The Penny Pincher Book Revisited....Living Better for Less
By John and Irma Mustoe
I stumbled on this book at the library in Milford, and I had to share it with everyone. It is just page after page of short tips and ideas on how to save money, with a little but of humor throughout.
On the downside, it's from Britain, so some of the things I have no idea what they're talking about(like what the heck are Christmas crackers?), and everything is in pounds instead of dollars, but you still get the idea.
On the upside, this book is full of genius. And new ideas spark new ideas.
One section of the book is 31 uses for old tin cans, and one of the uses was put a string through them and make a phone for kids. Simple and obvious, but I completely forgot about it. And then that sparked all the other ways kids can play with tin cans.
- The tin coffee cans are perfect for storing crayons and arts and craft stuff neatly.
- Stretch a piece of plastic over the top, put a rubber band around it, and you get a little drum
- Cut them in half (and smooth edges) and you can make an army camp for all their army men
- Bring different sizes to the beach to make sand castles
- Collect worms in them for fishing (or just because your kid likes worms)
The authors are also pretty old. They started their frugal living in the 1960s, so even though there's great old school tips, I recommend skipping the chapter on technology to save time. I'm sure you're all aware that e-mail exists, and it's cheaper than the post office.
My favorite chapter by far, however, was on food. Am I the only one that's never cooked lettuce? Never made a vegetable stock? Wrap tomatoes in newspaper so they last for months? I'm very skeptical of the tomato tip, but I'm willing to try it with a couple.
I highly recommend it as a quick read, and a way to jumpstart your frugality. And every idea doubles as not only frugal, but better for the environment. Win-win.
No comments:
Post a Comment