Of course “minimum house price” is definitely up for debate. As you hint, a 4 person family isn’t going to comfortably fit in a 1 bedroom condo. On the other hand more people on earth than not do fit in a house the same square footage as a 1 bedroom condo, so maybe it’s not so minimum after all.

I do agree there seems to be a lot of hand-waving in both the house and car calculations. I too would like to see more details.

Secondly, there is some a huge strawman assumption here that most people have a CHOICE about picking a $200 K house vs a $400 K house. The cost of housing has gone up far, far faster than personal income. Where I live in the DC metro area, that kind of luxury does not exist. In fact to live in a reasonable, safe neighborhood precludes the choice. We are 4 people living in an 800 sq. ft SFH. That is frugal, its a dump, they dont get cheaper than this anywhere near here. The only thing available that is half that price is a 1 bedroom townhouse. So get real. Do the numbers, ALL the numbers, and put in a realistic difference in cost, not a 100% difference, but say a 10 or 20% difference.

So Im sorry, poster Bill, the housing example is not excellent. Its a farce.

For the sake of frugality see if your public library has books on cheap living. A library card is a very good friend to a frugal person.

Because I buy very cheap used cars,since I’m never more than 10 miles away from work/home – no problem even if it dies.

His housing example is excellent – remember previous generations raised families of 6 in a 3 bedroom/1-2 bath, 900-1,200 sq.ft. home.

It’s kind of like the “planned obsolescence” you were talking about the other day… this is also a “want” masquerading as a “need.” You don’t need to buy a new book to tell you how not to spend money. (Sorry, Jeff!)

I love how I spend my TIME each day…because I living frugally and that means I’m frugal with my time too.

I have learned to say “NO”… when something is not worth my time.

I love my work…and home and lifestyle.. simple and serene..

Money means nothing if you don’t have time to enjoy the peaceful times..

Betty Ann

Wow, what a rush to log on to your site (as I do regularly) and see – to my surprise – my smiling Cheap Mug! Glad you liked the book. It’s my first book, and I’m mighty proud of it. As a big PF/self-help reader, it’s a book that I’ve always wanted to write.

Someone raised the issue of my intended “audience”. That’s what really inspired me to write this book: I wanted to reach, in part, a new audience, one that would never pick up a traditional (dare I say “dry”?) PF book. I tried to write it with equal parts humor, pracitical information, and social message, all with the hope that it might reach new folks with our shared message of valuing the simple life.

Based on initial reviews, it seems to be working — some folks have critiqued it (quite favorablly) from a purely humor/entertainment perspective, others from a strict PF perspective, and organizations like the Sierra Club are embracing it for it’s social messages. Well, we’ll see. (FYI, I’ve had a number of hard core PF junkies tell me that it’s the first PF book they might actually be able to get their kids, spend-thrift friends, etc. to sit down and read because of the entertainment value!)

On the topic of “5 miles an hour,” the source I talk about in the book is the ’70’s social philosopher Ivan Illich and his essay “Energy and Equity” — some of the numbers might be outdated, but in the context of the book I was discussing the trade off between the time involved to earn the money to transport yourself to the place where you need to go to earn that money (and round and round we go!).

Thanks again for taking a look at my book, and please feel free to contact me with any questions, suggestions, or conerns (UltCheapskate@aol.com). BTW, if you have a book club or finance club that would like to discuss my book, I’ll gladly participate over the phone or in person. Also, I’m going to be doing a series of book-tours-by-bicycle – “The Tour de Cheapskate” – starting in January and I’m looking for fellow cheapskates to put me up for the night, so that I can donate my expense savings to local libraries along the route — let me know if you have a spare couch. (You can see my inagural Tour de Cheap intineraries on my website, http://www.UltimateCheapskate.com)

Thanks & Stay Cheap!
Jeff Yeager
http://www.UltimateCheapskate.com

Best Wishes,
D4L

So I understand. But I would recommend, especially in the spirit of frugality, that you don’t buy the book and instead read as much of The Simple Dollar as you can, along with all the other great sites that are out there. You save the money and you learn all the tips

I need to keep telling myself that I don’t *always* have to buy a book to read something that will teach me.

I’ll see if it’s at my library or Borders and gently thumb through it.

So I understand. But I would recommend, especially in the spirit of frugality, that you don’t buy the book and instead read as much of The Simple Dollar as you can, along with all the other great sites that are out there. You save the money and you learn all the tips.

I need to keep telling myself that I don’t *always* have to buy a book to read something that will teach me.

taking this at face value, that means an 8 hour work day pays for 40 miles of driving, or a 20 mile commute each way. so you’re telling me that if you have a 20 mile commute (not terribly remarkable these days) you can afford NOTHING else? i don’t think so. i calculated that my last car, which i bought used and drove into the ground, cost me around 25 cents per mile over the time i owned it… do these people drive their car into a tree once a week?