The Penny Pinchers Club: A Novel [Paperback]

Sarah Strohmeyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2010

Living in suburban New Jersey, Kat has a pretty serious retail habit. Now it looks like her husband Griff is having an affair...and setting up a secret bank account in preparation for a divorce. Suspecting her spending habits may be driving him away, Kat's determined to save her marriage by saving some money. But when her rich ex-fiancé turns up with a tempting bargain, she'll have to decide whether love conquers mall...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Strohmeyer's bubbly farce finds a shopaholic New Jersey wife worried about hanging on to her husband and trying to curb her lavish lifestyle. Katarina Kat Griffiths, a 40-something interior designer, joins the eccentric supersavers of the Rocky River Penny Pinchers Club to get out of debt, put her daughter, Laura, through college and save her marriage to Emerly College economics professor Griff Griffiths. Suspecting that Griff is having an affair with the more economically sound Bree, his sexy assistant, Kat vows to save her marriage, even if it means giving up her Lexus and her Starbucks triple venti lattes. Hilarity ensues as Kat discovers, among other things, two Mint Tingle condoms in the pocket of her husband's khakis right before their 20th anniversary as well as his secret $10,000 bank account. When newly divorced Liam Novak, Kat's first love, returns to town, complications ensue. While Strohmeyer's plot may appear overly cutesy, she (The Cinderella Pact) finds ample humor in her family-centric story, and the list of Top 15 Dos and Don'ts from the Penny Pinchers Club is spot-on. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sarah Strohmeyer is the bestselling author of Sweet Love, The Cinderella Pact, The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives, and the popular "Bubbles" series. She lives with her family outside Montpelier, Vermont.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade; Reprint edition (July 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451230027
• ISBN-13: 978-0451230027
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I stumbled into this business back in 1997 as a harried mother spoofing Barbie in BARBIE UNBOUND: A PARODY OF THE BARBIE OBSESSION, I had no idea that what started out as a lark would evolve into a career writing twelve novels published in multiple languages - from Thai to German - and even a Lifetime Original Movie: Lying to Be Perfect. Some have been bestsellers. A few have won awards, mostly, I think, by accident.

Now, with the publication of KINDRED SPIRITS, from Dutton, on June 30th, I've taken my writing down a different path, exploring women's friendship, what bonds us, what makes us do incredibly stupid things for one another and how a few martinis along the way can make it all worthwhile. (And, possibly, explain the stupid things per above.)

In KINDRED SPIRITS, I hope you'll not only make friends with Beth, Carol, Mary Kay and Lynne, but also get down to some serious martini making. Ginger, Lemon, Blue, Cosmopolitan - KINDRED SPIRITS has a bunch of recipes.
Here's one for a killer CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MARTINI.

First, dip the rim of your martini glass in melted bittersweet chocolate and freeze.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of a martini shaker muddle a few fresh raspberries. Add raspberry vodka and Godiva chocolate liqueur plus a splash of Chambord. Shake vigorously with ice. Pour into chocolate- dipped glasses and garnish with fresh raspberries.

Hey. I really want to keep you entertained. But I never said anything about keeping you thin! :)

To learn more about me and my books, please visit http://www.sarahstrohmeyer.com or visit me on FB where I write stupid stuff almost hourly.

Sarah (and her trusty writing partner seen here, Fred)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A penny saved, August 10, 2009

By 

Luanne Ollivier - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Penny Pinchers Club (Hardcover)

...is a great read!

The first book I read by Sarah Stohmeyer was the Sleeping Beauty Proposal - a great fun chick lit read that I enjoyed. So on a rainy Sunday I happily settled down with her latest - The Penny Pinchers Club.

Kat Griffiths is unpacking her husband's luggage after his business trip. But when she discovers two Mint Tingle Trojan wrappers and a receipt for a fancy dinner on a night she couldn't reach him at the hotel, she is caught unawares. Convinced he is having an affair with his young assistant, Kat visits a divorce attorney, who advises her that she will need at least $15,000 of her own money to land on her feet. The problem is - Kat loves to shop. What she doesn't love is knowing what she spends - Visa bills are the enemy. But forced with no choice, she vows to stop shopping, cut corners and save money. To that end, she joins the local 'Penny Pinchers' club. The plot thickens when a former lover appears back in her life.

Strohmeyer is a witty writer. The dialogue is funny and fast paced. Her characters are warm and engaging. The members of the club are an eclectic interesting group that I enjoyed. The secondary plots involving their lives added to the story. The group has some good realistic ideas on saving money - especially timely in today's economy. There's a list of their suggestions included at the end of the book. Although it's a light hearted entertaining read, the degree of happiness Kat achieves without the purchase of 'things' is worth noting, as is the degree of satisfaction she finds in taking control of her own life. The ending isn't quite what I envisioned or would have preferred, but I enjoyed it very much. If you're looking for a fun light hearted read, this would be a great choice. A little more hen lit than chick lit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best Work..., April 16, 2010

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Penny Pinchers Club: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

This is my third Sarah Strohmeyer book, and it is by far my least favorite. It's difficult to explain what exactly I didn't like without giving something away, so if I seem vague, it's because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

The overall readability of the book is just fine. Ms. Strohmeyer keeps the story going at a great clip, revealing just enough to keep you eagerly turning the pages. Some characters (Elaine comes to mind) are not really developed well at all though, so when you meet them throughout the book, you have to struggle to remember who they were, and where Kat knew them from. On a good note, I really liked the tips given on how to save money. Some were a bit extreme, like canceling the cable, and trading in the car, but others I've actually started doing myself...flipping the power strips my TV's are connected to whenever they're not in use, and unplugging gaming devices which eat up electricity, even when they're turned off. Also making a consious effort to turn off fans and lights in rooms that aren't being used.

My main issue with the story though was the predictability. I guessed very early on what the outcome was going to be, and I was disappointed to see that I was correct. I also had a hard time swallowing how neatly everything wrapped up. Even the outcome of the Penny Pinchers themselves. It was all WAY too convenient. Kat's husband Griff; while I believe Ms. Strohmeyer was out to make him seem likeable, he wasn't really. I never trusted him, and (here's where I have to be careful with what I say) while he was a pleasant, easy going guy, and all his explanations added up, for things to end the way they did, those emails were worded VERY strangely. Who would talk like that? Ok...that may not make sense to some people, but read the book and you'll get it.

In the end, I don't discourage anyone from reading this since it wasn't that bad of a story, but it's certainly not her best work. If you've never read Sarah Strohmeyer before, then do not start with this. Try 'Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives', or 'The Sleeping Beauty Proposal' instead, both of which are GREAT books.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just In Time For The Recession, July 5, 2009

By 

B. Davis "crazy about books" (Beautiful Northwest USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Penny Pinchers Club (Hardcover)

What a book! It's just in time to make us laugh AND help us think of ways to save a little money. Well written and witty. Grab a bag of chips, a big glass of iced tea and get ready for an afternoon of non-stop, sizzling fun! A must read.