Customer Reviews

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

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1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

just not ethical to teach to cheat and lie.part of the degenerating cultural times being promoted.

This book would be useful to someone lacking any morals, character or basic human decency. Everyone else should avoid it.

The so-called "author" advocates committing fraud and theft in the name of getting undeserved freebies. And let's not even think about what he suggests doing to your friends and significant other.

If you are willing to sell your soul for a free movie, this book is just what you are looking for. Otherwise, stay far away.

*As written on my personal finance blog My Money Story*

A few weeks ago author Phil Villarreal was gracious enough to give me a copy of his new book, Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets, in exchange for a review. To be honest I haven't had a chance to read the WHOLE thing yet because:

1. I have two kids under the age of five
2. I don't get much time to myself to read or do anything else for that matter
3. I have a husband, a house, meals, laundry, cleaning, errands, grocery shopping, and finances to take care of

But I got about half-way in and so I will give you my review based on the first half of the book.

Phil Villarreal is c.r.a.z.y. Some of the ideas in this book are outrageous to say the least, and some of them even border on unethical (in my humble opinion), but somehow that seems to be the point or at least that is what I read between the lines. The comedic value of the book is great, and entertainment-wise you can't go wrong. I consider myself to be a pretty frugal person, but as it turns out not nearly as frugal as some apparently. The following are things that Phil talks about in his book that I personally have done:

1. I don't smoke, never have.
2. Peel coupons off packages in the grocery store and use them during that trip, or save them for later
3. Kept napkins, straws, and condiment packets for use at home (although only what I was given, never by the bagful!)
4. I don't have a land line
5. I do online surveys for points/cash
6. I RARELY use the ATM
and that's about as far as I got...

All kidding aside there are some good ideas in here, just don't go over-board as the author suggests (with tongue in cheek). At only $12.95 this is a good deal for a brand new book, and you could probably score a deal somewhere (check Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders Books & Music) with a sale or coupon (I found it for $9.32 at amazon.com tonight!). I definitely enjoyed what I read and would recommend the book to a friend, although again, please don't take it too seriously. So go, read and learn!

*I will mention that this book does contain some coarse language, and if you are offended by that kind of thing then maybe this isn't the right book for you.

Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel could not be more aptly named. Within these pages lie some of the most despicable and outrageous ways to save money you could ever imagine, many that even border on illegal. Now, I am a relatively hard person to shock or offend. Anyone who knows me personally also knows that I am gross, inappropriate, idiotic and almost completely desensitized to everything. This book shocked me.

I was unprepared for just how money-grubbing and unethical the tips in this book would be. Add to that the writing style (which is uproarious) and what you get is a book that [...] me right in. I would love to say that I did not like Secrets, but I enjoyed every second of it! Even those tips that I completely disagree with on a moral basis (like taking post-it notes to the grocery store with made-up prices for the store to match) are delivered with such wit that it is hard to even be irritated. It takes a special kind of writer to tell you to basically steal from a company and do it with a sense of humor that makes you laugh out loud as you sit alone on the porch, book in hand.

Although I am steadfast in my plight against some of the borderline criminal tips in this book, there is enough sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek expressions to show that much of the author's seemingly unethical tips are nothing more than entertainment. For example, in the section of Secrets regarding relationships and what a drain they can be on your finances, Phil recommends instigating fights before holidays and special occasions. This way, you will get to avoid gifts, dinners and other holiday fare. Here is a sample of his writing, which (if serious) is disturbing to say the least:

I recommend at least four, I-never-wanna-see-you-again (till next week) throw-downs. Valentine's day, her birthday, your anniversary, and Christmas. Throw Thanksgiving in there too if her parents annoy you and she's asked you to dine with your family.

I am fortunate that I can recognize what should be taken seriously and what is meant to be funny. But it is a VERY fine line. What may be too "over the top" for me may just be an idea or method you will gladly be willing to adapt. If you are looking for tips that will genuinely save you money, and morals have no boundaries, get this book. If you just want to laugh, and could care less about how stingy the author really is, get this book.

On the other hand, if you are easily offended by almost anything at all, this one is not for you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I will sell you my book $1
Firstly, 90$ is the most obvious things to know. Either your smart financial teacher told you or you know from street smarts. There is no in-between!!
Secondly if you want to live this way I recommend you buy a 1x1 in the forest and have a serene life

I like to laugh, and I bet you do to. Which is why I'm digging Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel. I can tell this book is funny from the Table of Contents, which makes me like it even more.

Chapter 1. All the free t-shirts, hats, squeeze bottles and hip sacks a man could ever want. How to clothe yourself by signing up for on-the-street credit-card promotions.

Chapter 5. Don't smoke. That's it. Just don't become addicted to cigarettes, you moron.

Chapter 14. Kids eat free. Let your bottomless-pit stomached rugrats punish foolish restaurants.

Chapter 18. Art of the well-timed fight/breakfup. Why you should save your big fights for just before holidays and birthdays.

Are you giggling as much as me? Okay, then. I'll just share one more.

Chapter 19. Things you never ever have to buy. Napkins, mustard and ketchup packets, and straws - the best things in life are free.

And on till Chapter 100. Each chapter is two or three pages long, so it moves along quickly. And the paper is really nice with curved corners so it feels like a luxurious read. The illustrations by cartoonist Adam Wallenta are also pretty cool.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 16: Yay WNBA, that illustrates how sassy and cheap the author, Phil Villarreal, is. Phil is a contributing editor at Consumerist and a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. His personal blog is called Because I Told You So.

"As you flip through the newspaper sports section or watch SportsCenter, it's common to wonder, "Why the hell does the WNBA exist? The answer is twofold. One is to provide a role model for young girls, teaching them that basketball isn't as pointless as softball or soccer and could actually pay off if they work hard enough. Never mind that most players make less than your garbageman. The other reason is to provide silver-bullet dates for horny young men looking to pretend they're evolved and sophisticated.

"It's the second purpose of existence we'll focus on here.

"While the average real NBA ticket price is about $50, the average WNBA admission is less than $15, meaning you won't have to sell your spleen on the black market in order to afford a game, parking, and a soda.

"Volunteering to go to women's athletic events elevates you to heroic status in the eyes of your potential beloved. All their lives, athletic-minded ladies have had their endeavors belittled and marginalized by even the men they love the most, but you emerge as a white knight who appears to actually take an interest in girls' meaningless sporting pursuits. You can boost your credibility by reading up on the teams involved so you can toss of little inside-baseball-ish tidbits as you watch the game unfold. And because the tickets cost so little, you won't even need to wince when she orders at the concession stand."

Got you hooked? I highly recommend this book if you like to save money, have a sense of humor, or are looking for a gift for someone who is frugal.

The subtitle of this book is "100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets," and with good reason. From the foreword (entitled "Threeword" because by his own admission, the author was too stingy for a foreword):

"Honor. Integrity. Honesty. Dignity. If you live by any of these values, you may as well drop this book right now, because they're against everything it professes...Much of what I write will surely disgust you, but I'm sure a sizable portion is intriguing..."

Indeed, getting past the ethics as you begin your read is a challenge, but once the tone of the book catches your interest, you can have a little fun and actually learn something. Yes - between the tongue-in-cheek commentary and outrageous suggestions, there are solid financial principles to be gathered here (and lots of little tips!).

Some of the 'secrets' you'll find in the book include:

* Old-school ways to heal coughing, nausea, and depression - without a trip to the doctor.
* How to get an extra serving of fries with nothing more than an iced cube.
* Strategies for eating lunch at your wholesale club for free.
* Getting the best prices for the stuff you want at garage sales.
* The perfect mix of soap and water to get rid of a bug problem.
* How to get banks to give you money, instead of the other way around.
* How to get free stuff just by test driving cars.
* Raising your kids for (almost) free.
* How to get the airlines to fly you around for free.

If you didn't catch on, free and cheap is the name of the game. "Don't break any laws, or get the impression that I'm advocating criminal behavior, because this book was written for entertainment purposes." I think the devilish overlay sketched onto the cover's dollar bill gets the point across fairly well.

If sarcasm, fun with money, and an open mind are in your vocabulary, you won't find a more unique personal finance book than this one to enjoy.

And with that, I'm pleased to recommend that you partake in Phil Villarreal's brand of humor.