Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets [Paperback]

Phil Villarreal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

The secrets to saving money in any economy, con, script, trick, and take at every opportunity.

Phil Villarreal is not a Harvard MBA or a professional financial advisor or a talking head on a cable television network focusing on business, but he can change your financial life—if you are willing to move into the gray areas of money and ethics. His advice is as funny as it is useful as it is a little bit evil.

Instead of playing straight and saving money by cutting back on things you need or want, Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel has a better plan to save money by working the system and sticking it to “the man.” Here’s how to get free Internet service, never pay for ketchup and plastic straws, get refunds on already opened DVDs, clothe yourself using free swag from credit card promotions, benefit from the bonanza that is the garbage thrown out by college kids, how to get in free to sporting events, score free on-demand movies in hotels, and more!

Hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, and sardonically practical, this is the book for everyone who loves rule-bending, loophole-exploiting, money-saving madness. In this economy, it’s every man for himself and dog-eat-dog—and this book can help. 50 color illustrations

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book not only pays for itself within the first few chapters, but Phil unearths ways to subvert the scams of cellular companies. Eye opening at the very least, this money-saving manuscript is less an ode to parsimoniousness, and more a call to arms. --Maddox, author of New York Times Bestseller "The Alphabet of Manliness" June 16, 2009

Review

Phil is a devious mastermind. He'd be the Lex Luthor of tightwads if Lex Luthor was hilarious. Most of the advice in this book will at best destroy your treasured personal relationships and at worst get your butt kicked, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is awesome. If you've ever done something cheap and blushed slightly, you'll be gratified to know that not only is there someone else doing that exact cheap thing -- he's perfected a system and is willing to share his knowledge with a grateful public.

Not only did Phil get me to write this blurb for him, he also convinced me to give him $20 from my wallet.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602397546
• ISBN-13: 978-1602397545
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,075,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phil Villarreal is the author of "Secrets of a Stingy Scounderl: 100
Dirty, Little Money-Saving Secrets" and "Stormin' Mormon." He has been
a movie critic since 2001, writing for the Arizona Daily Star and OK!
Magazine. He also is an associate editor at the consumer advocacy blog
Consumerist.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can't imagine living with this person, August 18, 2010

By 

N. Fedder "lookandlearn" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets (Paperback)

I actually bought this book (paid real money for it). The author strikes me as a person who most people would not want to befriend. His ideas are written in a sometimes funny way (except when he marginalizes women) but he is like a person who would rather throw litter in the street than use the garbage can. He is totally out for himself at the expense of all others and he comes across as a person without any real kindness and generosity of spirit. So he tells you to take the coupons off of groceries that you are not even buying so that the next person loses out. He tells you to stuff ketchup packages in your pocket along with mustard when you are at a fast food place. Can you imagine his apartment or house with little soy sauce packages and mustard and ketchup stuffed in a Tucks box. The laughs don't take this book very far. He reminds me of the person who has his car broken into and claims that he had $10,000 golf clubs in the trunk (although it would be more likely mini golf cub that he stole from the kids park) so that in the end we all wind up paying higher insurance costs. It's an ugly book written in an ugly manner. Also, if your teenager ever read it, he/she would be on the road to a petty and unlawful life. Keep away and save your money for the $1.99 supermarket ketchup that will last you a year or so.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Suitable for Children, September 26, 2009

By 

Jesse Michelsen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets (Paperback)

This book is a great, lighthearted read. The author writes with a certain undeniable charm like that of a grungy sailor coming into port.

The advice in the book can only be taken half seriously and with a grain of salt. From a financial perspective many of the tips would and have been used by many but the author says it best, "Honor. Integrity. Honesty. Dignity. If you live by any of these values, you may as well drop the book right now(...)"

I would say leave your pride at the door as well because digging through dumpsters or posing as a homeless person are part of the curriculum covered in detail in the book.

Each of these 100 juicy secrets are quite detailed and clearly written from experience. Phil's tongue-in-cheek commentary on each tip is hilarious and just adds value to the great ideas as well as the horrible ideas.

I admit to having done and still do about half of the tips in the book. The other half, most of which I am kicking myself for not coming up with and the rest make my moral compass go haywire, are extremely tempting and almost make me want to take up a few new hobbies.

What you will find in this book:

* How to "dine like a cheap SOB"
* Ways to dodge costly relationship milestones
* Instructions on getting freebies in every situation
* What it means to really pay yourself first
* Doing all of the above while looking like the hero

What you won't find in this book:

* The same tips everyone else already knows
* "Honor. Integrity. Honesty. Dignity."
* How to score points with the man upstairs
* Tips on building healthy relationship with friends or family
* Anything boring!

I can just imagine Phil at the family Christmas party hoarding Tupperware, scraping leftovers off abandoned plates back into the container for later use and giving out handmade sock puppets as gifts to all his relatives.

All jokes aside, the book really has some great information that just about everyone can apply to their finances and was worth every penny.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing but the musings of a small mind, January 15, 2011

By 

DutchessofBlackhawk "DutchessofBlackhawk" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets (Paperback)

This book is nothing but the musings of a small mind and a borderline petty thief. If you're the type that feels good about being a complete skinflint this is your book. Yeah, break up with your girlfriend before valentines day/holidays to save a few bucks. Sign up for promotions just to get the free hat or shirt, yeah, that's classy.

So if you want to read a couple hundred pages of this rubbish, have at it. Otherwise, just stay away.


Finally, if you're truly cheap and if you really want to read this, get it from the library don't buy it here.