Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

[stngymama]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I live urban area too! I do a form of Dumpster Diving that is when someone is moving house. We have a look in their bins for anything that may be useful. As people don’t move that much here then it’s rare occasion. One thing is done around here, is putting something out on the footpath for free and with the hopes someone will take it before bin day. The local council doesn’t like this practice.

I hadn't thought of it that way! Many here do the same -set something out with a "free" sign on it; it's usually gone within an hour! - it seems a perfectly acceptable practice; there's also a once a year giant rubbish day and, a la Amy, you'll see folks stop, pick something up, and [sometimes] set it back down a block later after having a closer look. I had forgotten the Amy connection for that practice!
Great idea to check out sites where someone is moving; same would work if you're looking for construction materials: look where there's renovation going on!
I really miss the Tightwad Gazettes, it was like having a combination support group/motivational speaker come into your home once a month!

[stngymama]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I'm hoping someone with the TWG will help me: in the first part of the book, I think right after she defines "tightwad" and tells us how to pronounce her name, she gives an excellent reason to be tightwadish. I can't remember any details, except that, contrary (a bit) to what I said before, it was very inspirational and definitely a lightbulb moment. I'm looking for my book, but maybe someone else knows and can paraphrase what she said! TIA

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Hi Stngmama

I am thinking you referring to 'Tightwaddery is not for everyone.' (Vol 1 Pages 7-8 CTG)

TG Quote ~ 'This information is geared for the rest of the people who do find thrift a radical concept. Tightwads are a small elite group. But while few in number they come in endless varieties. There are borderline tightwads and spartan tightwads and all shades in between.'

Amy goes on then to say, two-third's way down the first page.
TG Quote ~ 'It look me years to reach my level of skill and I am still learning. Choose one new idea a week. One new skill per month. When you have mastered it you'll be ready to take on a new challenge.'

I think this is her main point in this article. Slowly does it, babysteps, one step at a time or what ever phrase you like.

stngmama - You must be visual reader like I am, I can see a picture on a page 40 years later and I can point it on a page, but for life of me can't remember the text, the next day only key points.

Dacyczyn is pronounced "decision' p7

[stngymama]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Yep! That's it! THANK YOU!!

Hi Stngmama

I am thinking you referring to 'Tightwaddery is not for everyone.' (Vol 1 Pages 7-8 CTG)

TG Quote ~ 'This information is geared for the rest of the people who do find thrift a radical concept. Tightwads are a small elite group. But while few in number they come in endless varieties. There are borderline tightwads and spartan tightwads and all shades in between.'

Amy goes on then to say, two-third's way down the first page.
TG Quote ~ 'It look me years to reach my level of skill and I am still learning. Choose one new idea a week. One new skill per month. When you have mastered it you'll be ready to take on a new challenge.' :

stngmama - You must be visual reader like I am, I can see a picture on a page 40 years later and I can point it on a page, but for life of me can't remember the text, the next day only key points.

You're right, except when my brain functions on autopilot it doesn't register and then I get really frustrated, not being able to visualize where I left something! aka a Senior Moment

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

Yep! That's it! THANK YOU!!

You're right, except when my brain functions on autopilot it doesn't register and then I get really frustrated, not being able to visualize where I left something! aka a Senior Moment

I have them too! I have special places that I put anything, so most items in my large house, has two or three areas for it only.

1. The right place, that it's home when it has been put away.
2. An area that I can put it down when I arrive home, for small items I have silver fruit bowl that they are put into. Special right place to put my keys as I walk in the door.
3. Storage area which I have Zone storage areas for everything, each by kind or task of items together.

I am using part of system that Amy did in ‘The Used-Clothing Filing System’ Vol 1 (page 272-273 CTG) on large scale.

I am organized Packrat and I have more storage space than the 10 modern houses that are being built around here at the moment.

My house rule, I must be able to find anything in 15 minutes, as I live alone it my fault if its loss! Unless its from the time when my parents lived in the house, I just boxed some items under memories with that person name on the box. This system yield $3500 for my son & his cousins in lost money from estate that was finalize 15 years ago via 'Lost money left in a bank' as I had the papers for them! I kept a special list of loss items so I know when I find them, how long they have been missing.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is ‘Three ways to save ’ Vol 1 - p42 (CTG)

I love this article; it made me understand why I had more money than my friend who had to work twenty hours per week more than I do and still have to borrow off me, I was using this strategy. A one case in point, she has her hair styled and dyed every six weeks for $95 in a salon about 9 visits per year. I have my hair trim or a styled cut and dyed averaging about $16 per visit every six to seven weeks. Using the above strategy. How much a year are we each spending and what are my strategies, clue I am using all three. What do you think I am doing to Save Money?

My friend’s Hair Salon Style-cut and Dyeing cost $855 per year. This is her choice to do this!
My option is a combination of salon hair cut and home DIY dying.

To recap on the strategies in use.
1. Buy it cheaper.
2. Make it last longer.
3. Use it less.

Hair Cuts
1. I use a cheaper hair salon than my friend does. Style cut every six weeks @ $16 = $144
2. Have my hair cut every seven weeks then costs Style Cut @$16 = $112
3. Have one style cut to every two hair trims @ $13 each, that’s 3 style cut and 4 trims (7 hair cut) per year equals $100

Dying Hair
1a. Doing my own DIY dying at home. Box of hair dye cost $16 per box retail. $16 x9 = $144
1b It’s possible to buy discount or discontinued stock for less than 50% off retail price. Working on that the cost would be about $8 per box. $8 x9 = $72
2a Do the dying after each Hair cut every seven weeks $8 x 7 = $56
3a I divide the dye into two lots by keeping an old dye bottle and pouring ½ the mixture of each into it and mixing the two formulas in this bottle Cost $4 x 7 = $28 (I have chin length hair.)

Strategies 1 & 1a = $288
Strategies 1 & 1b = $216
Strategies 2 & 1b = $184
Strategies 2 & 3a = $140
Strategies 3 & 3a = $128

Strategies 3 & 3a is a combination of strategies 1 plus 2 and 3 plus 1a plus 1b plus 2a and 3a

So I am saving over $727 on what my friend is spending for the same service. I am saving $160 on my own first option.

I do love doing the maths in working out strategies for the best option!

[stngymama]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is ‘Three ways to save ’ Vol 1 - p42 (CTG)

I love this article; it made me understand why I had more money than my friend who had to work twenty hours per week more than I do and still have to borrow off me, I was using this strategy. ....
So I am saving over $727 on what my friend is spending for the same service. I am saving $160 on my own first option.

I do love doing the maths in working out strategies for the best option!

This is great! Aside from the actual savings (which are brilliant), I think one of the things Amy does well is to help give ourselves a"pat on the back", i.e., showing us in concrete terms what a difference we can make! Math is so concrete!!

I'm thinking of challenging myself, using this math, and an idea from another list --making your "savings" real savings; i.e., if you save $50 at the store, $10 on a haircut--put it into a real savings account. Wouldn't work if you need the savings to survive, but I bet we could ALL do this to some extent.

[Ima saver]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

That is what I am doing in the $20 challenge. Everytime, I buy something on sale, I put the difference into my challenge money and then into the bank. I do not buy something I don't really need just cause it is on sale. This is mostly grocery shopping and necessities, like deodrant.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

This is great! Aside from the actual savings (which are brilliant), I think one of the things Amy does well is to help give ourselves a"pat on the back", i.e., showing us in concrete terms what a difference we can make! Math is so concrete!!

I'm thinking of challenging myself, using this math, and an idea from another list --making your "savings" real savings; i.e., if you save $50 at the store, $10 on a haircut--put it into a real savings account. Wouldn't work if you need the savings to survive, but I bet we could ALL do this to some extent.

Great Idea! I think I come under 'Wouldn't work if you need the savings to survive, but I bet we could ALL do this to some extent.' As I live on less than $250 per week. I could do it! By putting 10% of each of the savings in a Saving Account. So I would be using my '10% rule strategy' to do this task. This how I use it now! When I do a new budget, I add on 10% to each bill's estimate each year for any increase.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is ‘TVP: A Bad Name for Good Food’ Vol 2 - p435 (CTG)

I have found by using TVP Soy base product in the dried form. I can stretch 50% more servings out of one pound ground beef. By using 2 cups TVP granules dried form, mixed with 1 cup boil water plus 2 teaspoons beef stock powder mix together then pour over TVP and add another cup of warm water allow to stand for 15 minutes. Drain any water that is left. Ratio that I use is 1:1, as this amount of TVP equals one pound of ground beef.

Brown ground beef and drain any fat off then add together beef and TVP and use as usual for chilli, curry beef, spaghetti meat sauce. Anything that you use Ground Beef for. Here we can only buy granules type!

[lrjohnson]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I wholeheartedly recommend trying TVP. I know it won't work for everyone, but those that like it can save a lot of money. Or, if you avoid ground beef recipes because you don't buy ground beef, you can add a lot to your repertoire. it's shelf stable, so no room in the fridge or freezer. I've used it straight and I've used it as an extender for sausage and beef. It's kinda pricy at my health food store, but at my low end grocery store with bulk bins in cheap - $1/lb dried, which probably works out to 3-4 pounds when moistened.

[stngymama]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

This is ironic! I just purchased some TVP after avoiding it for several years (subliminal TWG messages playing in my head again?), I think because I tried substituting for all the ground beef in a recipe. I'm going to try a partial substitution and see if I can slip it past the family

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

This is ironic! I just purchased some TVP after avoiding it for several years (subliminal TWG messages playing in my head again?), I think because I tried substituting for all the ground beef in a recipe. I'm going to try a partial substitution and see if I can slip it past the family

It may be reading these posts doing that too! I am trying to only post a new article topic, twice per week and allowing some feedback and discussion on the topic.

I am trying to lower the meat content of my meals. I found by adding some stock to the TVP, gave it more flavour and TVP is tasteless by its self. In a chicken dish you would use chicken stock! It is expense here to buy not as expense as buying low fat ground beef (mince) at over $10 kg. ($4.54 lb).

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

A good article to read this time is ‘Wrapping versus Unwrapping, the slippery truth’ - Vol 2 (p373 CTG)

Theme-: Cake of soap, to use unwrapped & storage or wrapped & fresh cake of soap.

TG – Quote “ But I suspected a conspiracy on the part of soap manufacturers to suppress this vital soap saving strategy after all, they stand to sell more soap if dissolves at a accelerated rate.”

I use both unwrapped & wrapped soaps but my soap is left to dry out between use. I use soap savers in all places that you can find a cake of soap, which helps dried the soap between uses. Some of it is years old. I store soap in cupboard to keep clothes moths at bay. Life of cake of soap in my house is over four months but it very dry to start with. How long does a cake of soap last in your house? is the question thread that I asked in General Discussions forum.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Re-reading Tightwad Gazette

I reads about that last month, I stuck an unwrapped bar in a couple drawers, I had this ffear of it turning mushy in the drawer, but it didn't still have yet to see if it lasts longer in the shower though.