When I came across the book Be Thrifty… Not Cheap: How to Live Better with Less
But then I read it. Eh.
The book’s not terrible. In fact, if you’re brand new to frugal living, it’s a pretty good read. But as a seasoned thrifty person, I felt like I was reading excerpts from all of the frugal living books that had come before this one. The new information that I hadn’t seen (tips on freezing and canning garden produce and giving yourself a haircut, for example) didn’t delve deep enough to satisfy my quest for knowledge.
There was an elaborate section on saving money on suits and setting up a frugal wine cellar, which seemed a bit out of place in a book on thrift. I know the idea is to not be “cheap.” And believe me, I’ve given a lot of thought to the difference between frugal and cheap… but it seemed that some of the things valued in this book aren’t valued by many frugalites.
The book is an easy read, and it does have a lot of good, albeit elementary, frugal living tips. But if you’re a person whose been living the frugal lifestyle for awhile, I’d recommend checking it out from the library.
Oh.. and did I mention there’s a penny on the cover? A real penny. So that’s something, I guess.
Related posts on Northern Cheapskate:
