It’s just too bad it took me almost 20 years to figure that out! Now, however, I realize exactly how it works – and her example is a great illustration of how small changes add up to big results. My adolescent brain couldn’t comprehend how it worked. Sadly, I didn’t understand the idea behind the ‘snowball’ at that time. A few articles stood out in my mind – one about only using the dryer for cloth diapers, and one about using the ‘snowball’ principle. Being the avid bibliophile that I am, I picked it up out of curiosity and skimmed through it. I believe an aunt gave our family a copy one Christmas. My first experience with this book came when I was in high school. Later, the issues of the newsletter were combined into books, and ta-da! The Complete Tightwad Gazette was born.

She started a newsletter called The Tightwad Gazette aimed at promoting frugality. In the 1990’s, Amy Dacyczyn had an idea for a home-based business. Have you read The Complete Tightwad Gazette? Travel for tightwads - How to transform old blue jeans into potholders and quilts - Ten painless ways to save $100 this year - Picture-framing for pennies - A comparison of painting versus re-siding your house - Halloween costumes from scrounged materials - Thrifty window treatments - Ways to dry up dry-cleaning costs - Inexpensive gifts - Creative fundraisers for kids - Slashing your electric bill - Frugal fix-its - Cutting the cost of college - Moving for less - Saving on groceries - Gift-wrapping for tightwads - Furniture-fusion fundamentals - Cheap breakfast cereals - Avoiding credit card debt - Using items you were about to throw away (milk jugs, plastic meat trays, and more!) - Recipes galore, from penny-pinching pizza to toaster pastries - And much much more. Packed with humor, creativity, and insight, The Complete Tightwad Gazette includes hundreds of tips for anyone looking to save money or get out of debt, such as: Dacyczyn describes this collection as the book I wish I'd had when I began my adult life.

Now The Complete Tightwad Gazette brings together all of her best ideas and thriftiest thinking into one volume, along with new articles never published before in book format. In a newsletter published from May 1990 to December 1996 as well as in three enormously successful books, Amy Dacyczyn established herself as the expert of economy. At last-the long-awaited complete compendium of tightwad tips for fabulous frugal living!

The complete tightwad gazette