The Complete Tightwad Gazette
by Amy Dacyczyn
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Book Reviews of The Complete Tightwad Gazette
Book Review: The kids are deprived, no matter what she says
Summary: 2 Stars
The only reason I did not give this book one star is because it actually does have some money saving tips an average person could use. Many people would save money by adopting some of the author's less radical practices BUT...The kids must make an incredible number of sacrifices if the more radical approach the author suggests is to be taken. While it is great for the author that she was able to meet her goals, such as owning a farm house, and having six children, it seems like a terrible burden on her children. She brags about feeding her family leftovers such as a soup made from all the leftovers from the week thrown in a bucket in the refrigerator. That sounds like dog food. She gives her kids used toys for Christmas and they only wear secondhand clothes. If they want treats like potato chips they need to use their allowance. They only drink powdered milk, which I have tried and it tastes disgusting. The kids get baths "when they need it" not every day. The book is filled with things like this. It starts to sound like borderline child neglect and maybe psychological abuse as well. To me, one of the benefits of being financially responsible is to give my children a better life, not to make every day a miserable struggle for them. If that means never owning a farmhouse, so be it. My kids won't miss it and they will never think of me as a selfish mother who met my goals at their expense. As a stay at home parent I need to watch money carefully. As happy as I am to be home despite the sacrifices, I would go back to work if our quality of life suffered to the extent the author feels is acceptable.
Book Review: Good ideas to save money - homely yet subversive
Summary: 4 Stars
Although this book is written from the point of view of a stay-at-home mom, Amy Dacyczyn does a great job of debunking the brand-orientated consumer society illusion that so many of us are labouring under.
There is nothing even remotely political about this book - a collection of the tightwad gazette newsletters - but somehow it is really refreshing and almost subversive in this day and age to suggest that we should opt out of the consumerist mind-manipulation that is so prevalent in our surroundings.
Enough of the commentary, though. Does it save you money?
Yes. For me, in Australia in 2005, the book does have some ideas that can be used directly. Other ideas may not be directly applicable but give rise to other ideas about economising and cost cutting.
Some, however, are outdated, or only applicable to the US, that's why I can only give four stars.
However, I think this is an inspiring book and a brilliant idea to opt to save an extra $10,000 of the income you are already receiving, rather than sacrificing more time with your loved ones for another few thousand to spend on needless consumer items.
One thing you will need to do if you intend to become a blackbelt tightwad, though, and that is enlist the help and commitment of those you live and share costs with.
But it can be fun, and alot more likely to be so if you are tightwadding through choice rather than necessity.
For this reason, you should get it.
This book teaches so more about the value of money than supposed "money" and "millionaire" books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".
Book Review: Good book -- helpful, practical, fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
The first time I read one of the earlier Tightwad Gazette books, I surprised myself by immediately finding a savings in our family budget of $50 per month. I was further inspired to try some other new money saving ideas, and before too long our family was living well within our means and actually climbed our way out of serious consumer debt -- COMPLETELY! Of course, I don't credit this book with all the personal hard work and discipline that it took to reduce our family's consumer debt, BUT our goal of being debt-free (inspite of a limited income due to lost earning potential from an injury and chronic illness) wouldn't have happened as quickly as it did without the inspiration and practical guidance found in the pages of the Tightwad Gazette books and newsletter.
Many of the ideas were a bit too "out there" for me personally, but there's such a large quantity of information in this resource, that it's easy to find things that WILL work for different individuals and their personal situations. While there's a good chance you won't want to start stockpiling styrofoam meat trays (or go dumpster diving!), maybe you'll discover some new tasty, simple (and VERY inexpensive!) recipes. And keeping a "Price Book" might be just the ticket to cutting down regular expenses in your own family's financial situation.
The three previous Tightwad Gazette books have been compiled into this single edition with the addition of the last few issues of the Tighwad Gazette newsletter (those issues never made it into any of the previous books).
Book Review: Guide to being very frugal
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is for all of us who get pleasure from saving money. It is for people who get more of a thrill out of walking out of a grocery store having saved $30 on their food bill than they do when the spend $100 on a new pair of expensive shoes. If you prefer the smell of retiring early from a job you dislike to new car smell, you have found your book. While this book is a little extreme with homemade Halloween costumes for kids and going through piles of your neighbors curb side throw outs to repair and use. It has excellent ideas on cooking at home to save money, and a great philosophy on how to stop relying on convenient foods, convenient stores, and conveniently spending all your money on things that add no value to your life. Whether it is buying 10 pairs of the exact same color and type of sock so when one wears out or is lost you lose one and not a pair, or putting a gallon jug of water in your toilet to save a gallon of water on every flush, this book is packed with ideas that will save you the cost of the book itself very quickly. Stock up on items you use frequently when they are on sale, take your time when buying a car or house so you get the best deal possible, negotiate big ticket items. The bottom line is spend money on what is most important to you, a nice house, quality time with your children, or early retirement and stay away from single serve pudding cups, lunch-ables, restaurants, fast food, and grocery items not on sale. Escape the consumer spending trap and the corporate rat race all at one time through spending smart to live more free.Book Review: Like a Less Fun Lecture from One's Senile Granny
Summary: 2 Stars
I found a great deal of interesting irony and hypocrisy in this book: first how Amy drones on FOREVER about how she's more interested in the "quality of life" and how do designer clothes, fancy-ish meals and nice furniture REALLY contribute to this? For many of us, THAT is a large portion of our life. She also talks about living green, yet she uses some very non-green products, has two cars and waaaaay too many kids.
And, since she made quite a tidy living (and had little free time) from it, she was essentially a "working mother"--just a self employed one---so her many judgemental comments on that score don't really hold water, either.
And of course, it appears that living at her house might well be the world's biggest drag--one eats disgusting food, wears rags that are rock hard from being line dried and washed with the least possible amount of detergent. One sits on crates and the toilet paper holder is made from an old coat hanger.
When I vacation at Disneyworld (in a Deluxe property) in 3 weeks with my one child, after working at a job that I enjoy--while wearing clothes bought just for the trip AND eating lobster (for which she reserved an extra special hate--ironic, seeing as that it's pretty reasonable in the summer in Maine)---I don't think I'll envy her farmhouse with attached barn.
I give this book 2 stars ONLY because it contains a quite good granola recipe. The real money saving advice: yard saling, sales in general etc---are all a big DUH, as well!