The inside page of my copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette says I purchased it in 1999. That sounds about right. That was around the time I had begun to read as much as I could about simple living. My copy is yellowed, dog-eared, and full of flagged pages.

Yes, the numbers and financial calculations are dated. (They are actually mind-boggling to read when you see where we are now.) The internet and email were still fairly new so there isn’t a focus on searching online for this or that. People who had mobile phones had flip phones. It was still a time of many people focused on living primarily in their home and community when she wrote it as opposed to the phenomena of living through social media. It was truly a different time that some of us are blessed enough to remember.

There is a reason it is on the list of My Favorite Simple Living Books. The principles of thoughtful and creative thrift are timeless. Amy Dacyczyn can stretch a dollar like no one else. She’s inspiring and full of all kinds of ideas from the most basic to the extreme.

So I’m pulling my copy down off the bookshelf over my desk to look for some fresh inspiration during these challenging financial times. Difficult financial times are when we need to do everything we can to promote a cozy life of peace, understanding, and joy in our homes. If you don’t own The Complete Tightwad Gazette and would like to do more with less, I highly recommend it. (If you are really pressed financially, try to get a copy from your library.) It’s a book that will more than pay for itself in a very short period of time.

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