Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A funning article to read this time is ‘Mailbox Revenge’ Vol 1 p194 (CTG)
I had to laugh when I first read this one. Now I am wondering if anyone has or would get a lawsuit over doing this by some teenager braking an arm or foot on this kind of letterbox? I wouldn’t be happy if it was my son even if he was in the wrong, but now they are suing you for falling off your roof or downstairs when braking in to your home. What’s the world coming too!

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is ‘Space: The Frugal Frontier’ Vol 2 p356 (CTG)

TwG Quote ~ ‘Would you rent out your closet for $75 a month? That could be what you’d save by having the space to bulk-buy groceries, or to keep a craft box of money-saving projects, or to stockpile great yard-sale purchased of kid’s clothes.’

You will to need read the text on each idea! But here is Amy’s list of strategies for people for whom space is precious resource:

1. Get rid of what you don’t need.
2. Buy things that have multiple uses.
3. Buy furniture that has built-in storage spaces.
4. Buy smaller
5. Buy foldable furniture like sofa beds and flip-down desks.
6. Buy items specifically designed to store compactly.
7. When saving things for future reuses, keep only the small, useful parts.
8. Customize your furniture to fit.
9. Keep track to avoid duplication.
10. Think square.
11. Keep the right amount on hand.
12. Share ownership.
13. Barter for space.
14. Think vertical.
15. Be creative in thinking about other possible spaces.
16. Hang it all
17. Store things in untraditional places.

I also keep items of the same projects together or same theme to make finding anything a lot easier.

[DivaJen]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

My husband is very good at #4 - just pull everything out that needs to get eaten, heat it up and let each person choose what s/he wants. He's much better at getting to leftovers than I am.

[lrjohnson]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I'm almost pure 2.

With some of the foods we eat it's pretty easy to manage portions: omelets, potatoes, tortillas, sandwiches. The other stuff, crockpot stuff, is for lunches. I have no probelm with the repetition.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is The Art of Leftover Wizardry Vol 1 p133-136 (CTG)

Which method do you use?

Here’s Amy’s list.
1. The Menu Management
2. The Leftover Lunch
3. The Perpetual Soup
4. Smorgasbord Night
5. The TV Dinner Method (OAMC)
6. Serial Leftovers
7. Leftover Wizardry

I personally use methods 1, 5, 6, 7 and rarely 2.

[kay70301]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

My price book is coming along nicely. It's nice to see some of the things I am doing right. I use a local butcher, mainly because he will vacuum pack single serving sizes with no charge and give me dog bones, and I had him send over a price list. Everyone at work could not believe how great his prices were?!! I had no idea, I just like him....so lookie there, I don't have to find another meat source!

I have made the goal to feed myself for $50.00 or less a month. I'm going to give myself 6-12 months to figure out how, but I want to down to that by then. I'll give myself a small allowance for eating out with friends or luch with co-workers. I'm not only doing it to save money. I also want to do it to use/rotate food storage and get back to cooking my food myself. I am sure it could be done of less. Amy did it for only about $20-$25 a person, but I'm not willing to do without things like....chocolate chips, and I only have a pot garden, not a real one. Not to mention what would my neighbors think if they didn't get any more cakes with a piece missing!!

I'll keep you up to date.


Oh, here is m wish list of items, if you know where I can get a good deal on them let me know.

Chest freezer
Wheat grinder attachment for a Bosch
Pressure Cooking
Pasta Machine and Drying Rack
Good Kitchen Scale - up to at least 10lb and measurable by oz.

To Boefixepa:
Sounds like you found a good source with the butcher! However, your goal of $50 a month sounds a little low for 2005, you may want to adjust that up a little. Amy's price/person to eat was about 16 years ago. You might be able to pull it off with some stringent coupon using while purchasing items on sale -sometimes you can get the items for free or practically free if you have double and triple coupons in your area. Also - on the chocolate chips, store brands for real chocolate chips in this area are $1/bag on sale. I stock up during that time and freeze all the extras.

As for the chest freezer, I watched the newspapers for used freezers. I got a great deal last year on one for $125. But in order to make the freezer cost effecient, it needs to be fully packed. Until you are able to get it full, fill clean soda bottles or other plastics with water that have a very tight seal put in the freezer. This will help the freezer run more efficiently until it is filled.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is “Active & Passive Tightwaddery’ Vol 2 (p343 CTG)

TwG Quote ‘When most people think of thriftiness, all those active images come to mind. ….. (small stuff) …. But most of frugality is about the passive stuff – it’s not what we do, it’s what don’t do. It’s about letting pants go unpatched.’

What are my ideas on this topic? Here is example of each.
On Active Frugality is ‘Not allowing the over changed amounts on a bill to go not noticed, every bill is checked and the math’s checked too!’ Try and find out why this is so if it’s correct!

On Passive Frugality is ‘Not worrying if the use by date is month or two out of date in non perishable foods and other items that have used by dates on them! If doesn’t look, taste or smell right when I go to use it I will toss it.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

My price book is coming along nicely. It's nice to see some of the things I am doing right. I use a local butcher, mainly because he will vacuum pack single serving sizes with no charge and give me dog bones, and I had him send over a price list. Everyone at work could not believe how great his prices were?!! I had no idea, I just like him....so lookie there, I don't have to find another meat source!

I have made the goal to feed myself for $50.00 or less a month. I'm going to give myself 6-12 months to figure out how, but I want to down to that by then. I'll give myself a small allowance for eating out with friends or luch with co-workers. I'm not only doing it to save money. I also want to do it to use/rotate food storage and get back to cooking my food myself. I am sure it could be done of less. Amy did it for only about $20-$25 a person, but I'm not willing to do without things like....chocolate chips, and I only have a pot garden, not a real one. Not to mention what would my neighbors think if they didn't get any more cakes with a piece missing!!

I'll keep you up to date.

Oh, here is m wish list of items, if you know where I can get a good deal on them let me know.

Chest freezer
Wheat grinder attachment for a Bosch
Pressure Cooking
Pasta Machine and Drying Rack
Good Kitchen Scale - up to at least 10lb and measurable by oz.

Good for you on your price book and having a great butcher, do make him a cake now and then!

I would like to touch on a few of your comments above.

1. Amy did it for only about $20-$25 a person
Do remember that Amy was feeding her family at that amount about 15 years ago and her children were young, under 12, some not at school then!

2. I have made the goal to feed myself for $50.00 or less a month. I'm going to give myself 6-12 months to figure out how, but I want to down to that by then…..
This may be too low at $600 per year averaging $50.00. Go for around $1000 per year (averaging at $85.) You have remembered that you need a balance diet and one that is nutritional. Go to www.pueblo.gsa.gov and download ‘Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000’ that’s one that I downloaded. Have a look at ‘Thrifty Meals for Two Making - Food Dollars Count’ by Mary Doran Evans and Linda Eddy Cleveland and they have other interesting information for family and on mixes as well! I was able to download much of this information. I made it project a few years ago to find out what was available and put it into use in lifestyle of living alone. I did collect both American & Australian nutritional information at the time. I have set my goal around $1200 –$1500 per year including eating out.

3. (without things like....chocolate chips,)
As for these make it a rule, if you have coupons in your area that you can only buy them if only you have coupon and they are on special too! I do this with my Paddle Pops x 10 pack that I buy. They must be on special, they regular price $4.74, I will only buy them below $3.25, last summer for around $2.99 but the regular price has gone up here now.

4. Pressure Cooking and Pasta Machine and Drying Rack.
Put both of these on the bottom of your buying list or Try Freecycle for both these items.
I own a pressure cooker but I don’t use it! My late mother used it, some 20 years ago. If you lived just around the corner, I would give it to you! I have used a pasta maker machine, I found it’s a lot of work to do, I help my Italian friends make pasta at times. They freeze they Pasta instead of drying it.

[boefixepa]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

My price book is coming along nicely. It's nice to see some of the things I am doing right. I use a local butcher, mainly because he will vacuum pack single serving sizes with no charge and give me dog bones, and I had him send over a price list. Everyone at work could not believe how great his prices were?!! I had no idea, I just like him....so lookie there, I don't have to find another meat source!

I have made the goal to feed myself for $50.00 or less a month. I'm going to give myself 6-12 months to figure out how, but I want to down to that by then. I'll give myself a small allowance for eating out with friends or luch with co-workers. I'm not only doing it to save money. I also want to do it to use/rotate food storage and get back to cooking my food myself. I am sure it could be done of less. Amy did it for only about $20-$25 a person, but I'm not willing to do without things like....chocolate chips, and I only have a pot garden, not a real one. Not to mention what would my neighbors think if they didn't get any more cakes with a piece missing!!

I'll keep you up to date.

Oh, here is m wish list of items, if you know where I can get a good deal on them let me know.

Chest freezer
Wheat grinder attachment for a Bosch
Pressure Cooking
Pasta Machine and Drying Rack
Good Kitchen Scale - up to at least 10lb and measurable by oz.

[kay70301]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

To Pyotr: Well - that is pretty strange. She could have dropped it at the post office on one of her trips! Have a good day!

[pyotr]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I included a postage-paid package envelope with my mailing - it was all returned. I think she doesn't like having fans.

[kay70301]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

To Pyotr: knowing what a Tightwad that Amy Dacyzyn is, she probably didn't want to pay the postage to send the book back to you. It's just a thought. Have a good day anyway!

[pyotr]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

hey, can somebody give us an update on what's going on with A.Dacyzyn since she shuttered herself away from the world? I tried to get her to sign her book for me (sent via mail) - it returned ignored/unanswered #**T@&#!!!

[kay70301]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

To Boefixepa: Yes on some items Sams/Walmart are cheaper. Sams is very cheap on over the counter medications. For example, generic Tylenol extra-strength 500 mg, 500 caplets is about $3.25/bottle (comes in a 2-pack) in our PA area. We all know how expensive regular Tylenol is and that's just for 100 ct. bottles. They also have generic Zantac for about $4.00 bottle 150 tablets. Their 2.5# and 3# flavored coffees are very reasonable per pound price.

As for baking items, when the grocery stores run sales, their prices usually beat Sam's/Walmart, especially if you are in an area that accepts coupons (and doubles/triples them). Sometimes you can get these items for free or almost free. That also applies to paper products. As for walnuts and pecans, Sam's prices per pound usually beat the grocery stores even when they are on sale.

Just be sure when you make your price book that calculations are done to the ounce/pound/tablets/sheets (toilet paper)/etc. Otherwise, you may be paying a lot more than you realize.

Great Job! Keep up the good work!

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

How many items are you tracking in your price books?
As Amy did say that you don't need to track the whole store!

I am only tracking around 30 items. Other items I do a quick check before I buy as I may only buy them twice a year.

Here is my list. (When on Special only) * (At Good Markdown) #

Cat Food 400g *
Dried Cat Food 1kg *
Frozen Vegetables 500g & 1kg*
Chicken Breasts * #
Whole Raw Chickens *#
Meats * #
Fresh Fish *
Canned Fish (Tuna & Pink Salmon) 185g & 425g*
Sardines 108 g & 125g
Chicken To-Night Sauces*
Packet Sauces *
Canned Tomatoes 400g & 800g *
Canned Mushrooms 400g
Canned Soups*
Baked Beans*
Dried Beans & Lentils
BBQ Sauce *
Dried Skim Milk Powder 1kg & 1.25kg
Coffee
Green Tea
Oatmeal
Cereals (That I use for making my Special Muesli.)
Sultanas 1kg
Dried Apricots 800g*
Raw Almonds 750g*
Sunflower Seed
Laundry Powder Duo 1kg & 2 kg *
Trix Dishwashing Detergent 1 L*
Toilet Paper *
Facial Tissues*
Paper Towels*

I also keep a list cheapest prices of seasonal fruit & vegetables as guide for next year’s prices, so that when a price comes within 20% of that price, I will start buy more of it.