365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money [Paperback]

Trent Hamm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2008

Use cold water for most clothes washing and save up to $63 a year. Minimize your carload and reduce your gas mileage by as much as 5 percent. Invest in a deep freezer and fill it up with meat discounted at 30 percent or more.

Take a look at your life and you'll realize that there's almost always a way to make do on less. This book offers up a bevy of ways to cut down on costs and still enjoy a satisfying lifestyle in any situation. From practicing good gas conservation habits to learning to love leftovers, this book will help every aspiring penny pincher stop the unnecessary spending and find the fun in frugality!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Trent Hamm (Huxley, IA) is the creator of The Simple Dollar (www.thesimpledollar.com), a popular blog on personal finance, frugal lifestyle choices, and do-it-yourself projects. He lives in rural Iowa with his wife and two young children. His writing has appeared on MSN MoneyCentral and in Quill magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (December 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605500429
• ISBN-13: 978-1605500423
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 6.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Trent Hamm transformed his life, escaping both massive consumer debt and work he couldn't stand. He began sharing the lessons he learned through his web site, The Simple Dollar (www.thesimpledollar.com), which has quickly grown into one of the nation's most popular personal finance sites. He is author of The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams and 365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money. Trent also contributes articles to OpenForum.com, American Express' Small Business forum.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good roundup of tips for those serious about cutting costs December 1, 2008

By Michael D. Hopkins

Format:Paperback

Trent's book is good for people serious about using many small changes to make a big difference in their monthly budget. It is especially helpful for people who think they cannot squeeze a dime out of their monthly expenses, because many of the tips are very small things that save pennies or a few dollars a month. Over time and in quantity they add up to thousands of dollars. A lot of these take some serious time, but the book is honest about that, and people who need to save money should get used to the idea that it takes time to keep money in the bank.

I would buy this book for someone new to frugality who wants a light, up-to-date read that gets to the point - no spending several chapters developing a frugal philosophy. Such a person might be frightened away by the Complete Tightwad Gazette or Your Money or Your Life. I wouldn't buy it for someone experienced with frugality.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking? No. Good book? Certainly. April 15, 2009

By Mike Piper

Format:Paperback

What the one-star reviews seem to say is that this book only offers tips that are available elsewhere. That's true.

But if a book needs to have completely new information to be worth reading, then practically every book on cooking, marketing, small business, investing, fitness, taxation, self-improvement, etc would be a waste of time and money. *All* of that information is available for free somewhere on the web.

365 Ways to Live Cheap won't be life changing, but if you read it with an open mind you should easily be able to pick up a handful of tips worth trying--each of which would likely recover the $7 the book cost.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All the best tips in one place December 4, 2008

By Bryan

Format:Paperback

The Simple Dollar has been one of my favorite blogs for a very long time and over the years Trent has shared so many great tips it's great to see some of the best ones in one place. I enjoyed reading through the 365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money it's a quick read and afterwards it's great to have on the desk or coffee table to pick up any time for a refreshing tip.

While I will say that many of the tips I've read before on the blog, I think this is a great addition to the bookstore shelves for those who don't follow The Simple Dollar. Every day, millions of people wander aimlessly through life spending money and surviving from paycheck to paycheck. A small $7.95 investment now can save them so much money later on.

This book also makes a great gift for anyone who is in need of a little financial makeover, don't let it's small size fool you - it's packed with lots of great information.