Things I Love: The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

Have you ever had the course of your life completely altered by a book?

This was that book for me.

I was 19 or 20 the first time I read it. I'd always been frugal, saving my money for things that I really wanted and frequenting thrift stores and yard sales, but as an adult, I was surprised to learn that there were whole online communities of people out there like me. Entire online forums devoted to the practice of saving money? Sign. Me. Up. And then someone mentioned The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. They referred to this book as the bible of frugality, and of course, my penny-pinching brain was intrigued. Off to the library I trotted, and I came home with the hefty book tucked proudly under my arm.

My mind was blown by this book. Here was a woman who knew how to Get Things Done. She cooked from scratch (even when the pantry looked bare), sewed her six children Halloween costumes (out of a surplus of black fabric, so they could be whatever they wanted as long as it was something black), threw a party decorated with what was basically scraps from the trash and recycling bin... The list went on and on and I'd never been so impressed with anything in my life. I wanted to be just like Amy, and I set about incorporating her ways and ideals into my life.

And over the past *coughcoughletsnottalkaboutnumbers* years, I've done my best to live up to those ideals. I cook, bake, craft from cheap or free materials, decorate with what I have on hand and what I can scavenge inexpensively. I use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without, and so much of what I've learned has come from this wonderful book. It has a place of honor with my cookbooks and I pull it out several times a week to reference a recipe or thumb through for a tip on some topic or the other. Usually once every year, I'll sit down and page through the entire thing for frugality inspiration, to get myself back in the mindset of doing it myself.

Several of the recipes (the food processor pizza dough, Create-A-Muffin recipe, Real Tightwads Eat Quiche, Tuna Cheddar Chowder) have become staples around here. I learned to always compare unit pricing thanks to Amy, I got in the habit of creating my kids' Halloween and dress up costumes because of her, and I've used countless tips and hints throughout the book to make my home and daily life run easier. The Complete Tightwad Gazette absolutely made me the homemaker that I am.

This book is frugality inspiration between two covers. Has the book aged over the years? Of course. Some of the articles- healthcare, long distance plans, if you really need the internet at home- aren't exactly relevant these days, but the vast majority of the book has held up surprisingly well. Frugality is a mindset, and while you might not need to sew Halloween costumes out of leftover black fabric or find a use for your baby's old crib, it's still ridiculously inspiring to read about how Amy did those things, and it puts the reader in the mindset of, "What can I use up around here? How can I improve my quality of life using only the things I already own?"

If you've never checked this book out before, RUN, don't walk, to your local library. I suggest that first, but if you're anything like me, you're going to want your own copy (I'm on my THIRD. Yes, THIRD copy of this book. That's how useful it's been to me!). Amy Dacyczyn is a Woman Who Gets It Done, and I'm proud to say that she taught me how to Get It Done, too.

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