useful to you but don't discard the whole book. It's a wonderful resource, and I would highly recommend.
Book Review: A must have for all families and all income levels
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this book is about pinching a penny. But I think the more important lesson taught is to be conscious of where your money goes. It is far too easy to follow the path of the average american lifestyle with a latte at Starbucks in the morning, lunch at Burger King, and convenience foods at night and then wonder why you cant get the down payment on a house together. If the really imporatant thing to you is to have that latte, then you should continue to have it and forego the house payment which is not as important( Id like to give you a talking to, but I digress) But if the house is number one, then this books gives you tools to cut out the little expenses and save enough money to do it. The point is, at any income level, whether you are single or a family of six, I think you can come away from reading this book with a great lesson taught. Not so much whether to use disposable or cloth diapers, but to be conscious of where your money goes to get the things in life that are important to you. My husband and I have a large, pretty old house. We would like to have it look beautiful and be paid off in the next couple years. We are acheiving this goal by using a lot of the principles in this book. We rarely go out to eat, I use coupons, we only run the dryer when there is a full load, buy only used cars and keep them a long time by maintaining them well,etc. But every so often I have the great pleasure of writing a check for a couple thousand dollars to be applied towards the principal on the mortgage. Or buy a very special piece of furniture. This makes me happier than I can express, and no, I dont feel deprived beacuse we dont go out to dinner. Buy this book!! Whatever your goals in life are, this book will help you achieve them.