Disappointed

[Daisygirl]

I'm on board with Sunshine too. These books inspired me to live within my means, and hey were some pretty low means when I first started reading them. I got these books at a library sale 12 years ago, and they honestly kept us fed and dressed. We were DIRT poor at the time and didn't always have food on the table.

Amy and these books changed my life by changing my attitude. I would not be where I am today if I had not changed my way of thinking about things.

Any time I need a burst of frugal motivation, I pick up one of the three TWGs and let it fall open. Pretty much any page I read reinforces the lifestyle I have embraced.

I am sorry that you did not get much out of these books - they remain my favorite books of all-times.

[AmyBoz]

It's like a college course on philosophy. The point is not to agree with the philosophers, but to know how to think a certain way.

Good explanation.

[annertak]

Any time I need a burst of frugal motivation, I pick up one of the three TWGs and let it fall open. Pretty much any page I read reinforces the lifestyle I have embraced.

I am sorry that you did not get much out of these books - they remain my favorite books of all-times.

Sums up how I feel exactly!

[Holly]

(does anyone use their landlines for long distance anymore?)

Yes we do but have unlimited long distance thru th ephone company.
I only have a trac-phone and I only buy 60 units every 2 months or so.

[Telephus44]

I agree with acidcookie. Most of the value to me is the philosophy - use less, make do with what you have, try and fix things that are broken, and how to analyze the costs behind things. I spend more time talking about the articles that are philosophically related than the actual "tip" articles.

I will admit that I use some of her recipes. The universal muffin recipe and the quiche recipe I use often. Some of her others are terrible (IMHO - the tomato soup one was!), but I like the ones that give a general guideline and let you use what you have on hand. And the oven baked french fries recipe is good too.

[mommy4ever]

I love AMy!!! She is very much a huge factor in us changing our lives. I've had the Complete Tightwad Gazette for 7 or 8 years, when it came out, I guess. I do know at some point in the book she did state she no longer used powdered milk as it was costing the same or more than regular milk.

There are many things i've walked away with. We make our own pizza, I use their dough ALL the time. Dh co-workers are convinced I've pulled the wool over his eyes, that I'm buying it. I've had pizza parties for the kids, fed 16kids for under $8.

The actual tips, well, not necessarily current, but the whole idea surely is. Looking at what the economy in the USA is like, Canada is sure to follow in the next year or 2. So it is very relevant.

FV is definitely more current. The difference though is this is a community, interactive, offers support. But if I"m down in the dumps, I really don't want to log on to anywhere, but I can pull up my TWG and make a cup of tea, and get inspired to push forward once again.

I agree it is a philosophy of frugal living. Most of the things were sent in, and Amy in fairness shared it with her readers. There have been some great ideas. Ipersonally don't see the point in some, such as using panty hose to store potatoes in, when My family buys them 50lbs at a time! ROFL, wouldn't that be a sight? For for a couple, or a single, that would work, because they'd only use a couple at a time, so a 5 lb bag could last forever. My 50lbs is a once a month purchase, No time to go bad.

I do envy her house, the big farm house with huge attic! I'd love to have an attic that we could hang clothes in. I'd love to have several acres for the kids to roam, for us to tinker, but at the same time, we have busy lives with lots of sports to the extra driving overrides that freedom right now. Once the kids move out..lol. I want my acreage, with a workshop for me.

the comment on relating to Amy being a homebody. That is so true. I never saw it before, but I am a homebody too, perhaps that is what I saw in her, with her larger than average family. that is us, only 4 kiddos, but still larger than average.

So I can't/won't use all of her tips, I subscribe to her train of thought! My house will hopefully be paid off before I"m 40(5 years away), that'll be the same time as MIL and FIL, and about 30 years ahead of SIL and BIL, and my own brother doesn't even have a home to call his own, just a rental. So as tight and hard as things can be.... we're doing very well. We are not keeping up with the Joneses. Nor would I want to. I learned that from Amy.

I bought her book when I was fretting what food would go on the table. We ate sparingly, or I did. My dh and kids always came first. But after I got Amy's book, I learned ALOT. It was never fancy fare, but always nutritious and super cheap. But we got through the hardest times of our lives.

[toile]

I'm like most of you, I owe Amy and have told her so.

At first her newsletters were like a letter from a friend. I would run to the mailbox and run inside and DEVOUR them

I was a new mommy with a tiny baby and knew I could do well in life if I tried REALLY hard.

I also wonder when people say they dont like the book.
Did they read it from the first page?
To me those first pages are the heart and soul.

The heart and soul are also her little wisdoms here and there.
Its not so much about the tips.

She made me think, taught me how to think outside the box.

Frankly I also love how she splurged on antique furniture.
It showed shes not living in a squalor to rack up $$$ LOL.

Please know if someone doesn't like the books, thats ok too!!
I have posted that I have given away MANNNNYYYYof these books as wedding gifts. To my knowledge none were ever used, read, and possibly sold LOL...

[yankeegal]

I'm like most of you, I owe Amy and have told her so.

At first her newsletters were like a letter from a friend. I would run to the mailbox and run inside and DEVOUR them

I was a new mommy with a tiny baby and knew I could do well in life if I tried REALLY hard.

I also wonder when people say they dont like the book.
Did they read it from the first page?
To me those first pages are the heart and soul.

The heart and soul are also her little wisdoms here and there.
Its not so much about the tips.

She made me think, taught me how to think outside the box.

Frankly I also love how she splurged on antique furniture.
It showed shes not living in a squalor to rack up $$$ LOL.

Please know if someone doesn't like the books, thats ok too!!
I have posted that I have given away MANNNNYYYYof these books as wedding gifts. To my knowledge none were ever used, read, and possibly sold LOL...

This sums up how I feel about her as well. I found her newsletter at a time in my life when we were in some desperate times. It gave me a lot of hope.

[mmy2grls]

I got the complete TWG when I was pregnant. I loved the ideas in the book and it helped me to be more creative.

[joyofsix]

I remember stumbling across her news letter and thinking "Wow, I'm not the only one.". Like some of you said, it's more the mind set and looking at things creatively than it is about actual tips.

[Edna_E]

I remember stumbling across her news letter and thinking "Wow, I'm not the only one.". Like some of you said, it's more the mind set and looking at things creatively than it is about actual tips.

That is the way I feel about FV! And, let's face it, 10 years from now some of the tips we're sharing will be outdated also. ANYTHING in print risks being considered so at some point in the future.

[Edna_E]

I actually DO wash and re-use baggies (the zip kind) depending on what was in them. There are some things that I want to have less air than they would have in a Rubbermaid-type container. Incidentally, I tend to re-use yogurt containers as well as those for sour cream and cottage cheese rather than buying name brand ones like rubbermaid, but I don't haul mine around so they get used rather gently.