Guest Author - Cate Brizzell

Amy Dacyczyn, a frugal Navy wife and mother, began publishing "The Tightwad Gazette" in newsletter format in 1990. The newsletter gained quite a following, and somewhat ironically, after six years of publication, Dacyczyn's fame and fortune enabled her to quit publishing the newsletter and retire financially secure.

Dacyczyn's newsletters were published as three best-selling books, and are now available in one volume called "The Complete Tightwad Gazette".

Reading this book is like taking a cold-water bath. It's shocking in its deep levels of frugality and rejection of modern consumerism, and it can be painful for those who chronically overspend or are used to luxurious lifestyles. I believe an argument can be made that the "tightwad" label isn't entirely desirable, especially if one feels called to spend life with a generous spirit. But if you can look past the intense frugality and can handle being called a "spendthrift" because you take your kids to McDonald's once in a while, there's plenty of true money-saving gems in this collection.

Make no mistake about it, Dacyczyn's frugality is deep and far-reaching. Her frugal lifestyle borders on shocking for some, revolution for most. When I read how Dacyczyn recycled aluminum foil, leading family members to give her brand-new boxes of aluminum foil for Christmas, I was shocked. Even with my background of very modest means, that was a bit too "revolutionary" for me.

But just as with any other self-help or lifestyle advice, it all boils down to personal need, personal experience and personal commitment. Dacyczyn's strict frugality enabled her family to live one income (enlisted military, no less), stay out of debt, and save enough for a large down payment on their dream home. There's no doubt her methods work!

What's left to the reader is the decision of whether or not the means justify the end. If you want to be debt-free but can't handle getting there by eating corn mush for breakfast and getting aluminum foil for Christmas, Dacyczyn's frugality may not be for you.

That being said, the book is chock-full of reasonable, helpful and fascinating frugal tips, many contributed by Dacyczyn's newsletter readers over the years. That fact alone should earn it a spot on your home finance resource bookshelf.

Many of the tips I found most valuable were ones on how to to recycle and use items that already in your home. Reading the book will challenge you to switch to "make-do" thinking. You'll be amazed at how creative you can be when you force yourself to use what's on hand.

All the tips are tested, tried and true, although as the years pass, some tips are no longer relevant or useful. But most remain timeless. Use the volume to totally change your lifestyle, or to simply chop your home budget. It's up to you.

Buy a copy of "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" from Amazon.com.