5 Frugal Books You Should Read To Help You Save Money
When you decide to live a frugal lifestyle it can be hard to know where to start, especially if it is all new to you. One of the best ways to learn what to do to save money and make changes to your financial situation is to read some frugal books written by authors who have been there, done that.
When I started my own frugal living journey I spent a lot of time reading frugal books written by experts in the field. These are books I have pulled off my shelf time and time again. Much of the knowledge and information they share is timeless, and while you may need to make a few adjustments to apply their tips to your life, you can still learn so much from them.
Today I want to share with you my 5 favorite frugal books.
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THE TIGHTWAD GAZETTE
Hands down my favorite frugal living book. I took it out from the library three times before my mom was an angel in disguise and bought it for me. The author, Amy Dacyczyn was writing about frugal living long before the generation of frugal blogs came to be. She started writing the Tightwad Gazette as a newsletter in the 1990s to send out by – wait for it – snail mail! This book is a compilation of all those newsletters she wrote over the years. While there are some tips in her book that you wouldn’t need anymore (like how to save on stamps) much of the information is still useful today. She doesn’t play around – she has frugal living tips for just about everything you can think of, from saving on Halloween costumes, to saving on groceries, from frugal ideas to fix things around your house, to avoiding credit card debt. You won’t find much information about her online though. She happily retired years ago and is enjoying her life of financial freedom!
CUT YOUR GROCERY BILL IN HALF WITH AMERICA’S CHEAPEST FAMILY
Another family who’s been paving the way, Steve and Annette Economides (yes, that really is their last name) have been living a frugal lifestyle since 1982, raising 5 kids and living debt-free. Annette Economides is big on shopping with coupons and she shows you how she saves big on her groceries by shopping only once a month.
FRUGAL LIVING FOR DUMMIES
I’m a little proud of my purchase of this book because I got it for 30% off. 🙂 This book is part of the “Dummies” series and is written by Deborah Taylor-Hough. It is great at explaining those first steps in simple terms for those who are new to the frugal living lifestyle. Some of the areas this book covers is how to save on holidays, how to dress nicely on a budget, how to gift-give without going into debt, and how to save money in general.
DINING ON A DIME
I’ve talked about this frugal living cookbook in other posts, but that’s clearly because it is a favorite! Dining on a Dime is written by Tawra Kellam who learned how to be frugal while living with a chronic illness. This book uses the most basic and cheapest ingredients you can find and gives you recipes your whole family is sure to enjoy. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as well, as her mother wrote a book called Penny Pinching Mama about raising two kids frugally while she struggled with her own chronic illness as well as being a single mom. This family is not afraid to tell it like it is and they always share some real honest truths that can be hard to swallow when you are new to the frugal life, but they share their knowledge because they are living proof it works.
THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER
Most of us have heard of Dave Ramsey. He shares a proven method to help you get out of debt and take control of your finances. If you are looking for help in how to create a budget and a plan that will jumpstart your way to paying down debt then this is the book for you!
Whenever we make some big life changes it is always helpful to get advice from the experts. These 5 frugal books are great resources for anyone wanting to start living frugally, pay down debt, learn how to budget, and save money. The authors of these books have been my inspiration over the years and I continually learn from them. I love reading about their personal stories in how they began their frugal living, why they did, and where it took them over the years.
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