The Complete Tightwad Gazette | 
 enlarge | Author: Amy Dacyczyn
Publisher: Villard
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.97
You Save: $8.98 (39%)
New (32) Collectible (1) from $13.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  212 reviews
Sales Rank: 8804
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 976
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 0375752250
Dewey Decimal Number: 640.42
EAN: 9780375752254
ASIN: 0375752250
Publication Date: December 15, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Though tightwad seems like a derogatory term, author Amy Dacyczyn wants to assure you that it's okay to be a penny-pincher. This self-styled "Frugal Zealot" wrote and published The Tightwad Gazette for over six years to spread the frugal gospel. Each issue contained tips from her personal experience and from her many readers. The wealth of information contained in all these issues has been compiled into one volume for the first time. You'll find literally thousands of ideas for saving money, from the simple or practical to the difficult or bizarre. On the simple, practical side, Dacyczyn advises would-be tightwads to keep track of price trends at several stores in a "price book" and to buy in bulk when prices are low. Other, stranger offerings include tips for turning margarine-tub lids into playing-card holders, old credit cards into guitar picks, and six-pack rings into a hammock or volleyball net. More helpful are inexpensive recipes for making homemade versions of pricey, well-known products and ingenious ways to fix broken or damaged items. The book's disorganization encourages browsing, but the detailed index will point you to the exact page for specific items. Dacyczyn's occasional "thriftier than thou" tone is balanced by the friendly support for frugality that infuses every page. She even reminds her readers that it's okay to "sweat the small stuff"--because this small stuff is the essence of frugality. --C.B. Delaney
Product Description
At last--the long-awaited complete compendium
of tightwad tips for fabulous frugal living!
In a newsletter published from May 1990 to December 1996 as well as in three enormously successful books, Amy Dacyczyn established herself as the expert of economy. Now The Complete Tightwad Gazette brings together all of her best ideas and thriftiest thinking into one volume, along with new articles never published before in book format. Dacyczyn describes this collection as "the book I wish I'd had when I began my adult life." Packed with humor, creativity, and insight, The Complete Tightwad Gazette includes hundreds of tips and topics, such as:
Travel for tightwads How to transform old blue jeans into potholders and quilts Ten painless ways to save $100 this year Picture-framing for pennies A comparison of painting versus re-siding your house Halloween costumes from scrounged materials Thrifty window treatments Ways to dry up dry-cleaning costs Inexpensive gifts Creative fundraisers for kids Slashing your electric bill Frugal fix-its Cutting the cost of college Moving for less Saving on groceries Gift-wrapping for tightwads Furniture-fusion fundamentals Cheap breakfast cereals Avoiding credit card debt Using items you were about to throw away (milk jugs, plastic meat trays, and more!) Recipes galore, from penny-pinching pizza to toaster pastries And much much more . . .
Three books in one--a $38.97 value for only $19.99!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 207 more reviews...
 Well worth it... August 13, 2008
I am leading a frugal life these days after getting out of the rat race and finding that I have a great desire to not be a working stiff. Working part-time means an iron fisted budget. "Your Money or Your Life" is what got me started on this path, and "The Tightwad Gazette" was published with people like me in mind. I had heard about the newsletter for years, and finally thought to read this book.
As other reviewers have noted, frugality isn't a religion. You can pick or choose how involved you want to be. For me, the crucial discovery has been that there are many things I can abstain from without noticing a huge difference in the quality of my life. I will never give up travel... it is an essential part of my life. But there are other day-to-day things I don't miss at all. Since reading this book a few months ago, I have started making my own pizza and bread (VERY good suggestion; it cuts the price in half and is surprisingly easy to make, even without a food processor), I'm more conscious of turning off lights, and I've assembled a price book. None of this was difficult and it was fun. In the first two months, I managed to save $300 from an already meager budget.
What is difficult about this? Like any habit, it is a discipline. I have lost hours making bread dough, bargain hunting, and making my own tomato sauce. But I find that I enjoy the feeling of taking care of myself and not wasting money. I had great fun assembling the price book. I now know the lowest prices to expect for a lot of items, and it's fun to be on top of things.
As a single person, a lot of "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" did not apply to me. I skimmed over sections on kids' craft projects and clothes issues, of which there are a lot. I would say I picked up only a few ideas I'll implement over the long term, but it was still fun reading about others' habits. This is a fun book, well worth the price.
 Love this book August 7, 2008
I enjoyed this book tremendously. She has a great style of writing and a lot of the information was helpful. Perhaps even more than the specific ideas, I think it helps me come up with my own ideas, be more conscious of unnecessary spending and less wasteful in general. I have already bought another one for someone else, who also loved it.
 Outdated, irrelevant, and time consuming August 6, 2008
Living frugally while raising a family and sending my husband to college full time while living on one income in Los Angeles is no easy task. This book was a waste of my time. It includes ways to make your typewriter tape last longer and how to save on encyclopedia sets. If saving time is as important to you as saving money, then this book is not for you. If you are searching for the book used here on Amazon.com, then you are already ahead of the game.
Indespensible, Essential, Entertaining Book July 19, 2008
This is the essential book to have in your library. It is all three of the Tightwad Gazette books in one handy big, giant book. Written by Amy Dacyczyn who refers to herself as the Frugal Zealot, It is the most informative book on not just saving money, but adjusting you mindset to make it fun. I love the articles, It helps me come up with creative strategies to save my money for the things I want in life. I once loaned out my individual copies of this book to my brother's now ex -wife and regretted it bitterly as I never got them back. Now I have the Bigger compendium and It does NOT leave my house, not for love or money. I am going to buy more copies to give as gifts. One more note, I worked in the used book business for ten years all together and in that time, this book was often requested and rarely traded in, Just like all good books. Thank you, Frugal Zealot, I couldn't do as much as I do without your constant, in book form, support and guidance. You truly do change lives.
Had to Own My Own Copy June 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I checked this book out from the Public Library here in Medford, Oregon. While it is a little dated in some ways I decided to purchase it from Amazon.com anyway. Most of the book contains useful approaches to saving money that are quite relevant today. With 969 pages of well indexed and helpful advise, every home should have one for reference - and use it before making purchases.
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