Comments on: Review: The Cheapskate Next Door

By: kristine

kristine — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:06:38 +0000

Bill, and those in NY,

I live on the North shore of Long Island, and the Goodwill in E. Northport has the best classic designer clothing, for 1/10 the cost of new. Nice suit jackets. Rarely worn looking. The surrounding neighborhoods have a 98K median income.

The sad thing is that due to lead liability fear, thrift stores no longer carry or accept children’s toys. Many a year these stores were my only option for Christmas presents for my children. I now give to Toys for Tots knowing the thrift store option no longer exists for families in need. And I post our outgrown toys on Freecycle.

By: sheila too

sheila too — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:49:36 +0000

I joined Paperbackswap over a month ago, checked it out based on your recommendation, and I’m enjoying it for the most part so far. It has been great at helping me cull my book collection — although I will have to stop posting my books for a while, because my titles are popular and I have to pay postage on all outgoing books. I have requested a few books so far that I am enjoying very much; a few others I skimmed through, and I will likely make these available for other members to choose.

My goal is to have fewer books than I do now, so I have been ordering books from other Paperbackswap members to give to friends as gifts, and I have given away a book credit to a primary school through the Paperbackswap site as a donation.

If you’re going to join, I highly recommend adding money to your account so you can print postage directly on the label. That way, you get credit for sending book as soon as you post it, instead of waiting for the other member to mark the book as received. I’ve had one book that I sent out a month ago and didn’t apply postage to the label; that book has not been marked as received by the recipient, and so I will not earn the credit that I should have earned for sending that book.

Also, I’ve had one member who sent a book to me that had water damage and I will not be able to put that book back into the swap; I requested that the sender refund my book credit, but she has ignored me. So just be aware that not all members follow the club rules, and you may get stiffed once in a while. Even after those two bad experiences, though, I am still recommending Paperbackswap, as the vast majority of members are really nice and make up for the few bad apples.

By: Carole

Carole — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:13:23 +0000

Bill, in my area the thrift store pickings usually aren’t too good either. I guess it depends on how desperate you are for clothes. I’ve had better luck at consignment stores and garage sales. Even clearance prices at better department stores can be a good deal.

By: littlepitcher

littlepitcher — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:03:47 +0000

@Bill–The quality of clothing available, like housing, depends on location, location, location. My small-town Salvation Army has little in the way of clothing. Fifteen miles away, in a larger city with a more affluent/wasteful population base, I can get deals.
Deals also depend on size. In the last year, since I’ve gained weight, the number of deals available have dropped. Women get rid of clothing once they gain weight, assuring more deals in smaller sizes.
Learn this lesson from me instead of trying for personal experience.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:36:48 +0000

Does anyone buy business clothing at thrift stores? I never see anything that doesn’t look “vintage.”

By: Carole

Carole — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:30:06 +0000

I have read both books and I don’t care for his writing style. His humor seemed forced to me. If one can overlook all that then his ideas are worthwhile. I want to tell you, Trent, that I am giving copies of your book “365 Ways to Live Cheap ” to my granddaughters for Christmas among other things. They are all in their early 20s and I want to help them get started right financially if I can.

By: rosa rugosa

rosa rugosa — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:35:07 +0000

Yeager’s first book was really inspirational for me. I would count it as one of the books that helped set me on the frugal path. I think it was more philosophical, causing me to re-assess some things about my lifestyle, rather than a how-to type of book.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:06:04 +0000

I really liked both of his books. I think the thing that comes through is that although we live a “cheap” life, we enjoy every minute of it and have fun laughing at ourselves from time to time too. Too many people see our frugality as some type of inforced punishment and that we actually hate our lives. Couldn’t be further from the truth.

By: kristine

kristine — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:34:42 +0000

4 | The Oxygen Mask Approach to Raising Kids- it would be good to define the focus of the chapter- that it is critical for the parents to put their own financial solvency before things like camp and college. It is the best for all involved, even though it is hard to keep that big picture in mind at times. I found that very useful, and personally vindicating when I am surrounded by parents going into hock for college costs.

Not to be offensive, but can you please have a second set of eyes proofread? Sometimes it is frustrating, when the information is obviously not complete. It is clear you put thought into your posts, but care in craftsmanship is always appreciated as well.

Clean Your Plate … and Save $,500 a Year

A big part of frugality is buying less stuff (meaning less stuff thrown away) and reusing what you have, like

I agree Cheapskate Next Door is a nice dessert to the first book.