Customer Reviews

The Tightwad Gazette: Promoting Thrift As A Viable Alternative Lifestyle

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I have read TWG I and III so far and enjoyed them thouroughly. Although I don't think I will be recycling Baggies or building a volleyball net from plastic soda-can rings, there is lots of useful advice for getting more for less and a general validation of thrift and and the work ethic. Ms. Dacyczyns' writing style is easy, familiar and no-nonsensical, and contrary to many earlier reviewers I did not find it preachy.

Speaking of other reviews brings me to the main points I want to make here. I don't know how Amy and her husband come off in personal apperances, but the reviewer that suggested that Amy lived her frugal, stay-at-home mom lifestyle due to spousal bullying must not have read all the TWG books, or did not read them closely. Amy repeatedly makes clear in her books that she WANTED to stay home with her kids and live in a rural setting; also, that some of her ultra-tightwad ways are deliberately fanatical, almost a game with her. I for one believe this, as I had an extremely thrifty grandmother in whom I recognize some of Amy's ways. For example somewhere Amy says that even though she could buy cheap socks, she finds it irresistible to see how far a darned sock can go. As for her "lazy" husband, well, growing most of your own food and fixing up a 100-year old farmhouse takes alot of time and skill and does save alot of money. The reviewer was cynical that his "helping" with the Gazette was really help, but let me tell you that having just recently done (for the first time) my own camera-ready copy for a scientific paper, putting out any kind of publication in camera ready form is a heck of a lot of work. It's also expensive: in my case it saved $2000 to do it myself. I wouldn't be so quick to write Amy's husband off as a slacker.

The other point I wanted to address is the aversion expressed by many readers to dumpster diving. I haven't tried it yet and have no plans to, but there are good reasons why it may appeal to some tightwads. I recently read Juliet Schorrs' "The Overspent American". This book documents out-of-control spending and consumerism among Americans, and examines why people that spend like crazy generally remain unfulfilled. Apparently one of the syndromes of overspenders is that they quickly grow tired of (or never even use) their expensive stuff, and often discard pefectly good (often very high quality) things in order to make room for the new stuff in their lives. In order to substantiate this part of her research, Schorr dispatched her graduate students to the dumps in posh Boston suburbs; she reported that they returned with "lovely gifts for everybody in the office".

I grabbed this book eagerly at the library. I have renewed it twice, and am really enjoying the read. I think the amount of flack that Amy is receiving in these reviews simply backs up her assertion that tightwaddery is a lifestyle for the select few. Apparently I'm a good candidate for tightwaddery, because I'm not laughing. In the book she says "When Oprah had a show on cheapskates, I didn't laugh, I took notes." That's me.

For instance, this Halloween we carved pumpkins on the night of trick or treating, as she suggested. We did this so that we could use the pumpkin up without it rotting. The next day I brought it inside, cut off the burned spot, cut it in chunks, steamed it, peeled it, cooked it, blended it and froze it. TEN cups of pumpkin puree. Out of one pumpkin. That's enough for 25 loaves of her holiday pumpkin bread. That's exactly what I was looking for when I picked up this book. Good old-fashioned thrift.

By the way, I feed my family leftovers, much to the horror of some of the reviewers. My mother fed me leftovers. I think we must be pretty spoiled as a nation to be that upset at the idea of using our resources as fully as possible. I cannot imagine making dinner and throwing out half of a good healthy meal. I also recycle Ziploc freezer bags. This is not gross! We are living in a nation that promotes disposable everything, from one-use toilet brushes to one-use cameras to one-use dish rags. Manufacturers are continually coming up with more and more of these things. If you only use it once, you have to buy more, and subsequently Line Their Pockets with your hard earned dough. They are suckering us! Washing something in order to reuse it, especially if it's something that you'll just buy more of otherwise, JUST MAKES SENSE. Frugality is about being thankful for what you have and using it to the best of your ability. It is very satisfying to me to be able to take some wheat kernels and turn out a loaf of bread. My kids are not wasteful, at least not as far as food goes because they know that food comes for a price. I'm not on food stamps, I'm self-sufficient, my 6 year old could practically bake bread on her own, they appreciate new toys and especially new clothes that grandma buys them.


I truthfully don't think her ideas are extreme, except for the homemade baby formula thing.(Okay, maybe the juice can lid wind chimes were a little out there.) Nevertheless, most of her ideas do have practical application. She has a little design for turning a large-size marshmallow into an easter bunny shape by cutting it a certain way. I tried it today and it's really cute, and once again satisfying to hand make. I guess I have never been in an affluent environment, so I have never had everything handed to me on a silver platter. If you think leftovers are table scraps, garden produce is uncivilized (where do you think the store gets it?) and powdered milk is a deadly sin, please try and break free of the pop-tart culture that is being shoved down your throat. The rest of the world does not live in an such an extremely wasteful culture as this. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for all the blessings that I have by living in America, I simply don't want to be sucked in by those who would have me hoard excessive junk paid for on credit to be cool and fit in. I'm looking for true freedom, financial freedom that I've earned through hard work and resourcefulness. That's true happiness.

I bought this book on a whim off the bargain shelf at Barnes & Noble. Since then, I have read and re-read it and cluttered up the pages with annotations and sticky notes. It isn't just the usefulness of the suggestions that keeps me coming back, but also the author's whimsical writing style. Clearly, she doesn't take herself too seriously, but she does take saving money seriously. There are no lengths to which she will not go--from stocking up on sale-priced food to recycling vacuum cleaner bags--to avoid wasting money.

Notice that I did not say "to avoid spending money." Her whole point is that there are things worth spending money on and things not worth spending money on, and which is which will vary from person to person. Her own splurges include a big New England farmhouse and six children. But as she points out, this is what frugality is all about: spending less on the things that aren't important to you so that you'll have plenty of money for the things that are. As she puts it, there's no right or wrong way to be a tightwad.

Sometimes, it's true, she can come across as a little obsessive. But after all, when you're trying to crank out a newsletter of money-saving tips every month, you probably can't afford to skip over any idea, no matter how trivial it seems. The idea is not that you're going to save enough for that New England farmhouse by buying clothes secondhand, or by cutting your kids' hair yourself, or by canning your garden produce--but the more of these things you do, the more it all adds up. You have to make your own decisions as to which money-savers are worth the time and effort for you personally.

I'd like to point out that other reviewers who have been criticizing some of her ideas appear not to have read very carefully. A lot of people have attacked her for "recommending the use of homemade baby formula," but if you read past the first two paragraphs of this article, you'll find that she specifically *doesn't* recommend the use of homemade formula; she *does* say that breast-feeding is by far the best for babies; she points out that although formula is expensive, it's best to look for other ways to cut expenses first; and she urges anyone who's thinking about using a homemade formula to check with a pediatrician first. Also, she never suggests that you use half as much ground coffee to make a pot; what she says is that you can reuse coffee grounds by mixing them with some fresh coffee--about half the amount you used for the first pot. (I admit this isn't the best tip in the book. I tried it and never managed to get the same amount of coffee out of that second pot. But it's not an inherently absurd idea.)

Overall, this book is well worth the 10 dollars or so you'll spend on it. If you're not already an accomplished saver, the tips in this book will probably save you many times what you spend on it, and even if you are, there are plenty of useful ideas to be gleaned from it. Plus it's nice to know that you're not alone.

I really enjoyed reading this 3 vol. set of books.I don't agree with ALL of the information and advice given in these books. I have tried many of the money and time saving devices listed. I use the home-made pizza dough and the home-made cream of soup all the time. This is like algebra, you just have to think in a different way. Good for the new wife or the big family.

As a long time subscriber to the Tightwad Gazette, I can see many reviewers have a distorted picture of Amy and Family from only reading the book.

First, it's not surprising someone got "bored" with it after reading 3/4 of it, it was meant to be read one issue at a time - a whole book results in Overdose.
Amy's husband was a 20-year Navy career enlisted man. They knew they would have a not-too-large lifetime pension and lots of half-grown children when he retired. So they PLANNED AHEAD how to have one Stay-at-Home parent at all time plus the large white farmhouse they had always dreamed of. They chose Maine because cost of living was reasonable there.

They knew the only way they could manage the monthly mortgage payments on the house they wanted was if they made a VERY substantial downpayment (mortgage rates were higher then, and back in the 80's I don't think there were any JUMBO 35-mortgages which result in your being enslaved to the bank for the rest of your entire life, should you live so long) and started to save immediately for the downpayment. They lived in a studio apartment when first married.

They are both extremely "handy" and they just have never swallowed the American Frenzy for "buy more, more, more, newer, latest model, upgrade " that fuels the American Economy since the 1960's. Matter of fact, they seemed to live more the way families back in the 50's did - one TV, baking, freezing and canning, kids playing ball outside in the yard, Scouting, Church on Sunday, a stay-home-parent (after the husband retired, it was he, and Amy started the Gazette. And her husband, Lord love him, cooks and can fix almost anything.)

The picture painted by Amy in the Gazette is NOT of the stereotyped decaying 21st Century Family with both parents working 12 hours a day, a diet of take-out or order-in food ("whaddaya feel like tonight, honey, Chinese, Thai or Pizza?") , nannies, kids with their own cars and VISA cards, psychological disorders, parents who don't know what their kids are doing and are afraid to discipline them, humongous credit card bills and the possibility of having to declare personal bankruptcy, drug abusing kids snorting stuff off the granite kitchen counters, etc. (hopefully, most of today's families aren't like that either, but from some of the things you observe ....)

As far as I know, once they had amassed a nest egg they felt was big enough to give their kids the education they wanted, they suspended the publication of the Gazette, much to my dismay.

I followed a lot of the tips given and the philosophy and retired at 49. I've had time and money to travel a LOT and care for aged, ill parents. You'll never convince me that the things I learned from the Tightwad Gazette and from Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's "Your Money or Your Life" aren't the sanest way to live.

Seriously, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the "voluntary simplicity" movement, or those who believe that their dreams are bigger than their resources.

One of the most important points Amy makes throughout is that different families and different situations will require different forms of economizing. What makes financial, ethical, and personal sense in one situation will not necessarily do so in another situation, no matter how similar they seem.

You might want, as the author does, a pre-1900s rural farmhouse with attached barn, suitable for six kids. Or you might be content to live in a shack so that you can maintain a fleet of snowmobiles. Or you might be like me and want to save money to continue in graduate school without taking out thousands in student loans.

Whatever your dreams are, if you follow the author's advice and tips on cutting back in the areas that are lower-priority in your life, you will be that much closer to realizing them. I don't agree 100% with her advice, but I like her approach. :)

Amy Dacyczyn is like a breath of fresh air - blowing in the energy to try new, creative (yet inexpensive) ideas yet cleaning out the old routines that have kept us in ruts (and our bank accounts at a deficit) for years. Amy challenges the reader to embrace these ideas with a touch of cleverness and a big dose of humor. Amy's suggestions for frugal living are simple, well researched and fun...when your neighbor sees you stapling the vacuum cleaner bag closed, they will either share in your excitement or start looking for a new home! The best thing about Amy's books are the validation you receive for your efforts to conserve, reduse, reuse, recycle, rethink and reinvent! Your self esteem will soar, and so will your savings account! I would be remiss, however, if I didn't mention that Amy would never condone buying her book new at a book store or even through a discounted internet service (sorry!). Amy's recommendation is to find a used copy, share the copy your friend already owns, take it out of the library, or at the very least, buy a new copy with several of your friends thereby reducing your cash outlay. Now, doesn't that make sense?!?

I have all three books and guard them with my being. These books show how it isn't the big expenses that do us in, it is all the little ones that add up because those are the ones we forget about.It's amazing how a little ingenuity can bring a cash flow into the house that maybe suffers from to much debt. These books should be a must have for all newly married couples or just anyone in general.

I have 3 of the author's books. And would not part with any of them. I lost my job 8 years ago due to my pregnancy. We didn't know how we were going to eat. I saw the author on Donahue and had hope. Not only have I managed to remain a stay at home mom, we owe no money except a small mortgage. And we have managed to travel to France, England, Scotland, and a yearly trip to Orlando. If my house was burning, these books would be the 1st thing I would grab! You won't use all of their ideas, but it starts you thinking in the correct manner to get out of debt. And stay out of debt!

Dacyczyn does not encourage us to follow her methods literally; she only suggests looking at our spending habits and realigning them. Spending less money on areas which we consider low-priority leads to higher savings and monre money to spend on things we consider important to us.