Book Review: Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends

When I read a book on frugal living, I judge it on how many of its ideas (if any) I hadnt already thought of myself. Cheap Talk With the Frugal Friends, by Texas homemakers Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks, has enough to impress me.

Mrs. Ricks grabbed my attention in the second paragraph of Chapter 1: On average I spend $180 a month to feed a family of four. My frugal friend Angie does even better, spending only $135 a month. Even with all the from-scratch cooking I do, Ive been spending more than that for years.

(So how do they do it? By cooking from scratch and passing up junk food. I dont know if Id be able to persuade my family to give up their chips, but its worth considering that those chips can cost up to $6.00 a pound.)

Other things I hadnt known: You can make your own quick-mix substitute for good old canned mushroom soup (recipe included), deep condition your hair by leaving regular conditioner on (under a hot towel) for half an hour, and correct the color of makeup.

One of the frugal friends never has to buy soap at the store, but finds plenty at garage sales.

And you should never camp too far from home, in case you get rained out. Motel rooms are expensive.

Of course, there was also stuff I knew already but hadnt been bothering with lately, like making cleaning fluids at home. (Though windshield wiper fluid is even cheaper than homemade glass cleaner, the authors say.)

This gives you an idea how wide-ranging the ideas in this book are. There are chapters on food, clothes, gardening, driving, garage sales, pet care, vacations, entertaining, gifts, and more. Theres something for everyone, no matter how much you already save. Read it and see.

Cheap Talk With the Frugal Friends, by Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks, is published by Starburst Publishers (ISBN: 0-7394-2726-1).

Jane Wangersky is the author of In Small Packages: Gifts You Can Mail at Canada's Lowest Postal Rates. For more ideas on saving money, visit smallpackages.ca

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