Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy Review

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(More customer reviews)I first read this book a few years ago when I was working full-time and thinking about becoming a stay-at-home-mom. After reading this book and putting some of the advice into practice, I cut thousands of dollars from our spending annually. For example, I used to spend $150 a week on groceries for a family of 3 (at that time). We now have 4 people in our family, and spend about $70 a week! THAT'S $3,100 A YEAR SAVED just on groceries.
Her analogy on what it costs to work as opposed to staying at home went a little overboard. But generally, her message that most American families CAN afford to live off one income came across loud and clear -- and, having been through the transition myself, I couldn't agree more!
Having led a similar lifestyle as Ms. McCoy's prior to quitting the work force, I could absolutely relate to her struggles and determination to spend less, so therefore I "heard" the advice she was giving. If you put into practice just a little of what is in this book (especially in attitde towards money and cutting on groceries), you will save thousands per year.
A previous review speaks to the fact that this book contains much information that is in other books on this subject. True, but basically they're all the same (just like workout videos!). The personality of the author and your ability to relate to their particular situation is what determines if you like the book and their advice. I personally thought Ms. McCoy was smart, determined, and had conviction, so I admired her.
I highly recommend this book to beginners!

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Jonni McCoy and her family are proof that you live on one income. The McCoys made a successful transition from two incomes to one while living in one of the most expensive parts of America: the San Francisco Bay Area.Her Miserly Guidelines will help you save thousands of dollars a year on everything from groceries to electricity to insurance and household cleaners--as well as reveal the hidden costs of holding a job and common money wasters. Her practical, proven cost-saving techniques, strategies, tips, and recipes will help you live frugally without feeling deprived.

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Amazing Insider Secrets: 1703 Money Saving Tips Review

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(More customer reviews)This book contains does contain information that many people are already are aware of, but it also has a good bit of stuff that most people haven't heard of or is not widely known. I like the tips that show the reader how to use items around the house as problem solvers versus having to purchase a new product. This is certainly a great book to have around the house or to give as a gift. By showing me how to use what I already have on hand, it has saved me money and shown me several ways to save even more. It's kind of like having all the best tips and tricks from grandmas all over the world in one book :)

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Save hundreds of dollars by just following the secret tips found in this handy reference guide filled with tips and "confidential advice" that come straight from the mouths of knowledgeable insiders. Most of us have been victims of misinformation or withheld information. Amazing Insider Secrets will give you the facts that will make you the smartest, sharpest consumer on the block. The secrets range from how to slash your food costs to crucial appliance-care instructions that belong in every owner's manual. You'll be amazed at how enlightening and simple these remedies and professional solutions are: *Dealing with stress? No need to buy an expensive drug—try basil tea. Fresh basil is easy to find in any supermarket. *Fake the cream in sauces: Use nonfat condensed milk instead of heavy cream; you get the creaminess without the fat and calories—and save money. *Seeing spots: Spray an ink spot with hairspray then launder, or sprinkle baby powder on an oil stain, let the powder absorb the oil then brush it off. *Don't buy plants retail. Divide perennials with friends and neighbors, or watch for a local garden club to hold a plant sale. Learn easy, low-cost solutions to problems around the house, common lawn care mistakes, must-have kitchen items to have on hand, and many more handy tips that will keep your life running smoothly, prevent huge repair bills, and save you time and hassle.

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Frugal Almanac Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this book misleading, at best. The ideas in it are simply common sense -- anyone who has even played with the idea of embracing a more simple, frugal way of life already knows this stuff.

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A guide to saving money offers truly innovative ideas and strategies for eating well on a budget, dressing for less, cutting electricity bills, buying a car, and suchlike, arranged according to the seasons of the year.

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The Tightwad Gazette III: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone who has ever felt a little envious of a neighbor or said "Gee, I wish could afford a house/staying home with the kids/starting a business/traveling/etc." MUST read one of Amy's books. The basic philosophy as I understand it is just this: skip the temporary, one-time expenditures and spend the bucks on a more lasting investment (house/kids/business/early retirement/whatever YOU dream of). I received an economics degree not too long ago, and I recognized Amy's philosophy immediately as essentially the basic "guns-or-butter" discussion from ECO101, the basic problem of limited resources and economic choice. The idea in class, as in real life, would be to MAXIMIZE the VALUE received for the dollars, not just buy whatever until you're broke and then figure out what you got for it.
More than any other author I have seen, Amy challenges her readers to examine their own values and utilize all of their creativity and intelligence to maximize the value they receive for their money. This is NOT a "don't shop when you're hungry, use coupons, and gee, try to pay down your mortgage" book. Amy provides an impressive array of real, creative, effective methods to slash waste of resources: money, time and the enviroment. The books teach you to THINK in a "tightwaddy" (economic) way and take real control of your future according to your own value system, instead of just throwing out a handful of one-time-only "tips". I can honestly say it brought microeconomics home to me and changed my life.

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This third collection of the best of Dacyczyn's popular newsletter presents all-new advice and tips, culled from the fifth and sixth years of The Tightwad Gazette. A tireless advocate of "voluntary simplicity, " Dacyczyn offers lessons in advanced "tightwaddery, " such as how to cut back APR interest points on credit cards, strategies for comparing food bills, guides to saving on the cost of college, and the secrets of yard sales and store bargains. Illustrations. 320 pp. Author tour. Radio ads. 150,000 print. (Reference)

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Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy Review

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(More customer reviews)I was kind of leery when I first began reading Miserly Moms Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy by Jonni McCoy and published by Bethany House because I wasn't sure if a family who has two children and who has a lot of other differences compared to our family would be able to help me with ideas on living frugally. I was proven wrong and again taught not to assume or judge a book or an author by it's cover. This book is indeed a great help no matter the size of your family.
As gas prices go back up, food prices continue to climb and trying to make sure we have enough money for a house payment, one van payment, electricity, water, food, etc I try to find ways to cut corners. For my family, food is one way we look to cut corners and I have been already been doing a lot of scratch baking and freezing. It's amazing how one can stretch a $1.55 (on 'sale' at Aldi's) bag of flour! So that was one thing I concentrated on this book, the food. Also by cutting out cable and satellite *GASP* and not having a cell phone *GASP AGAIN** we don't live like most Americans.
Jonni McCoy offers Eleven Miserly Guidelines that are easy to implement and keep with it. Some of these I had already been doing such as not shopping at the same store, making and freezing food, making meals from scratch, etc but she offers other ideas for taking it further. She gives idea for baby care including whether to use disposable or cloth diapers, making your own baby food (we save on this by my nursing for however long the baby wants and not starting solids until 7 or 8 months when the baby can generally some of the foods I make for everyone else). There is also a section for working moms, although she does advocate for mom's who stay home she knows this isn't always a possibility for all moms.
The section on clothing was the one section I disagreed with as she said she she figures out how many outfits her family needs each month or two and tries to find the best deals for the items needed. I couldn't imagine being able to buy new clothing or even buying clothing at thrift stores every couple months - it's not in our budget. So that to me was a bit much, but I don't have an issue with my clothes not being the latest fashion either.
Overall, I was very impressed with the ideas in the book and she has included several recipes. I made the taco seasoning, I hate buying the store bought seasoning with all the MSG and other junk, so I made the recipe in her book and it was GREAT! My husband said he liked it better than the store bought as well. It had more taste and definitely more healthy and cost effective (it makes 12 servings). There are many more recipes and ideas for "pre-packaged" convenience foods to make at home - like baking mixes you can use for biscuits and pancakes. If you'd like to learn how to save money I would definitely suggest you get this book!

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With gas and food prices soaring, there's more need than ever before for Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms. Jonni shares the money-saving strategies that allowed her family to transition from two incomes to one. These practical, proven strategies, tips, and recipes will help anyone live frugally without feeling deprived. Real-life examples show how anyone can learn to live more carefully and reach their financial goals. Now in its fourth edition, Miserly Moms is packed with even more ways to reduce a family's expenses and expose hidden living costs.

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Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape Review

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(More customer reviews)Note that the title of this book includes the words Drylands. This book is primarily about catching rainwater for use outside of your house, i.e. watering the plants. The illustrations and descriptions are based on life in Arizona. There you want to catch all the rainwater you can get and get some use out of it rather than simply letting it flow down the street. At this purpose, the book is excellent. This is the way it should be done but rarely is.
My own experience with catching rainwater is quite different. I was living out in the swamps in Louisiana. We had plenty of water. In any direction you cared to go there was water. Average rainfall was about 65 inches per year. In fact when we went to town we went by boat.
So why rainwater? Pollution. The water that comes to Louisiana has come down through a thousand miles or more of agricultural runoff, sewage treatment plants that may not have been working so well, feedlot runoff, and God knows what else.
We used a system kind of like his drawing on page 71, but there were certainly no cactus plants around. But note carefully item number 4 in his components, what he calls a first-flush system. This is a system to vent the first few gallons of water off the roof away from the storage cistern. If you are going to drink the water it's best to get rid of the bird droppings and other stuff that accumulates on the roof between rains.
He doesn't describe the first flush system but from the drawing it looks like it might be some kind of a commercial device. Ours was a home made affair. A two foot long piece of gutter was hinged so that it stuck up in the air, held there by a spring. When this gutter was up in the air, the water dumped into a bucket. When the bucket got full it pulled the gutter down against the spring and then it directed the water into the cistern. After the rain stopped you emptied the bucket and it sat there waiting for the next rain.
Great book, not only about how to collect rainfall, but about the general problem of the shortage of clean water.

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Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape is the first volume ofthree-volume guide on how to conceptualize, design, and implement sustainable water-harvesting systems for your home, landscape, and community. This book enables you to assess your on-site resources, gives you a diverse array of strategies to maximize their potential, and empowers you with guiding principles to create an integrated, multi-functional water-harvesting plan specific to your site and needs. Volume 1 helps bring your site to life, reduce your cost of living, endow you with skills of self-reliance, and create living air conditioners of vegetation growing beauty, food, and wildlife habitat. Stories of people who are successfully welcoming rain into their life and landscape will invite you to do the same!

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