5 Books that have changed my life- #5 The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

 

In 2007, my husband and I moved into a travel trailer on my in-law’s property to start building our new custom home.  We had $60,000 in remaining student loan debt and we needed to save at least $300,000 to build the house. 

We would need to save $72,000 a year to make this happen in 5 years.

Desperately afraid that this goal would be impossible, I began researching budgeting and stumbled on an excellent book by Amy Dacyczyn called The Tightwad Gazette. Though many of the suggestions are dated (even more so in 2020) and didn’t always apply to our situation, the book is extremely well-written and an enjoyable read. The overall philosophy of the author has drastically shaped my thinking about our spending habits.

I learned to ask myself: “Does what I’m spending satisfy me as much as the money is worth?”

You will never have enough money to buy all the things you want- so what do you want MOST?

For me, having a beautiful paid-for-home, being debt-free, and staying home with my young children was far more important than 5 years of going out to eat, fancy vacations, smartphones, starbucks, driving a big SUV, buying new clothes, paying for cable, or spending more than $14/a month (Netflix) on entertainment.   

I also truly appreciated Dacyczyn’s perspective that the purpose of a homemaker, though they do not bring any income into the home, is to keep more of the family’s money in the bank account.  Food preparation is the most obvious example. Someone is going to have to prepare your family’s food. Will it be a restaurant? The Frozen Food Aisle at Vons (prepared by factory workers)? Or will it be YOU? If it’s anyone other than you, you will usually pay a substantially greater cost. Is it worth it?

(Childcare is another great example- once you finish paying for childcare or preschool, was the money you made working outside your home instead of caring for your children yourself worth it?)

But the most valuable thing the book did for me was to give me the courage to do things differently than those around me. It is difficult to NOT spend money on the things others are spending their money on, and to be okay with that. 

But….13 years later, with a paid-for-house, no debt, and staying home with my three (#4 coming in June) children, I am very happy with the choices we made. We spend considerably more now that we have children, but the same principles apply. We still do not have smartphones, cable, Kindles or tablets, we drive tiny cars, pay cash for big purchases (even the tiny cars!) and stick to a tight, needs-based budget. No one goes naked or hungry, our house and property are lovely, and there are always plenty (probably too many!) of toys around for the children.

And what do we do with the money we don’t spend on mortgages or debt or Starbucks or fancy vacations or iPhones or giant trucks?

As we have always done, even during the Trailer Years, we tithe first. That means we automatically give 10% or more of our income to God. In Malachi 3:10 (NASB), God said, "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."

I can attest that after 15 years of marriage, this promise of God is 100% true. Our blessings absolutely overflow, and we are constantly blown away by how God provides for all our needs. It’s supernatural and it’s amazing.  It feels like the more we give Him, the more He blesses us. Over and over again.

In addition to tithing, we are free to give generously to other offerings and ministries that God has laid on our hearts. And, finally, once the needs of the family are met, we pour the rest into college funds for each of our children. 

    I highly recommend Dacyczyn's book if you're willing to be a little weird and a little wacky so that you can work less and keep more money in your home.