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The Tightwad Gazette III: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle
This third collection of the best of Dacyczyn's popular newsletter presents all-new advice and tips, culled from the fifth and sixth years of The Tightwad Gazette. A tireless advocate of "voluntary simplicity, " Dacyczyn offers lessons in advanced "tightwaddery, " such as how to cut back APR interest points on credit cards, strategies for comparing food bills, guides to saving on the cost of college, and the secrets of yard sales and store bargains. Illustrations. 320 pp. Author tour. Radio ads. 150,000 print. (Reference)
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 1996
3 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 25, 2007
This book had some good tips, but mostly it was just common sense stuff. I don't think there was anything that was really life-changing, but it was interesting. One of the things that did catch my eye was one piece where the author was describing "how she does it," more or less, by listing the things that she DOESN'T do in order to lead a more thrifty lifestyle. Some of her "Don'ts" were mildly disturbing, including things like saving time by not reading to her children, not volunteering, not giving her children baths every night, not reading the news, not reading novels, not socializing with friends, not working out, not entertaining her children, and not spending time with relatives.
In my opinion, these are things that I would go out of my way to make time for, whether they save money or time or not. By not doing all these things, the author purportedly has more time to make homemade EVERYTHING, which is cool, but sacrificing a fulfilling lifestyle for a thrifty one isn't exactly my idea of a great way to live.
In my opinion, these are things that I would go out of my way to make time for, whether they save money or time or not. By not doing all these things, the author purportedly has more time to make homemade EVERYTHING, which is cool, but sacrificing a fulfilling lifestyle for a thrifty one isn't exactly my idea of a great way to live.
December 27, 2022
Useful, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Four stars not five because (a) there's a lot of dated info (not surprising!) and (b) for two uncharacteristically judgey articles at the end.
June 20, 2025
Majority of the suggestions are dated but I picked up a couple of good ideas.
February 2, 2026
Had some great ideas. Took some good notes.
January 24, 2015
In this third and final of Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette series we find that Amy is able to retire and become a SAHM to her six children who at the time ranged in age from 5-13. I still believe that given the choice, being a stay at home mom would be the choice of most women in America, and probably many of the dads too. Dacyczyn tells how to figure out if that extra income can be overcome so people looking to be home with their children might have that option after all.
Her thoughts on American expectations are right on target. I agree with her test method to tell if people are seriously ready to make cuts, save money and be thrifty. I won't tell you what that is, but it's something I'd like to try even though more recent technology has made this slightly more of a hardship. Can you guess what it is?
This is the book to start with if you're only going to read one. It had by far the most practical and useful ideas and advice. I found several ideas that I'll try, like microwave dehydrating thinly sliced hot dogs as dog treats, economical and dogs love them.
I'll use the method suggested for seasoning my cast iron pans, even though my stove isn't self-cleaning, I think I can figure the temp to burn off the crusties. The yard sale buying and selling tips have me looking forward to next garage sailing season already. Of most interest to me lately is the reuse, recycle, repurposing and upcycling of old items. I'm especially interested in finding new ways to use old furniture, cast off building materials and other old finds. Lastly, one idea I'd like to try is writing to my congressman to request a flag. Again, some of the ideas and prices may be out of date now but all are well worth checking into. This book is well suited for the times.
The highest recommendation, perhaps comes from a woman who says she used to resent her situation of having to scrimp and save but after reading the Gazette's, she was proud of herself for finding a way to make her leaky winter boots last one more season. That's the spirit!
Her thoughts on American expectations are right on target. I agree with her test method to tell if people are seriously ready to make cuts, save money and be thrifty. I won't tell you what that is, but it's something I'd like to try even though more recent technology has made this slightly more of a hardship. Can you guess what it is?
This is the book to start with if you're only going to read one. It had by far the most practical and useful ideas and advice. I found several ideas that I'll try, like microwave dehydrating thinly sliced hot dogs as dog treats, economical and dogs love them.
I'll use the method suggested for seasoning my cast iron pans, even though my stove isn't self-cleaning, I think I can figure the temp to burn off the crusties. The yard sale buying and selling tips have me looking forward to next garage sailing season already. Of most interest to me lately is the reuse, recycle, repurposing and upcycling of old items. I'm especially interested in finding new ways to use old furniture, cast off building materials and other old finds. Lastly, one idea I'd like to try is writing to my congressman to request a flag. Again, some of the ideas and prices may be out of date now but all are well worth checking into. This book is well suited for the times.
The highest recommendation, perhaps comes from a woman who says she used to resent her situation of having to scrimp and save but after reading the Gazette's, she was proud of herself for finding a way to make her leaky winter boots last one more season. That's the spirit!
November 30, 2011
Not really useful as a philosophy book; more like Hints from Heloise, but for frugality. It's great to pick up at odd times and flip through (unfortunately keeping me up late several times, because it's really quite interesting), but many of the suggestions are outdated or simply not applicable to me. It might be nice as a reference, but I doubt that I would actually refer to it at the right time.
I do want to: investigate the Master Gardener program offered through the county extension (p. 11), get rid of fruit flies (p. 22), use a starfish for a Christmas tree topper (p. 74), reduce nausea by putting refreezable ice cubes in my palms (p. 177), and buy a rug cheaply by asking whether a rug cleaner has any which haven't been picked up (p. 209).
I found especially interesting: the reasoning behind flame resistant children's sleepwear (pp. 40-41), etching your VIN on your windows to reduce your insurance (pp. 72-73), the instructions on making yogurt (pp. 140-143) and how to be a good neighbor (pp. 157-159), as well as seasoning cast iron skillets (pp. 173-174, despite a previous disastrous attempt: who would have thought the pans would be coated in paraffin?).
p. 201: "Some people don't take responsibility for their situation. They blame it all on a spouse, the recession, unexpected bills, and so on. But most financial problems are due to poor decisions and a failure to plan ahead. If they won't own up to past mistakes, it's unlikely they'll change their behavior in the future. It's crucial to honestly confront past mistakes. Then sit down with your family and develop specific plans for doing better." —This could be rephrased to deal with spiritual problems.
I only got through page 212, and must return it to the library.
I do want to: investigate the Master Gardener program offered through the county extension (p. 11), get rid of fruit flies (p. 22), use a starfish for a Christmas tree topper (p. 74), reduce nausea by putting refreezable ice cubes in my palms (p. 177), and buy a rug cheaply by asking whether a rug cleaner has any which haven't been picked up (p. 209).
I found especially interesting: the reasoning behind flame resistant children's sleepwear (pp. 40-41), etching your VIN on your windows to reduce your insurance (pp. 72-73), the instructions on making yogurt (pp. 140-143) and how to be a good neighbor (pp. 157-159), as well as seasoning cast iron skillets (pp. 173-174, despite a previous disastrous attempt: who would have thought the pans would be coated in paraffin?).
p. 201: "Some people don't take responsibility for their situation. They blame it all on a spouse, the recession, unexpected bills, and so on. But most financial problems are due to poor decisions and a failure to plan ahead. If they won't own up to past mistakes, it's unlikely they'll change their behavior in the future. It's crucial to honestly confront past mistakes. Then sit down with your family and develop specific plans for doing better." —This could be rephrased to deal with spiritual problems.
I only got through page 212, and must return it to the library.
July 7, 2009
I won't lie, I didn't exactly finish this book. This is a review of what I did read, though. I was really excited about this book because all the tightwads seem to really love it and I'm always open to new money-saving ideas. I did find some good ideas in this book but I stopped reading it after Dacyczyn explained how she has time to employ all of her crazy tightwadisms. She only reads her kids one book a day? She doesn't get involved in organizations? I don't know, I guess saving a few dollars here or there just isn't worth some of the sacrifices she makes. It is more important to me to raise children who love books (which requires reading to them often) and who are involved in their community than it is to save a few cents by making "ribbon" out of mylar potato chip bags...which, incidentally, is super tacky. Call me crazy.
That said, she obviously has a lot of great ideas, many of which I employ. I just don't care to sift through all the ridiculous ones to find them.
That said, she obviously has a lot of great ideas, many of which I employ. I just don't care to sift through all the ridiculous ones to find them.
February 16, 2020
Update February 2020: Still worth the read, but I also still agree completely with the issues I cited previously.
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This is the final book in the Tightwad Gazette series and is definitely my least favorite. It still has lots of great ideas and I would never discourage anyone from reading it, but the author's tone really started to take a turn for the worse as the newsletter wound down.
I couldn't possibly know the reason for this. Perhaps she was tired of the criticisms she received in letters responding to her work and her media appearances. But regardless, her tone is much harsher and more critical in some of the articles in this final book.
As with the other books, some ideas are out of date, some don't apply to those is various circumstances, and some just won't appeal regardless. But if you read through all three books, you will absolutely come away with many, many ideas you can use--and new ways of thinking about thrift. I consider it time well spent.
~~~~~~~~~~
This is the final book in the Tightwad Gazette series and is definitely my least favorite. It still has lots of great ideas and I would never discourage anyone from reading it, but the author's tone really started to take a turn for the worse as the newsletter wound down.
I couldn't possibly know the reason for this. Perhaps she was tired of the criticisms she received in letters responding to her work and her media appearances. But regardless, her tone is much harsher and more critical in some of the articles in this final book.
As with the other books, some ideas are out of date, some don't apply to those is various circumstances, and some just won't appeal regardless. But if you read through all three books, you will absolutely come away with many, many ideas you can use--and new ways of thinking about thrift. I consider it time well spent.
July 16, 2008
Since I liked Miserly Moms so much, I checked out this book which is in a similar money-saving vein. Instead of ideas that were really useful, it told you to do stuff like cut used foil-lined potato chip bags in strips and use it as curling ribbon. No thanks. I believe in the frugal lifestyle, but how much does curling ribbon cost? The book's tone is self-righteous and pompous, plus it's not organized at all. Read Miserly Moms instead.
November 27, 2012
This is actually a 4.5 in my opinion. I loved all 3 of these books and feel like they've made a difference in my life. My only gripe with this one is that Dacyczyn seems to be a little angry/hostile in some of the articles. I think she was responding to letters she received, but it was slightly off-putting. I still learned a ton from even her angry-ish ones, and I'm thankful for having read these books.
November 12, 2007
This book is the third and final installment of the tightwad bible. It offers even more tips on how to save money, get by on less, and make do with what you have. It has a lot of excellent tips and advice (like rinsing your dishes in hot water adds nothing to the cleaning process; save resources by rinsing in perfectly sanitary cold water) for anyone who wants to or needs to live on the cheap.
Read
July 15, 2009Amy Dacyczyn ( pronounced Decision) Has a personal track record for living cheap as she herself lived out her dream to raise 6 kids on 1 income so she could be home with them. Amy learned how to live without money and collected ideas from her subscribers as well. Be Warned! Some of her ideas are a bit extreme! Other ideas, however, leave you wondering "Gee, Why did'nt I think of that?"
March 27, 2016
When I originally read this book, I loved all the tips and tricks! This field of knowledge has since largely been taken over by web apps like Pinterest, and now that I'm no longer a stay-at-home, I certainly don't have time for most of the tips here or there.
Read
September 25, 2008Book is still on my nightstand, as it is one that can be read in snippets, and re-read to refresh how to survive in tough economic times!
December 1, 2008
I liked this book, although I thought many ideas were a little out of date. And not all of them applied to me. But it suggests ways to save money that you probably haven't ever thought of.
August 16, 2009
Editions II and III came to me via garage sale. I paid only 75 cents for each one, but after reading these I had to get book 1 and purchased used via Amazon.com Worth every penny!
November 2, 2011
Wonderful tips. I recommend this to everyone.
July 8, 2012
More interesting ideas! Frugal overload!
December 27, 2016
You can live well on little!
May 25, 2015
Made sort of irrelevant by the internet, but I appreciate that there are people who are so devoted to living a waste-free lifestyle.
September 3, 2008
And...must have #3!
January 12, 2015
Some useful info but old.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews