So I picked up this book at the library, my homeland a.k.a my other home where I reside. It is called Living Well on a Shoestring.
The cover intrigued me and I was interested to hear some tips about being frugal or penny-pinching or whatever other adjective fits the bill. I was open to hearing something new.
Well…it was okay. Many of the tried and true tips that are listed are ones that mirror a lot of what other people have said time and time again, and in a more interesting way such as Amy Dacyczyn, the writer and beloved frugalista of The Tightwad Gazette.
However, I would say that the section on cars was interesting. Buying a car whether it is used or new, is a stressful ordeal and one is always afraid that they are going to spend too much, or not get enough for their money. Living Well on a Shoestring, gives some great tips on car buying that still are applicable today: Do your research, know when the best time to purchase a car is, how to negotiate price and dealing with car salespeople.
I did like this book, and found some great ideas, but one has to take into account that the copyright date for this book is the year 2000, and so the idea for making a computer disk holder out of a milk carton, just really isn’t applicable in today’s world. Unless you are still holding onto computer disks. And if you are, well than have at it! 😉
The truth of the matter is, people who live this shoestring lifestyle are my heroes. Seriously. If you can recover lampshades and make pajamas out of an old fleece blanket, well than you are my hero. Cause I can’t do that. Not even a little bit.
I love reading these super-duper quad-drooper frugal books, because they give me something to aspire to. Someday I want to say “Yeah, I made this end table out of a boxed crate and some spit”. I want to be able to say, “Yup, I made this casserole out of 3 different containers of leftovers and we ate every last bite”.
I want to be one of those people. Someday. But I’m not there yet.
So for now, I’ll just hold onto my old fleece blanket until I get some mad sewing skills and can whip myself up some pajamas 😉
LOL at the disk holder – I think that would be a great idea for CD’s, as well!! 😉 I admire people who can whip something new out of something old, as well – my friend has an old maxi and she’s making it into an Ursula costume for Halloween. Talk about skills!
Yeah, I thought that was funny too! And then I thought holy cow, the year 2000 was 14 years ago????? Lol, I feel old! 🙂
Your friend has mad sewing skills! That’s awesome 🙂
Yeah when it comes to using craft skills to be more frugal, or making something like my own furniture or refurbishing something, I totally suck. 🙂 If I DIY pretty much anything I end up in a puddle of tears. Oh, well, guess I gotta be frugal in other ways. 🙂
Totally understand! My husband is so good at the DIY and me…not so much 😉
I feel like I have a long way to go in this area too. When we buy clothes, we always buy new instead of a thrift store or garage sale, even though we don’t buy them very often. I feel totally unfrugalish about this sometimes. 🙂
We tend to mix it up with new and thrift stores. We are only human, right? 🙂
I’m not very good at repurposing things. It’s something I need to get better at doing because I really don’t like being wasteful. I am also not handy AT ALL. Both of my parents are actually really handy. My Dad can fix or build anything and my Mom is a great sewer. She could make those pjs out of a fleece blanket if need be. Me, I can barely sew a button back on.
If it’s any consolation, I can’t sew a button back on either. I really, really wish I could. I want to make pajamas, blankets and all of the things. 🙂
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