Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

‘Three Principles of Used Acquisition’ Vol 1 (p165 CTG)

The strategies use in this article are:-
‘putting out the word’
‘Trading up’ or as I refer to say ‘Up grading’ when I am giving things away.
‘temporary ownership’

On reading this article again, has made me think and look for new ways to ‘putting out the word’ since this article was written, as we are now more Global with computers and internet. (any ideas, help wanted here - top ten)

‘Trading up’, I use this strategy in small way. I often buy an item that that I need that may not be in very good condition as I would like, when I find one that is, I will upgrade or trading up and find a home or sell the one I bought earlier. This process may take years as I am only buying used goods in the first place.

‘Temporary ownership’ When my son was a baby, I was given some baby items and I bought some new and used goods also. When my son had grown out of them, I put adv. in the Trading Post here, sold it all for $100, cost for two years use was only $10 then. (Computers and Internet were not around then!)

[katwoman]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I don't have the book in front of me. While browsing in my local library I came across it and sat down to skim thru it (I did read the three volumes when they came out).

She was awesome then and she is still awesome! The thing I liked about her was how she broke everything down into units or cost per use, etc. She even gave different combinations of savings for comparison. If I remember correctly, she didn't even coupon!

Could you imagine how much more effective (silly word, given her accomplishments) she would have been if she had freecycle, freebies from the internet and coupons and rebates? Mindboggling!

And people still say it can't be done. Humpf!

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I don't have the book in front of me. While browsing in my local library I came across it and sat down to skim thru it (I did read the three volumes when they came out).

She was awesome then and she is still awesome! The thing I liked about her was how she broke everything down into units or cost per use, etc. She even gave different combinations of savings for comparison. If I remember correctly, she didn't even coupon!

Could you imagine how much more effective (silly word, given her accomplishments) she would have been if she had freecycle, freebies from the internet and coupons and rebates? Mindboggling!

And people still say it can't be done. Humpf!

Yes, it's mindboggling when you think about it. Amy was not into coupons but don't know what she would have done with shopper dockets like, we have here in Australia. Our shopper dockets are on the back of our grocery dockets. They give you discounts in your local area for buy coffee and get one free, special car service offer, cut price holiday offer, theme park offer etc. I use these only 30% of the time.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

“Use it or lose it.” Vol 2 (p441 CTG)
Theme – Scheduling Consumption – (a method to control what you own.)

TG – Quote – ‘If you lack control over any area of your life – be it, time, money, or other resources – design a system to manage it. Order will save you stress as well as money.’

I known that this article is on gardening produces as an illustration of making or working out a system so that you have control over, whatever you are having a problem with.

Many years ago I started making charts and systems to cope with any little problem, long before I ever read a ‘Tightwad Gazette’.

Start point:
Inventory of your storage area, be it your freezer, bulk pantry, cosmetic, or toiletry storage areas, would be a good place to start using this article. If you haven’t already done so!

Using what you have at hand is a good way to save money. Setting up your storage areas so that you can find anything under 5 minutes. Then you don’t have to go buy more because you cannot find it!

I know that I need to update inventory of my storage areas soon! They are now full!

[Firefly]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

They don't have it at my library... I will have to go look for it on amazon.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Here is another article that I found that's interesting to read.

‘Whoopee, We can spend again!’ Vol 2 -p547 (CTG).

Topic budget, spending and saving, so that your life can be on an even balance.

Are your spending habits that of feast or famine spending or that of tightwad?

Do you TRACK your money, both spending and saving permanently?
That’s every day of the year (365 days) like they do in business.

I do, as I have found this is only way, that I can keep within my pension or when I was working within my income, which has been always low. I always have challenged myself to do better each month.

[lrjohnson]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

This article still resonates for me. It reminds me of my first financial goal/victory: going grocery shopping without worrying when payday was. I spend the same no matter what. March is a 3 check month for me (I get paid biweekly so two times a year I get three checks in a month) and some co-workers are so ecstatic, but it won't be a time for me to spend.

Since 1998 I have tracked every expense in my Quicken. It has helped me prepare for a challenge (see below). One thing I have not tracked-I do put my paycheck in as net, without itemizing taxes, retirement for CalPERS, 457 deferred compenation contributions, health insurance, or union dues. I tried for a few weeks but said heck with it.

Living below my means means mental freedom-a luxury I have grown accustomed to.

My (modified) minimum wage challenge

[Ima saver]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I remember how for years, I had to add my grocery purchases up in the store because I had only a limited amount of money with me. It is nice not to have to do that any more. We haven't had potato chips in over a year. I decided to splurge yesterday and get a bag of the lower fat kind. They have gone to $3.49 a bag. I put them back.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

This article still resonates for me. .....
Since 1998 I have tracked every expense in my Quicken. It has helped me prepare for a challenge (see below). One thing I have not tracked-I do put my paycheck in as net, without itemizing taxes, retirement for CalPERS, 457 deferred compenation contributions, health insurance, or union dues. I tried for a few weeks but said heck with it.

Living below my means means mental freedom-a luxury I have grown accustomed to.

My (modified) minimum wage challenge

Whoopee, We can spend again!’ Vol 2 -p547 (CTG).

My budget was only made of net amount too! As our taxes are ‘pay as you earn’ that are taken out before hand. But I noted in a special pay log notebook, what my gross pay was and deductions etc. see Personal Finance > ‘Do you keep a check of pay/ salary information?’ for the story on this book.

So yes, it make keeping a budget a problem, if you are trying to track too much information like before tax and deductions that come out your pay before get it! Just track this information in separate file so that you can find that information if you need it at anytime!

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

These are some quotes from Tightwad Gazette on the price book.
The Price book Vol1 (p33 CTG)

TG Quotes …
1. Although prices on many items can vary widely from store to store, they probably average out overall but what if I could buy only the cheapest products at each store? ….
2. A strategy is to shop at different store each week of the month so that within 30-day cycle you can hit them all. …
3. Keeping of the price book revolutionized our shopping strategy more then any thing else we did…

Here is my own strategy using a price book.
I get the catalogues for three different supermarket chains and online bargain buys from Aldi. As I can get a discount from one of the stores, I always to try buy their specials if possible as I get this discount off the total of bill.

The strategy that I use is to buy the best buys that have no rainchecks allowed or until sold out early in the week. And others I hold off until next catalogues comes out, most times with 2 days to go before old one closes. I crosscheck the 2 set of catalogues that the specials that I need are not cheaper in next week’s catalogues then I go out buy wants not in the next weeks catalogues. Asking for a raincheck if they have sold out of the item too! As I mostly buy stock for storage, I can wait for it to arrive. It was buying can cat food that put on to this idea! One week it was 80c per can and the next week it was 69c & % and I had stock up on 80c special too!

[pyotr]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

If you're ever bored, do what I did about 2 years ago, go into about 6 or more of your local grocery stores with a pre-pared list of specific items - my list was about 12 pages long (Excel format), on the left column was the item (generic sphaghetti 16oz, Mueller's sphaghetti 16oz, generic whole wheat bread loaf, Merita whole wheat bread loaf, etc.). The other columns were the prices paid at the various stores (ALDI, Harris Teeter, WinnDixie, FoodLion, BJ's, Walmarts, Target, etc.). It took me about a month to input all the data and it was maddeningly tedious but occasionally interrupted by spectacular hi-jinks.

At every one of the stores I did this in, after various intervals of time, the junior manager, then the senior managers came up to me, first asking me where I was from or who I was with, then asking me politely to stop doing what I was doing. At a Lowes grocery store, I was escorted out . Many of the managers did not believe me when I told them I was just doing this to compare prices (one told me that he knew I was a spy and knew which store I was from ) The most expensive store seemed to care the least (Harris Teeters), that manager told me I was wasting my time and left me alone. In the end, I stopped bothering with the price book because I realized that ALDI's was cheaper for just about everything except milk, eggs, sugar, and flour. BJ's was good for milk and eggs, and FoodLion for sugar and flour. In rechecking these figures over a couple of years, these prices fluctuated somewhat but ALDI's wins easily all the time (except milk, eggs,flour, and sugar).

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

DH has one of those brains that rememberes the prices in his head, I am sure he has occassionally been wrong, but for the most part he does good. I think we have the anti book personality, but the concept is great.

[Lori63]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

DH has one of those brains that rememberes the prices in his head, I am sure he has occassionally been wrong, but for the most part he does good.

I pretty much have everything in my head, also.

[Ima saver]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Could some tell me about Aldi's. I never heard of it and there are none around here.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Could some tell me about Aldi's. I never heard of it and there are none around here.

Hi Ima

Have a look in Food & Recipes area at 'Mad at Aldi shoppers' most of the answers are there! There are 13 topics on the board with Aldi in them.

As I live in Australia, it's best if some else answers your question. Here the website for Aldi has a map that will tell you how far it's to the nearest Aldi store from your subrub or area.