I mentioned recently that I’m doing a reread of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It’s been years since I have read it (probably since the very early days of my blogging career), so I thought it would be fun to reread it now, all these years after it was published.
Regarding the photo above: I think Amy would appreciate that her book is on a Buy Nothing table, along with a free Facebook Marketplace lamp and a picture frame from Goodwill (plus a nursing book from a sweet reader!)
Some of the information in The Tightwad Gazette is hopelessly outdated, like “Spray WD-40 on your worn typewriter ribbon to squeeze a few more uses out of it”.
Now I have to quote a Taylor Swift lyric:
I think some things I never say Like, “Who uses typewriters anyway?
Typewriter advice aside, some of this book’s contents are bound to be timeless.
So, I thought that as I reread, it would be fun to highlight some of the timeless content, along with some of the most ridiculous/outdated tips.
The gazettes were originally three books, but my version contains all three. Each book is separated into Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer sections, so I’ll do one section at a time, starting with Fall in the first book.
Best Frugal Philosophy Advice
The practicalities of frugal living may change with the times, but the philosophies do not. So, these are the nuggets I’m most excited to pull out of the book.
How to be More Creative
In the essay, “How to Be More Creative” two bits stuck out to me.
Amy lists ten steps to become more creative, and the second one is to “Give yourself mental space; a clear field.”
She says,
We tend to fill up our days with the TV, car radio, reading the paper, chats with friends on the phone. Instead, do “mindless” tasks in quiet. Boredom never strikes, as the mental gears whir constantly.
This one made me smile because it is so funny to think of reading the paper as a way to idly fill up your day. Imagine what Amy would have thought about the way we idly fill up our days now that we have smartphones!!
In mean, in 2024, we consider ourselves to be quite focused if we manage to watch TV without also simultaneously scrolling on our smartphones. 😉
Seriously, though, I do think she has a point here. As you all know, I often listen to podcasts or textbook chapters as I walk, but sometimes I just put on music as a background (or go without headphones at all), and I walk and let my mind wander.
Sometimes I get really good ideas this way, sometimes I find myself processing through memories and emotions, and I think these things happen because my brain has a chance to just think without outside input.
The second nugget in this essay is at the end.
She says,
What the heck does creativity have to do with thrift? Tighwaddery without creativity is deprivation. When there is a lack of resourcefulness, inventiveness, and innovation, thrift means doing without.
But when creativity combines with thrift, you may be doing it without money, but you are not doing without.
Yes, yes, yes!
This is exactly what I have written about multiple times; I’m not interested in deprivation. Rather, I am interested in getting the things/experiences I want, just with less spending involved.
A beautiful life, but on a budget.
Three Ways to Save
This is such a good basic frugal framework! The three main ways to save on something are:
- Buy it cheaper
- Make it last longer
- Use it less
And you get the most savings by combining 2-3 of the strategies.
For instance, you can buy a clothing item on eBay (Buy it cheaper), then wash it in cold water, line dry it, and repair it when necessary (Make it last longer).
Or you could combine all three like this:
- buy a used car (buy it cheaper)
- maintain it and repair it as necessary (make it last longer)
- minimize your driving time by combining errands and carpooling (use it less)
An essay on…privilege
Amy doesn’t use the word but her essay, “A Stolen Thanksgiving Soap Box Speech” is basically about what we now would term privilege.
Amy points out that things like being born in a wealthy country, having good health, or coming from a stable, loving family are gifts that we did not work for, and that not everyone starts in the world with an equal number of gifts.
The attitude of, “I worked hard and I deserve…” does not consider the very large degree that our gifts contributed to what we have.
She says that those of us who have been given surplus gifts should use those to smooth the peaks and valleys of unequal gift distribution.
And if we live frugally, we can maximize the gifts we have, which will leave us with more to give to others.
Basically:
- We should recognize and appreciate the gifts we’ve been given
- It’s our responsibility to use our gifts well (not everyone does!)
- Using our gifts well will yield a surplus, which we can share with others
Outdated Stuff
Things Used to Be Cheaper
This expensive home-packed lunch rings up at $1.63. THE HORROR. 😉
The “$0.04 per dinosaur” kills me. Ha.
Life Before Online Billpay
A tightwad gazette reader wrote in to say that she and her neighbors send their telephone bill payments together in one envelope, and also all their water bill payments so that they can all save on the cost of a stamp.
I do remember that early in my adult life, I had to write checks for all the monthly bills, but I am delighted to have everything set up for online autopay now. No postage required at all!
And no bill coordination with neighbors required either.
An Actually-Good Tip
Baggie Washing pays $30/hour
I will spare you all the math she shared, but even back in 1990, washing plastic bags for reuse netted people $30/hour for their effort.
So, imagine how much more that task is worth now!
Remember the pity party I had after I got this knife block?
My student nurse job is going to pay me $20/hour, so hey, even the 1990 rate for bag washing is more than that.
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Well….that was fun, at least on my end! I’d be happy to keep going with this series if you guys are interested.
Maybe we could do one every other week, on Wednesdays, and if you have the book, you could read along and come share your own nuggets each time.
Soo, if there is sufficient interest, we could do the Winter portion of the first book on Wednesday, June 26th.
