tightwad gazett

[fuji]

I read this book the tightwad gazette and it has changed my way of thinking and spending, there is hope for my house hold after all. If you have read this book please tell of your experiences and what things you use from this book.

I use the way she does groceries and save over a hundred dollars a week. She suggests that you know how much each thing you buy cost and price it out at multiple stores, and pay the least you can, I found out that i pay $.62 for a can of veggies at one store $.72 at another and$.78 at another, now if you only buy your veggies at $.62 and you buy 10 cans a week for 52 weeks you save $52 a year on veggies alone now if you do this for all items the savings can add up to a thousand plus a year. Pick 3-4 stores and buy each item only at the store you pay less, so you end up with three list, one for each store then buy at each store for 3-4 weeks worth and only go to one store a week and buy the things on your list for that store.

 

[McKclanof6]

I haven't read it, but it sounds interesting. I will have to check it out. Thanks!

 

[fuji]

You may be able to find it at your library, I ended up buying it because it had so much useful information in it, some of the ideas are a little over the top for me, but even those ideas can be made to work.
It also has recipes for cleaning solutions and baking items.

 

[MrsPete]

I love that book. If you're looking to buy it, I suggest that you get The COMPLETE Tightwad Gazette -- it's all three of her books combined into one, and since it's been out more than a decade, it should be widely available at used bookstores and on ebay.

I was raised thinking the same way she does, so frugality comes easily to me; however, I still picked up plenty of good tips from her.

I particularly like that she doesn't just give you hints about how to do things less expensively; instead, she encourages you to think through your own options, price them out. Instead of giving you a laundry list of cheap ideas, she teaches you to search out cheap ideas yourself.

 

[plummer925]

Just remember - she wrote these books several years ago (15 or so) so the numbers in them are VERY out of date - but the information is not.

I have all 3 of her books (Tightwad Gazette, Tightwad Gazette 2 and Tightwad Gazette 3) and HIGHLY recommend all of them. No, I do NOT do most of what she says, but I do pick the books up a few times a year and re-read through them (they are well underlined and highlighted). I've probably read each one 8 times.

 

[MrsPete]

Just remember - she wrote these books several years ago (15 or so) so the numbers in them are VERY out of date - but the information is not.

That is absolutely true.

For example, she talks about buying items of children's clothing at yard sales for a dime or a quarter. I was able to do that regularly when my first child was born -- but that's not reasonable any more. Everything's more expensive. HOWEVER, her concepts are still valid. To stick to the same example, she talks about how, knowing that she wanted a large family, she made a "clothing system" for kids' clothes and she had a box for every size (Girls' Newborn, Boys' 4T, etc.) and she "bought ahead", knowing that these things'd be needed and might not be available super-cheaply when the time came. So read her ideas and ignore the fact that her details are out of date.

Also, some people read this book and reject it, saying, "But I don't need hints on kids' clothing or cloth diapers." Yeah, but I promise you there's SOMETHING in those books for you. Most of her hints are aimmed at families like her own: families with small children who are looking to clothe and feed them inexpensively. But that doesn't mean there's nothing in there for people whose lives don't fit this mold.

Finally, I don't agree with ALL of her ideas -- but then, with whom do any of us agree all the time? For example, she dismisses the internet as unuseful and overly-expensive. I disagree completely. My kids use the internet for homework all the time. I keep all my class assignments current on my webpage. All of us use the internet for communication. I use it to pay bills. I've saved a ton of money buying things on ebay, things I never would've found locally. The list could go on. I guess this is the point: Don't read five pages, say, "This isn't for me" and toss the book aside. Some of it you'll love and use. Other parts you'll dismisss as not appropriate for you.

 

[fatuhiva]

I love the Tightwad Gazzette & was a regular subscriber to her monthly newsletter when she still published it. I have all three books also. It's not the examples of what she does that are so valuable, it's the theory behind it. Her examples may be a little outdated, but her theory is not. I also grew up in a very frugal minded household, so it's a very natural way of thinking for me, but for those that didn't Amy Daczysyn (sp???) did a great job of teaching people how & what to think about when it came to spending money.

 

[TxRabbit]

Thanks for posting. I'm always on the look out for new ideas. I especially like how a PP noted that it's not just a list of cheap ideas but an encouragement for where you are at to seek out ways to do it more frugally. Mind set is everything I am learning, so books that teach to a way of thinking as opposed to a simple how to seem to be the most helpful for me. I just requested the Complete book from the library, can't wait to get it in!

 

[DawnM]

I have the books too, but you say you were able to save over a hundred dollars per WEEK? Can you elaborate as to what you used to spend compared to what you spend now?

Dawn

I read this book the tightwad gazette and it has changed my way of thinking and spending, there is hope for my house hold after all. If you have read this book please tell of your experiences and what things you use from this book.

I use the way she does groceries and save over a hundred dollars a week. She suggests that you know how much each thing you buy cost and price it out at multiple stores, and pay the least you can, I found out that i pay $.62 for a can of veggies at one store $.72 at another and$.78 at another, now if you only buy your veggies at $.62 and you buy 10 cans a week for 52 weeks you save $52 a year on veggies alone now if you do this for all items the savings can add up to a thousand plus a year. Pick 3-4 stores and buy each item only at the store you pay less, so you end up with three list, one for each store then buy at each store for 3-4 weeks worth and only go to one store a week and buy the things on your list for that store.

 

[kfeuer]

I have the complete book and enjoyed it, too. I've always wondered what happened when her kids got older, though. Are they frugal themselves, or have some of them completely rebelled against the way they were raised and swear to never wear used clothing again I'd love to see an updated book from her. The internet/technology has changed the way we live so much, I wonder how much of it they've embraced.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I have I think it's two books. I know I have one. I also have a couple of books titled, "More Splash than Cash". Really great books for decorating on a budget. I got a number of great tips from these books!

 

[fuji]

I have the books too, but you say you were able to save over a hundred dollars per WEEK? Can you elaborate as to what you used to spend compared to what you spend now?

Dawn

I was spending any where from $250-$300 a week and now I am spending $100-$150 a week for a family of 5, one of the biggest rules is don't buy convenience food(aka twinkies and like items)make your own. I bake a lot of cookie bars, muffins, and brownies and a I work five days a week at a very physical job and thought I was out of my mind to try this but looking at my savings every week sure pays off.(thats why i do cookie bars and not cookies)

If any one else has other ways to save money on there monthy out put I would really like to hear what you do.

 

[fatuhiva]

This thread got me interested in what Amy is up to today so I googled her. In responce to a post above about not agreeing with her opinion on the internet - it appears she now realizes the value of the internet! Here's a quote from an interview - from I think 2006.


"What’s the best tactic for saving money you’ve come across since you stopped writing The Tightwad Gazette?

The internet, without a doubt. There are countless ways to save money and stretch your dollar online: selling used stuff, buying used stuff you need, comparison shopping, inexpensive entertainment, inexpensive educational materials – for the price you pay for it, the internet is a spectacular bargain if you use it well.

The advice I wrote about the internet in The Tightwad Gazette in 1995 and 1996 are now embarrassingly dated – those pieces should basically be ignored today. Now, I’m online every day – I use eBay to sell stuff, get medical information, get legal information, order books through inter-library loan, and so on. I got interested in music and CD buying and selling – I used online resources to find what contemporary music I liked, then I was able to buy it through discount music sites, paying $1 to $5 per CD with shipping."

 

[fuji]

Thats funny I remeber the internet fifteen years ago and I might agree that then it could be a waste of money, look how far we have come.

 

[fatuhiva]

You've got me on a Tightwad Gazette roll. Here's a link to an inteview with Amy Dacyczyn - I think it's fairly recent. At the very end she mentions her daughter who has her own apartment now. The daughter who "most rebelled" when she was younger now has a tightwad furnished apartment, LOL.

http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/interview-with-amy-dacyczyn

 

[CouponCon]

Love these books. I always wondered what happened to Amy, thanks for the links.

 

[OceanAnnie]

You've got me on a Tightwad Gazette roll. Here's a link to an inteview with Amy Dacyczyn - I think it's fairly recent. At the very end she mentions her daughter who has her own apartment now. The daughter who "most rebelled" when she was younger now has a tightwad furnished apartment, LOL.

http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/interview-with-amy-dacyczyn

Thank you for that clip! I really enjoyed seeing Amy's interview. I think she is great!

 

[tinkarooni]

I was spending any where from $250-$300 a week and now I am spending $100-$150 a week for a family of 5, one of the biggest rules is don't buy convenience food(aka twinkies and like items)make your own. I bake a lot of cookie bars, muffins, and brownies and a I work five days a week at a very physical job and thought I was out of my mind to try this but looking at my savings every week sure pays off.(thats why i do cookie bars and not cookies)

If any one else has other ways to save money on there monthy out put I would really like to hear what you do.

This is exactly what I am doing now. It really does work. I buy a lot of organic, I buy my meats from local sources, grass fed beef, local pork etc. Buying in bulk saves a lot, but by far what I simply have stopped buying saves me the most. The kids know now if it has hydrogenated anything in it we don't buy it. That eliminates practically every processed pre-packaged snack food.
I enjoy to cook and bake so this is OK for me, I work at home full time but still have time to make lots and lots of things from scratch. Right now I have a loaf of wheat bread in the breadmaker, some beans soaking to make a great Chicken Tortilla Soup and corn bread in the oven that I will make into a refried bean pizza for the kids to snack on after school. Frozen snickerdoodles and Zuke bread will be this weeks sweet snacks.

I used to drop $250 week at least at the store, now I am spending around $100. or less. This includes organic dairy, organic fruits and veggies, all cleaners (do a lot of vinegar based home made cleaning) paper products (actually I only buy one roll of paper towels a month now, pretty much eliminated paper products, we use cloth napkins....but I of course buy TP ) and all pet food. I also make my list and than search out printable online coupons for what I am specifically buying, or even better I sit my DS11 down to do this.

I too have all of Amy's books, found at Half Price Books, I read them a lot just for inspiration. It can be done, it takes time though.

 

[MrsPete]

This thread got me interested in what Amy is up to today so I googled her. In responce to a post above about not agreeing with her opinion on the internet - it appears she now realizes the value of the internet! Here's a quote from an interview - from I think 2006.


"What’s the best tactic for saving money you’ve come across since you stopped writing The Tightwad Gazette?

The internet, without a doubt. There are countless ways to save money and stretch your dollar online: selling used stuff, buying used stuff you need, comparison shopping, inexpensive entertainment, inexpensive educational materials – for the price you pay for it, the internet is a spectacular bargain if you use it well.

The advice I wrote about the internet in The Tightwad Gazette in 1995 and 1996 are now embarrassingly dated – those pieces should basically be ignored today. Now, I’m online every day – I use eBay to sell stuff, get medical information, get legal information, order books through inter-library loan, and so on. I got interested in music and CD buying and selling – I used online resources to find what contemporary music I liked, then I was able to buy it through discount music sites, paying $1 to $5 per CD with shipping."

Interesting. And I'm not surprised that she changed her opinion on this topic.

What works today doesn't necessarily work tomorrow. For example, my mother sewed most of our clothes when we were growing up. Materials were very cheap, and -- very significantly -- she enjoyed it. I assumed that I'd do the same thing, though I don't enjoy sewing. By the time I had children, though, consignment stores and other inexpensive options were available, while the cost of cloth, patterns, and notions had soared. I couldn't make a garment for anything close to the cost of buying a quality used garment. So although we both chose a frugal method of clothing our children, the best choices available to us at the time, they weren't the same paths.

 

[fuji]

I brought my DD 9 thrift store shopping after reading the book and she hated the thought of buying used clothing, come to find out she loves it and wants to go all the time. I will only go when we need clothing replacement so we keep our budget under control.

I love being thrifty it is sort of a game to see how cheap you can get things.
I cut hair for a living and I trade services for manicures and other treats that I want instead of paying for them.