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Topic: money saving/frugal living books

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Subject: money saving/frugal living books
Date Posted: 12/15/2008 10:32 PM ET
Member Since: 4/26/2006
Posts: 3,201
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The Complete Tightwad Gazette is by far the best.

Any others?

oxymom2002 avatar
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Date Posted: 12/16/2008 2:15 AM ET
Member Since: 5/13/2006
Posts: 2,157
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I love these books.  I even had a tip included in book three.  I still get them out and review them for ideas.

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Date Posted: 12/16/2008 1:01 PM ET
Member Since: 10/13/2007
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Although its not a money saving tip book, I really like 'Your Money or Your Life' by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. 

Its more about how to re-think the way you spend money, with a goal of moving toward having enough money so you don't have to work at a 'normal' job.  It made me re-evaluate why I was working at a particular job, and what I'd really like to be spending my life energy on instead. Maybe not for everyone, but it does make you think. 

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Date Posted: 12/17/2008 9:45 AM ET
Member Since: 10/6/2005
Posts: 11,084
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I love Dave Ramsey, Howard Dayton, and Larry Burkett for financial advice books.

Crown Financial Ministries is really good as well - www.crown.org

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Date Posted: 12/21/2008 9:40 AM ET
Member Since: 6/18/2008
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Bren, have you listened to Dave Ramsey on the radio? We finally got him here after they replaced the Bruce Williams financial show, who I just found rude and obnoxious. I will have to look up some of his books!

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Date Posted: 12/21/2008 4:24 PM ET
Member Since: 7/31/2006
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A friend of mine did the Ramsey course at her church and she and her husband loved it. The problem I see with his plan though is you never use credit - you use the emergency fund/savings .but nothing ever waits til I have enough saved up before it needs replacing/repairing/fixing...

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Date Posted: 1/3/2009 6:10 PM ET
Member Since: 3/4/2007
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Maybe I'm alone on this, but I just finished reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and felt like I was being preached at more than anything.  He has such a huge following, kind of like Oprah, that I thought I'd give him a try, but mostly I feel like I can do it on my own and avoid the cult of Dave.  I feel the same way about Oprah, too, so it could be that I'm a paranoid malcontent. *g*

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Date Posted: 1/3/2009 9:10 PM ET
Member Since: 7/31/2006
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I like his concept of saving and not going into debt but sometimes there's jus tnot time to save and wh en you need a car you  need a car..like now for me! I'm gonna try to get there but it's hard when you starting with debt or from zero and trying to save up enough for a vehicle, etc to pay cash for!

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Date Posted: 1/6/2009 10:56 AM ET
Member Since: 7/27/2007
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Books, especially cookbooks written during or about the Great Depression.  Its incredible how people got along back then with nothing.  It makes you realize frugality isnt just something that you think about in the grocery store, its a way of thinking all the time.   Learning how to appreciate money a little more and waste less of it.  Even those simple "Miserly Moms" type books that are just full of ideas, you may just get one or 2 that you can really use and over the years will save a lot of money.

 "Do I really need this?" 

"Can I make this, or something that will do the same thing, at home for less?" 

"Do my kids really need another toy, they cant find half the ones they have already, their rooms are so full." 

"Is this REALLY going to save me time and money, or does it just look good on the info-mercial because someone else did all the prep work and planning off-camera and now its laid out nice and measured for the hosts on tv?"

 

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Subject: Not quite a book
Date Posted: 1/6/2009 11:40 AM ET
Member Since: 7/27/2007
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Backwoodshome.com  is a magazine and website for those individuals who want to live "off the grid"  It teaches amazing ways to live a pretty good life without a ton of money.  Ive found artices on making your own bread, making your own essential oils, making your own baking soda, even making your own soap. 

...Now if I only had the time to try all of them...

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Date Posted: 1/6/2009 2:47 PM ET
Member Since: 7/25/2006
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I like the books of Jean Chatzky.  They aren't so much about frugal living but paying down your debt, living within your means, how to handle the money you do have, etc.