Book of the Week "The Tightwad Gazette II"

The Tightwad Gazette II
by Amy Dacyczyn

Amy was the Frugal Zealot who came on the scene in the early 1990s with her monthly newsletter, was interviewed for a local newspaper, and had her big break through when she appeared on the Phil Donahue show. That one appearance boosted her subscription numbers from 1700 to 40,000.

By the time she closed up shop, she had published the newsletter for 6 years, had published 3 books, and wrapped it all up with The Complete Tightwad which combined all 3 books and included highlights from the last year of the newsletter.

So it's all ancient history (oh that hurts to write). Why read it now? Because her ways of thinking about money, about reusing, about being frugal are gold. Sure, her references to technology are dated, and who writes letters to manufacturers anymore, but the techniques she used and shares in the books for making wise financial decisions are solid. And that's why she shared them, so we could learn to think for ourselves rather than just taking her word for what is a good deal.

The Tightwad Gazette II by Amy Dacyczyn - Paperback - First Edition - 1995 - from Top Notch books and Biblio.com

The Tightwad Gazette II by Amy Dacyczyn - Paperback - First Edition - 1995 - from Top Notch books and Biblio.com

And so yes, I do recommend this book or any of the Tightwad Gazette books you can get your hands on. I picked mine up at the library book sale and the thrift store.

What are you reading this week?
Ann

Comments

I'm in the pillowcase business!

Part of being a stay at home mom and making sustainable living choices is keeping expenses down, but the other part is to increase the income, too. And working from home allows me to develop multiple small income avenues rather than just going after the one big avenue of income. With that in mind, I've been brainstorming, trying to come up with a project for the cold winter months. I've kicked around various crochet ideas, but was truly inspired when I came across the idea of making custom pillowcases. Here are some photos of the one I whipped up this morning specifically so I could take photos to promote this new business venture. Isn't that a lovely pillowcase? I can't wait to share with you all the pillowcases I have planned! Come spring, I'll add chickens, well eggs, as another avenue. And of course the garden will go in which will reduce our food spending in a big way. What small avenues of income are you working on? ...

Money

Money, the taboo topic. We're taught, by our parents and the culture we live in, to not talk about money. Don't talk about how much you make. Don't talk about how much you spend. Don't talk about the ins and outs of credit cards. Don't talk about how much financing really costs. And if you're in a financial mess, don't talk about that either. So we're each alone in dealing with our finances. Oh sure, you an ask your folks. And get the lecture. Or you can pay for a consultation with a financial advisor, and their sales pitch (usually). But where can you just sit and talk about the basics? What if you just want to know you're not the only one who is bearing the consequences of a bad choice? What if you just want to share ideas and hear other people's thoughts on what is working and not working? I propose that it starts here. My sustainable living passion isn't just about the planet, environment, and being fruga...

So Much Stuff

We live in a world of SO MUCH stuff. It's overwhelming just how much stuff there is in our world, at least in the US part of the world. Yesterday, I had a couple of hours to kill, and because my husband and I have decided we would prefer to furnish our home with antiques, I decided to take a walk through the local antiques mall. The antiques mall is in an old building downtown that used to be a JCPenney, so if you're familiar with the JCPenney stores of the 1970s and before, you'll know what I mean when I say it's big, really big, as in 3 floors of stalls of antiques. And the antiques range as far as they can from crochet-edged hankies to pyrex bowls to cast iron hand pumps to hoosier cupboards. Truly, if you're looking for a specific item, and you're willing to spend the time, you'll find it in this store. So much stuff. Most of it just sits there, collecting dust. Like wall-hanging thread holder which I first spotted the first time I w...

Ann Leach

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