The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever [Paperback]

Mary Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 1998

In need of a Money Makeover?

Let America's most popular cheapskate show you how to go from financial chaos to freedom and security--painlessly and in less time than you ever imagined.

Mary Hunt has helped thousands live a debt-free life with her popular newsletter, "The Cheapskate Monthly." In The Complete Cheapskate, Mary puts all the very best money advice she has in one place. Becoming a classy, dignified cheapskate is not all that difficult, and Mary shows how with her user-friendly principles of saving, restraint, and living debt-free.

This book will teach you how to:
- Create--and stick to--a monthly spending plan
- Live well off 80% of your income
- Climb out--and stay out--of debt's hole
- Stretch every dollar to its absolute maximum
- Manage savings and investments
- Lower bills on clothes, food, and gifts without lowering living standards
- Live within a financial plan that includes a margin for fun and spontaneity

With hundreds of tips on cutting expenses, The Complete Cheapskate is the indispensable guide for people ready to regain control of their finances, relieve the stress money has created, and prepare for their future.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hunt knows how to live on the cheap, and she's proud of it. Although she's probably doing just fine (after the roaring success of her newsletter, "The Cheapskate Monthly," and her previous books, including Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living and Cheapskate Monthly Money Makeover), Hunt has thousands of tips for lowering bills, managing savings, getting out of debt and changing your attitude about money. In a chipper, conversational tone, Hunt explains how she became a cheapskate, what readers need to do in order to become cheapskates themselves, and how following her advice will help them achieve financial freedom. Eschewing heavy financial talk, Hunt focuses on simple methods for getting out of debt-e.g., how to develop a "Freedom Account" to handle irregular expenses, and how to shop more economically for groceries. This is an uncomplicated guide squarely aimed at helping those in tight financial straits.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Mary Hunt is the creator and publisher of "The Cheapskate Monthly," a newsletter that has provided help and advice since 1992 to overspenders and those burdened with debt. Author of several books on living debt-free and a popular speaker, she has appeared on such shows as Good Morning America and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and she has been featured in USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, Newsday, and The Wall Street Journal. She lives with her husband in Orange County, California.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Broadman & Holman Publishers; 1 edition (May 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805417702
• ISBN-13: 978-0805417708
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Business
  • #67 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Business & Investing > Personal Finance > Budgeting

More About the Author

Debt-Proof Living founder Mary Hunt has authored 18 books on money management and becoming debt-free. Her nationally-syndicated newspaper column, "Everyday Cheapskate," appears in newspapers across the country and is also distributed electronically to opted-in subscribers every weekday. She is the money editor at Woman's Day magazine and is a regular guest on national radio and television shows.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is right on target for those in debt, January 17, 2000

By 

Kelly Fritz Garrow - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever (Paperback)

I was unfamiliar with Mary's work prior to purchasing this book. Her thoughts on debt and money management hit me right between the eyes. We are giving ourselves a money makeover using Mary's ideas to get out of credit card debt.

This is an easy and enjoyable read (despite the subject matter). Mary has conquered a personal debt of $100,000 without declaring bankruptcy and it is nice to hear from someone who has "been there, done that". Her tone is non-judgemental, her ideas practical and her approach non-threatening even for financial novices.

I highly recommend this book!

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book saved our marriage and changed our lives!!!, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever (Paperback)

Thank God for Mary Hunt! She hit me right between the eyes with reality. We started in Spring 1995 with $70,000 in debt. It has taken 3 1/2 years of hard work, but in 4 months we will be completely debt free except for our mortgage, and will be in the black for the first time since 1985. She saved our marriage, gave us back our sanity and ensured that our son will have a great future. Read this book!!!

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relief for those Out-on-a-limb, January 28, 2000

By 

Susan C. Mongeon (Lancaster, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever (Paperback)

"The Complete Cheapskate" didn't sound like an answer to debt to me when I first saw the title. But I assure you,Mary Hunt has learned the hard way how to value every penny and invest - not spend - it wisely. I like to read advice from those who've been there, and Mary Hunt made me feel thrifty! Funny, sincere, and to the point. There's hope!