"It's not the money that comes in, but what you do with it that counts"

This saying is something that my lovely mother has told us kids over and over since we were little, and it's still as true today as it was then. Everyone wants to save money and see a little bit more left in their bank account at the end of the week, but how do we do it? What ways can we creatively stretch that dollar and make it go further without feeling like a beggar on the streets? These questions and more are all answered in The Complete Tightwad Gazette written by Amy Dacyczyn.

Everybody knows how to save money, the principle is as old as the moon: Spend fewer dollars than you earn. What people really want to know is where are they spending their money and how can they reduce that amount. Amy's book is an encyclopedia of ideas on ways that you can reuse, replace and cutback to save money and have fun while you do it.

Pros:

• Wide variety of ideas
• Common sense, down to earth advice
• Lots of ideas for actual lifestyle changes, not just quick fixes
• Much more than just couponing and snowballing your debts

Cons:

• Some information is a little dated, like the fact that the Internet wasn't around yet
• Sometimes nutrition takes a bit of a back seat to frugality
• Not really a con, but Amy spends quite a bit of time explaining that everybody's version of success is different and, likewise, you might find that her goals don't necessarily match yours

Liked/Loved:

• Short bite sized sections, perfect for when you have just a few minutes spare
• Something for everyone
• Available in a nice sturdy hard cover binding
• Nice 'book-in-hand' feel to it - mostly for the avid readers among you!
• Informative, but also entertaining to read