Book Review: The Complete Tightwad Gazette

Have you read The Complete Tightwad Gazette?

In the 1990’s, Amy Dacyczyn had an idea for a home-based business. She started a newsletter called The Tightwad Gazette aimed at promoting frugality. Later, the issues of the newsletter were combined into books, and ta-da! The Complete Tightwad Gazette was born.

My first experience with this book came when I was in high school. I believe an aunt gave our family a copy one Christmas. Being the avid bibliophile that I am, I picked it up out of curiosity and skimmed through it. A few articles stood out in my mind – one about only using the dryer for cloth diapers [“Air-dried diapers resemble shingles, both in appearance and texture. I regard happy babies to be a bargain.” p. 69], and one about using the ‘snowball’ principle.

Sadly, I didn’t understand the idea behind the ‘snowball’ at that time. My adolescent brain couldn’t comprehend how it worked. Now, however, I realize exactly how it works – and her example is a great illustration of how small changes add up to big results.  It’s just too bad it took me almost 20 years to figure that out!

While some of the information is obviously dated [especially when talking about prices!], the overall message is one that would benefit most people. Even though I’ve read this book cover-to-cover several times, I still go back through it and find more information that is relevant and helpful to me.

One of the great things about this book is that Amy doesn’t just tell you how to do something. She shows you how to do it. She walks the reader through the process of figuring out how much you can save by packing lunch or hanging clothes to dry. And a lot of good information comes from readers of the original newsletter. Those comments are included throughout the book.

Additionally, there are several success stories throughout the book and included at the end to show just how people can change their financial futures through choosing a frugal lifestyle. I find that when I get discouraged about this debt-free journey, it really helps to read about others who made the choice to live more frugally, get out of debt, and make smarter financial decisions.

If you’re looking for a book to inspire you, help you learn, and a fun read, try The Complete Tightwad Gazette!

The Intelligent Zebra