Customer Reviews

The Tightwad Gazette #2: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

but this book was not as all what I expected. Maybe when the book came out it helped people save money, but in these days a lot of the things seem downright cheap. When I say cheap I don't mean save money cheap, I mean way cheap! Regardless of how frugal I was, I would never make my child use a jump roap made out of grocery bags or pick through a dumpster for unlabled canned goods. The section about bringing up baby didn't have much frugal advice to offer either except buy clothes second hand and don't buy your baby toys, pacifiers, swings, or any of that stuff because Ms. Dacyczyn's child never used them when she bought them so therefor your child shouldn't need them either! While I did get some good laughs out of how cheap and lame some of these ideas were, 2 stars for the book.

I read this book aloud to my family in the car during a summer vacation. They loved it--my husband and kids alike. As I read, I came to realize that this book has enormous value beyond the kooky money-saving tips it is famous for. Please, in evaluating the Tightwad Gazette, consider these additional points most reviewers seem to have missed:

1. The book fosters critical thinking skills. So very many of Ms. Dacyczyn's articles present both the pros and cons of the issue, and her recommendations are based on sound and extensive research sprinkled with a healthy dose of skepticism. After being exposed to her thinking style, my kids will think twice before being sucked in by advertising.

2. The book fosters creative thinking skills. There is no better life skill than to be able to stretch your one remaining dollar to meet your five outstanding needs. At some time in their lives, your kids are going to need this skill.

3. The book will show you how to make informed decisions. Ms. Dacyczyn's basic strategy is to calculate, by whatever means available, the true cost of any given expense. And while you may really need to save a penny by making your own tomato soup, you're just as free to conclude that, at a penny a pop, it's well worth your hard-earned money to buy the canned soup. Knowledge is power, and by applying Ms. Dacyczyn's strategies, you'll be fully informed, forewarned and forearmed.

I highly recommend this book to parents. (However, I beg to report that my own research has shown that if Desitin does not, in fact, speed the healing of diaper rash, it certainly relieves the pain!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would buy it for the same reason I would buy a dictionary: I keep referring back to it so much that if I had to go to the library I would use extra money for gasoline. If I had to go to the web for the same information, I would end up raising my electricity bill. It's more than the recipes and resources. It's more than the tips and techniques. The reason I love this book is because it's a source of encouragement. I don't feel powerless anymore over my money. I feel like I can choose what is important to me and what I should be spending money on. Not the other way around. That's really all tightwaddery is about and that is the whole point of this book.

If you really want to understand the philosophy side of tightwaddery, I recommend you search for the first volume of the Tightwad Gazette (which is out of print) or go ahead and buy the Complete Tightwad Gazette. It's a very good investment.

This book has so much information available, that the price definently is justified even for the tightest tightwad! Some tightwads may feel that buying this book would be not keeping in context with their frugal beliefs, however lighten up and just buy the book. It's a worthy investment. You'll incur more debt by trying to xerox the information or printing every page off the net, or your friends won't let you keep their book for too long! I'm glad my sister gave me this book, because though I'm only 21 and in college with hardly any responsiblities, I've learned many valuable and durable lessons for my financial future!

I never knew how much money we were wasting on take out, processed foods and plactics that were being wasted in our home. I like Amy also have twins, boys, and needed a way to conserve that extra time and money by being frugal.

I would highly recommend this book and the other two Tightwad Gazette books. They are well worth the purchase price for anyone with a financial goal and not much money to meet it.

of course there's some good suggestions in these books, even if they do border on fanatical. However, in keeping with the theme of their contents, the original tightwad would not buy any of them, just sponge the contents from the web, libraries, friends, etc.

ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE IDEAS ARE A BIT EXTREME...(TOILET PAPER SPLITTING), I REALLY ENJOYED THESE BOOKS (ENOUGH TO BUT ALL 3) AND READ THEM OFTEN FOR IDEAS. USUALLY, I WILL SEE AN IDEA, AND TANGENT OFF OF THAT IDEA TO SOLVE OTHER PROBLEMS.

I implore anyone that is looking to downsize,save money, or just live better to run out to you local bookstore or hop on your computer and find www.amazon.com and GET THIS BOOK!!! If this is the only book you buy then this should be it.

This book belongs in everyone's "home

library." Even if you have no need to save

bucks, nor any interest in being frugal, it is

an important reference of household info,

and an excellent guide to recycling everyday
items. You'll laugh at some of her ideas and

then employ them right away