Comments on: Two Books I Absolutely Love

By: boston renter

boston renter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:46:23 +0000

Volume III is 1.21 at half.com. Half always seems less expensive than amazon,

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:18:30 +0000

I, too, LOVE these books! I got all 3 on a clearance table about 8 years ago, after taking them out of the library at least a dozen times. Also, about 2 months ago, I found volume II at a thrift store, so picked it up for my daughter’s hope chest. I do a “reread” of them about once a year…all 3 volumes, cover to cover.

By: Nine Circles

Nine Circles — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:52:23 +0000

I have all three of the Tightwad Gazette books. I’ve read them cover to cover and refer back to them now and again for specific ideas, but also just for a general tune-up of my frugal attitude. Dacyczyn took a lot of grief from people who criticized how extreme some of her ideas were, but I think her message was always very clear: use what you have as much as you can, waste nothing, and use your creativity to save money. I think her three books are essential reading for anyone who really wants to or has to make do on very little money.

By: Mar

Mar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:29:06 +0000

I had the three individual books but bought the complete volume when it was published. I gave the three individual books to a friend who really needed them and find having all three volumes in one book to be very handy. The final section of this book contains several pages of notes/letters that Amy received over the years thanking her for the inspiration that she provided and telling her how much the authors were able to improve their financial lives using her ideas.

More than the individual articles, though, I have always been inspired by Amy’s attitude and tone. She knows this isn’t for everyone and doesn’t expect everyone to go along. She doesn’t fault you for that and doesn’t expect you to fault her for what she does.

Finally, the books also provide a new way of looking at things. They start to get your own creative juices flowing and help you to look at an item or a problem differently and develop a workable, hopefully inexspensive solution or use.

By: Rob in Madrid

Rob in Madrid — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:05:57 +0000

I’d be curious to read a review of Trent Hamm (of thesimpledollar.com fame) 365 ways to live cheap

By: Michelle H.

Michelle H. — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:56:12 +0000

I have one of her books that I bought at a garage sale. It was originally .75 but was marked down to .10! I’ve always wanted to tell her – she’d be so proud! ha! I do have to wonder why the garage saler was willing to let it go so cheap – maybe frugality wasn’t for them…

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:02:33 +0000

I agree 100%. As you say not all ideas are appropriate for everyone but each time I read through the complete tightwad I find new ideas to try. This book is appropriate for anyone wanting to be frugal or who wants to look at things from a different perspective. One thing I really like is the way she’s not afraid to try out different ways of solving problems.

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:35:13 +0000

Great review Tricia! I remember when (1991?) Amy D. and her family appeared on TV to discuss their newsletter. I’ve been a fan ever since. Her books are a treasure of excellent ideas and she is always inspirational!