Reddit mentions of The Complete Tightwad Gazette: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle

I read the Tightwad Gazette books years ago. I think that's what got me started on the FIRE path. She also had a military husband and they ended up with 6 kids sort of accidentally, but they still retired early. It might be a little dated but she inspired me a lot even though I never had a lot of kids. I think her overall mindset is what impressed me the most. I think she still gets interviewed pretty regularly.

This is a great idea for a challenge. I'm not so great at budgeting but I always enjoy reading about other people's money-saving victories.

Budget cooking resources. I only know of two budget cooking cookbooks for vegans, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day by Ellen Jaffe Jones, which I don't have, and Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson, which I do.

https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Vegan-4-00-Day-Conscious-ebook/dp/B006IS83W0/

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Robin-Robertson-ebook/dp/B00BKROO22/

Vegan on the Cheap is a good money-saving cookbook, especially if you're fast in the kitchen. The thing about trying to budget is that you often have to trade time, creativity and effort for money. Some of the recipes in the cookbook are geared toward making your own staples rather than purchasing them at the store. Others use affordable ingredients like potatoes, cabbage, lentils and winter squash to create tasty main courses. Each meal lists its supposed cost although food has gone up in price since this cookbook was published, so I'm not sure how helpful that is.

While I don't own it, Miyoko Schinner's The Homemade Vegan Pantry is a cookbook of staples. I suspect it's also money-saving for that reason. Maybe those who have this cookbook can weigh in on whether it is?

https://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Vegan-Pantry-Making-Staples-ebook/dp/B00NRQXT70

These are a couple of college cookbooks that say they have affordable vegan recipes, though I have no personal experience with them. Maybe someone can weigh in on them? The are:

PETA's Vegan College Cookbook

https://www.amazon.com/PETAS-Vegan-College-Cookbook-Delicious-ebook/dp/B01CO4HH4Q

Student's Go Vegan Cookbook by Carole Raymond

https://www.amazon.com/Students-Go-Vegan-Cookbook-Recipes-ebook/dp/B003EVJKIU

There is a new money-saving vegan cookbook in the works that won't be out until June, Frugal Vegan by Katie Koteen.

https://www.amazon.com/Frugal-Vegan-Affordable-Delicious-Cooking-ebook/dp/B01MQ3O7DK/

Finally, I'd like to recommend a book on money-saving that is entertaining as well as educational, The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Promoting-Alternative/dp/0375752250

Dacyczyn and her husband's dream was to raise a family of six kids, but to do this, the Dacyczyns had to become radical money savers. They tried and tested many money-saving strategies, and eventually began to publish a newsletter. Their newsletter subscribers contributed suggestions of their own. This book is a compilation of all their newsletters. It is somewhat dated, since they were published in the 1990s, but many of the money saving tips in it can still be applied.

Did you know that soy flour sold in bulk makes a good egg substitute in baked goods? I didn't either, until I read this book. Did you know that you can calculate the energy costs you accrue when you turn on the oven for an hour? This book shows how it can be done. The book also has some strategies for how to grocery shop -- the authors take in account not only prices at the supermarkets in their area, but also the cost of gasoline when they make multiple trips.

They're not vegan, and many of their strategies were too radical for me, but I really enjoyed reading about their creativity and ingenuity.

These are all the resources I know of, off the top of my head, but I'm really looking forward to hearing what books and blogs others have tried!

Allright, I'm calling BULLSHIT.

First, they CAN get their credit cleaned up enough to get a freaking 50% mortgage on a paid off house. I just ran some figures and even with higher interest rates, a 10 year mortgage at 7% interest is going to run them $570.00 a month. If they work on their finances they can probably get closer to 5% which is $476.00 a month (if they live in the county a USDA mortgage might be as little as 3%, which is $434.00/month).

If they can get the USDA mortgage, which puts them at just over their 'budget', they can find the rest of the money by getting rid of their storage unit, selling the shit inside and NOT paying that bill anymore. Seriously, if it's been in a storage unit for 13 years, they don't freaking need it.

That is pretty cheap for a living expense, AND it's only a 10 year note, so they'll own it free and clear in the not-to-distant-future.

I'd suggest, if they are up for it, a 'gift' of The Complete Tightwad Gazette and anything by Dave Ramsay or Clark Howard.

They are making a financial problem. They can freaking fix this. And if they have NO credit, that's different from BAD credit, and frankly with NO Credit and owning a house free and clear, there's PLENTY of mortgages you can get, so that is BULLSHIT.

Pointing a gun at your foot and then pulling the trigger is not an adequate reason to fuck up your kids lives.

Your money or your life. Old, but I think it has worthwhile messages. And you could get it second-hand.

Ditto for "the completentightwad's gazette".

Dude, I'm super fucking frugal. Lemme help ya out.

First: you get bills reduced by threatening to cancel, call and say you want to cancel. They will offer you some kind of deal. Prior to doing that shop their competitions so you know when you're getting shafted.

Coupons and sales: Weekly you get the fliers for the grocery stores and what's on sale. The front page has their loss leaders, these are items that they are either just breaking even or losing money on, just to get you in the door to spend more money. Coupons can be found online and in sunday papers, coupons combines with the weekly sales fliers = mucho savings.

Cloth diapering is cheaper in the long run, if you choose not to go that route then combining coupons with sales is the best way to do it.

In my area milk is cheapest at costco, but it's two gallons at a time. If you don't think you can drink a whole two gallons in about two weeks then open one, pour some a glass of milk, drink it, put the top back on the jug and stick it in the freezer, taking a glass full out from it will allow for expansion and the milk will last two weeks from when you defrost it.

Buy this book it is worth every penny and then some.

ETA: Get clothes at consignment sales (mothers of multiples sales etc), stuff there too, or craigslist, thrift stores etc.

Try really hard to breastfeed, if you can do it you'll save tons on the formula, alternatively you can get donor breast milk from hm4hb etc. Once babies are old enough for solids making your own is cheapest, especially if it's just the stuff you guys are eating, for example yesterday we had rice, chicken and peas for dinner, I pureed the leftover peas and gave them to Ben today. Personally I've found my immersion blender to be the best thing ever for making baby food.

I'm under stress in a lot of ways, but none of that is helpful to you.

I have some reading suggestions for you that may help you dig yourself out from under your financial bind. You can get these books for free from the library.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Amy-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344868366&sr=1-1&keywords=amy+dacyczyn

and

http://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-Without-Salary-Conserver/dp/1895629683

For the emotional stuff

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-find-peace-during-overwhelming-stress-depression-259037.html

Hang in there, Brother.

Nothing lasts forever, not even pain. It will pass and new moments will come.

Okay! The author was a lady who back in the 70's (I think) had a newsletter she sent out that was finally consolidated into book form. She was raising a bunch of kids and trying to save $ so she & her family could have the house & lifestyle they wanted on just her husband's salary. Here's the Amazon on it:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Promoting-Alternative/dp/0375752250

You may be able to find it at a library. She was pretty popular back in the day.

The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, is highly recommended. Thrift is a state of mind, and very helpful to those who take the time to learn.


http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Amy-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250

Someone wrote to The Tightwad Gazette about how they would sew designer tags onto generic clothes that they sent their children top school in.

The Tightwad Gazette is available as a single volume. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250

What about this? https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Promoting-Alternative/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485351961&sr=8-1&keywords=tightwad+gazette