The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means Paperback – June 8, 2010

Regardless of who you are, please spend the time to read this book. You don't have to buy it; borrow it from your library!I've gifted copies of Jeff's various books to my father, who is nearing retirement, my surrogate little sister on her sixteenth birthday, and a dozen other people in between, always to overwhelming success.Myself, then a cheapskate in denial/the closet, read Jeff's book and gained confidence to fight the "bitter miser" stereotype and go further with my escapades of cheapness. My father, a man who makes great money yet still spent his entire life in fear of layoffs, read about a way out. My surrogate little sister, having grown up very spoiled, finally started grasping the true value of hard work and money.Jeff doesn't guilt, he doesn't lecture, and he doesn't prescribe; rather, he wins you over with gentle humour and the heart-warming anecdotes of his many diverse frugal friends.In this humble cheapskate's opinion, you should begin here, with The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means. If this book doesn't win you over... you're probably a vampire.After that, circle back back to The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less for more structured guidance on how to lean into a cheaper lifestyle.Once you've gotten that far, I won't even need to tell you to pick up copies of Don't Throw That Away!: 1,001 Ways to Reuse Your Stuff So You . . . and How to Retire the Cheapskate Way: The Ultimate Cheapskate's Guide to a Better, Earlier, Happier Retirement, because you'll have already seen the shiny, shiny light.

I had worked as a dental hygienist for 50 years. 35 at the same office. I loved my job and with social security enjoyed having more money than I had most of my career. And then they wanted to make more room for younger hygienists. Fine if they had said that instead of make no it about things that weren’t true and being nasty to me. I ended up quitting to avoid the stress of staying where I wasn’t wanted or appreciated. Since I started living on social security I have found that I don’t really need anything. I can’t seem to throw anything away and recycle just about everything. It is a game that I find I love to play. Learning to live without saving is a game I didn’t want to play. Old habits diehard. So the goal now has become save anyway. It’s working too. Just thought you’d like to know.....

The key message is that one should treasure experiences rather than possessions. Following this advice will automatically modify your spending patterns and mindset to help break away from the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses' perceived elite. This insight is obtained by analyzing interviews and surveys the author did throughout the USA (travelling on a bicycle, and sleeping for free on hosts' couches off course!).A wide range of hints to spend less are shared, some obvious, some new - for example buying and literally moving someone's old house, and some disgusting - for example looking in other peoples' garbage for hardly-used shaving razor blades, and eating other people's restaurant left overs. Common sense and a moderate level of civility prevail for most of the book though, with some humor added to mitigate the survey-result feel of the book. Worth a browse.

It is similar to the book, The Millionaire Next Door. The one sentence summary is that living below your "means" is a certain path to financial well-being. I like to read these books to be reminded of this from time to time, but I don't look to them to tell me something new. The examples of families who do this are interesting to read.

I purchased this little book from Amazon and it is a very informative book.It is detailed that it could actually help you save some much needed money specially at this time of the economy when everything is difficult from saving to finding a new job.It will give you ideas and help you give some points one where you could save to the point of being a Born Again Tightwad!Nowadays, that word tightwad is very relevant because of our lousy economy where anyone could lose their jobs no matter how long they're working and this book helps out big time on things that you never thought possibly you could save on or doing things for yourself like making repairs DIY instead of sending it to the Fix it shop where they charge you a significant amount of money and sometimes grief.A very handy book to keep along and a Must Read to get some "Need To Know" information.Buy for it's a great book!

I admit to being frugal - in fact, I'm proud of it. My favorite word is "free." The Cheapskate Next Door confirmed that there are a lot of us who enjoy the challenge of living below our means and provides ideas for living well while living simply. Coupon-clipping is a starting point for want-to-be cheapskates and the author offers practical advice to reduce, reuse & recycle. Both of Jeff Yeager's books merit reading, whether a new copy, a library loaner, or a used book purchase via Amazon, Alibris, etc. (being a cheapskate, I bought my copy in used, in great condition, for pennies). Thanks, Jeff - reading your books was time well spent.