Living Well On Practically Nothing and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
Sell Us Your Item
For a $2.00 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading Living Well On Practically Nothing on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Living Well on Practically Nothing: Revised and Updated Edition [Paperback]

Edward H. Romney , Ed Romney
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

List Price: $27.00
Price: $21.30 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.70 (21%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 9 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Tuesday, May 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $14.85  
Paperback $21.30  
Sell Back Your Copy for $2.00
No matter where you bought them, get up to 70% back when you sell your books at Amazon.com.
Used Price$9.99
Trade-in Price$2.00
Price after
Trade-in
$7.99

Book Description

November 2001 1581602820 978-1581602821 Revised
Living Well on Practically Nothing: Revised and Updated Edition is for people who need to live on a lot less money. If you have been fired, demoted, retired, divorced, widowed, bankrupted or swindled - or you just want to quit your job and remain financially self-reliant - this book is for you. In it are hundreds of tips, secrets and necessary skills for living well on little money. Chapters include: Save Up to $37,000 a Year and Live on $12,000 a Year; Low-Cost Computers for Fun, Profit, and Education; Some Ways to Live on No Money at All; A Day of Cheap Living; A New Career or Business for You; Fix Things and Make Them Last; and Protect Your Investments and Make Them Grow. From cover to cover, this book is stocked with proven methods for saving money on shelter, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, health care and more. The author left the "system" in 1969 and has worked for himself ever since. Let him show you how you, too, can live happily, comfortably and with complete financial freedom.

Frequently Bought Together

Living Well on Practically Nothing: Revised and Updated Edition + Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money + Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution
Price for all three: $43.26

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The late Edward H. Romney, the author and publisher of a popular series of books on repairing cameras, grew up in the 1930s, part of an old New England family that lost their money in the Great Depression. Before leaving his job in 1969 to live as a self-employed entrepreneur, he taught electronics, psychology, sociology and education at the college level.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Paladin Press; Revised edition (November 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1581602820
  • ISBN-13: 978-1581602821
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

I think we're much too consumer oriented, so I like the idea of living a more simple life. J. Coulthurst  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Well, I'm not discrediting there is some good points in this book, but I had two issues. zendog57  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
I've enjoyed this book and found it an interesting read. Kelly  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
137 of 144 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but maybe not Practical January 15, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've enjoyed this book and found it an interesting read. The author does offer some good "thrifty living" advice throughout the book as well.

However, some of this book is more radical than most people might be willing to follow. We are a family with several young children - we aren't really up for moving away from all family, Church, and friends to live in a remote rural location. Nor would we be willing to convert an old bus into a home for our family. We aren't willing to give up basic utilities either. And as far as squatting on someone else's land and hiding our camp... well, let's just say that's not very practical with toddlers. :)

So, I think this book may be somewhat useful to families who are trying to live a thrifty existence and avoid the consumer trap. But at the same time, much of the advice may be too extreme for most people.

Its worth reading though, and I found the author's wry, conversational style writing entertaining and easy to read.
Was this review helpful to you?
77 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
+++++

"If you have lost your job or expect to, or had to take a much lower-paying job, or if you have ever wondered how you would survive if you were [without much money then] this book is for you. It is based upon the experiences of real people known to the author--and do very well at it. Teachers, preachers, retired members of the military, people on small inheritances, country people, old people who survived the Great Depression, farmers, writers, artists--all have contributed their know-how on economical living...the author comes from a whole family of [money-concious] New Englanders whose unique...lifestyle is detailed in this book. He remembers the 1930's Depression as a small boy. In later years his father never let him forget it...he has learned to [watch his money] with the best of them--and enjoy doing it. He has used [many of] the methods described in this book and been successful enough so that he is no longer [without money]...This book will help you if you have been fired, demoted, retired, divorced, widowed, bankrupted, or swindled."

The above is from the introduction to this book by Ed Romney. It pretty well sums up this book succintly. I should also mention one more thing that the author says:

"[This book] is not puffed up and padded like many [other] books. I have digested and condensed it to save paper and save your time reading it."

As a person who has thoroughly read this book, I can validate what Romney says in the above quotations. What he does not mention is that this book is, above all, practical.

Readers of this book might get the impression that they have to do everything that Romney suggests. NO. This book is for a wide spectrum of people even for people in extreme circumstances. The idea is to pick and choose. Even Romney admits that he hasn't done everything he suggests but mentions them only because he knows other people who have done them.

There is no index included with this book. Why? Because it doesn't need one. The chapter titles cut straight to the point of each chapter. My favorite chapters have the following titles:

(1) Save money on food

(2) Save on clothing

(3) Save on shelter

(4) Save on transportation

(5) Save on education, entertainment, and vacations

(6) Save on health and medical care

(7) Save up to $37,500 a year and live on $12,000 a year.

Each chapter is divided into sub-sections with a sub-title. This makes the book very easy to read. Here are some of the sub-titles for the first chapter:

(1) How to stay out of debt

(2) Credit cards are addictive

(3) Make things last

(4) There is no real status in spending

(5) Fighting consumer mentality

(6) The anti-spendthrift checklist

(7) Why do people work so hard for nothing?

(8) Don't be one of the apparently wealthy.

There are other good books on this same subject that I recommend:

(1) Your Money or Your Life (by Dominguez and Robin)

(2) How to Survive Without a Salary (by C. Long)

(3) The Joy of Not Working (by E. Zelinski)

I also recommend any movie version of "Death of a Salesman."

Finally, I found that some sections of this book had the author's opinions on various matters (such as on politics and education) that may offend some readers. (Personally I was not offended.) I felt the author could have made his point without these opinions.

In conclusion, this is a book for people who need to live on a lot less money. If this describes you, then you must read this book!!

(first published 1992; revised edition published 2001; introduction; 17 chapters; conclusion; main narrative 190 pages)

+++++
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
77 of 81 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars redneck vs millionaire econonics July 28, 2003
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I love this book. The author just died this year 2003, the day after Easter. I wish I could have met him.

Every page is filled with neat ideas. I especially love his "redneck vs millionaire economics."

He describes how his son started a business recycling used pallets and built it into a million dollar business.

One chapter is "How to save $37,500 and live on $12,000 a year."

This book does not have the typical frugal ideas of turning down the thermostat and collecting coupons. There are plenty of other books to describe those ideas.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
First, for a book that is supposedly not "puffed up and padded" there were a lot of snippets about how workers were stupid, how the women in particular cities are pretty (which was... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Artemisia
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
This was an excellent book, I originally read it back in 1999. I found the book to be very insightful in regard to showing the reader how to cut down on their expenses. Read more
Published on May 18, 2011 by John J. Ubele
5.0 out of 5 stars I Love this friggin' book!
So many great ideas. Living in a boat for instance. I'm moving into a boat this month. Food ideas, alternative housing, alternative transportation, etc. Read more
Published on April 9, 2011 by noiseyboy
4.0 out of 5 stars Torn
I am torn 50/50. Half of me loved this book, but half of me felt very ripped off by the incongruency between price and quality of content. Read more
Published on October 24, 2010 by Not Pleased
2.0 out of 5 stars It wasn't all that ...
It's not like me to write a negative review about a book because, after all, we can find good in anything if we look, right? Read more
Published on February 14, 2010 by zendog57
4.0 out of 5 stars Good HOW TO Guide
I read this book in about two nights. It's very interesting.

Allthough, most of the information is dated*, the principles** remain the same. Read more
Published on January 15, 2010 by W. Lord
3.0 out of 5 stars Important Lesson for All You Busy-Bodies
He gets a bit extreme at times, and its mainly for people heading out into the country (he also talks about how to hide undetected on government lands). Read more
Published on April 8, 2009 by OtherWorlds&Wisdom
4.0 out of 5 stars Not so practical, but very inspirational
Edward H. Romney advocates (advocated?) a lifestyle based on voluntary simplicity and self-reliance, and here he gives a whole lot of ideas for achieving this. Read more
Published on August 3, 2008 by Curmudgeon
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money
I found Mr. Romney's self-satisfied ode to living the life of a small-town scrooge/tight-wad to be arrogant, self-righteous and bordering on out-right offensive in places. Read more
Published on July 21, 2008 by Spartan5000
2.0 out of 5 stars kind of bizarre
I'm a sucker for any book that tells me how to live a more frugal life. I think we're much too consumer oriented, so I like the idea of living a more simple life. Read more
Published on March 26, 2008 by J. Coulthurst
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category