Tuesday, April 22, 2008

We Are Not Alone


Above: It’s true; I ripped that image off from Amazon.com. So now you know – you can find the book on Amazon. Thank you, Amazon!

Tip Of The Day: I have found my people, and best of all, they wrote a book! Check out The Cheap Book and find out just how cheap you are. I’m a 189, in case you were wondering.

Tip For Tomorrow: The more stuff you get rid of, the more stuff you can bring home. We’ll look at a few websites that allow you to dump your stuff on other people, while gathering up their loot. For FREE.

Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal: When I started this quest of cheapness, I had no idea how many like-minded folks there were. Others, like you, who are both cheap and fabulous. In fact, two such examples of fabulocity live in my fair state, and they literally wrote the book on being cheap.

Meet Robin and Julie, authors of The Cheap Book. And by “meet,” I am being hypothetical, because you are reading a blog, and it’s not like they are going to burst through your computer screen and into the room with you. Not only would that defy the laws of physics, but they are busy people (running their own Cheap Empire) and don’t have time to personally visit all of us.

But I got to visit them! At Robin’s kick-ass log cabin! In Inver Grove Heights! Where I interviewed her and Julie! And I got a speeding ticket on my way down there! Which was NOT FRUGAL. Sigh.

If you’d like to check out that interview, tune in to Fox 9 News at 5 tonight (Tuesday). I’ll also post it on the right later this week. Yup, I just worked in another plug for my weekly segment. That IS how I roll.

Anyway, back to the authors. Robin and Julie are good friends who have inspired each other to greater heights of cheapness, culminating in The Cheap Book, The Official Guide To Embracing Your Inner Cheapskate.

The Book helps you score your own cheapness through the use of “Cheapisms.” As you read through the book, you mark down which Cheapisms apply to you. Each one has a “Cheap Factor,” 1 through 10, and at the end, you total up all your Cheap Factors to get your Cheap Score.

Example: You score a 1 if you insist on turning out the lights when you leave a room. You score a 10 if you avoided having children because they cost so much. YES! Finally I am rewarded for NOT having kids! Take that, Mother!

The Book also has Cheap Inventions – like the Ziploc baggie drying rack; Cheap Stories; Failed Attempts at Cheapness – where they point out that you cannot cut up one leftover plastic bread bag into three pieces and have it magically turn into three separate bags (you get one smaller bag and 2 plastic tubes); and my favorite, The Green Side Of Cheap.

According to Robin and Julie, we can save the environment with our frugal behavior. Which makes Al Gore ecstatic – except for the part that says he needs to use less toilet paper. Al is a NOTORIOUS paper hog. Everyone knows that.

You are probably asking yourself, “how can I get my hands on this book? How much does it cost? Is there a website, too? Why doesn’t The Cheap Chick get off her dead ass and write her own darn book, instead of talking up someone else’s?”

First up, you can find the book at any Barnes and Noble or Borders, across the nation. Just ask for it by name. Second, it sells for the remarkably cheap price of $9.97. Third, you can find Robin and Julie’s website here:
http://www.thecheapbook.com/. Why yes, that IS a link to my blog on their Links Page. Thank you, ladies!

And lastly, patience grasshopper. A book by ME will reach fruition some day, and good things come to those who wait. In the mean time, read The Cheap Book. For the truly cheap, I bet you can even find it at the library.
But really? Support Robin and Julie, and just BUY the thing. No, you can not borrow my copy.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

But do they eat pie? That is the most important question, I think.

I am glad you found your people, but I am not using less toilet paper. Sorry, its just not happening. There are some things that just need not be rationed.

Anonymous said...

That's a good find for Earth Day (props for mentioning Al Gore too). Did Robin build the log cabin herself? That would be the ultimate in frugality.

Anonymous said...

Since authors Robin and Julie embrace 'cheapskates,' they will appreciate that instead of spending $10 plus tax on their book, I sat in the Barnes & Noble puffy chair and read the entire short book from cover to cover, in 30 minutes, for FREE. How's THAT for cheap?????

muah and xoxo,
BellaNikkita

Anonymous said...

You can print out this coupon and get another 20% off of the book through 5/1/08 at Borders:
http://beta.bordersstores.com/online/store/BordersMediaView_visitborders

Anonymous said...

If the link in the last post didn't work, go to www.retailmenot.com, enter www.borders.com in the search field and click the link for the 20% off printable coupon.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much Cheap Chick for the fantastic coverage! Yup, I eat pie-my favorite: my mother in laws because it's the best and it's free. I totally understand about drawing the line at TP reduction. We all have our limitations.
Nope, we can't take credit for building our home...wish we could. Bellanikkita isn't the only one taking a cheap free ride. That's what our cheapness is all about. And thanks to Mia for providing the coupon site. We love our discounts, don't we! Thanks for your interest and remember, stay cheap!

Anonymous said...

Another fantastic book on living cheaply is "America's Cheapest Family." They offer great tips on how to save money on every area of your life. They've been featured on every major talk and morning show and the book was on the New York Times best seller list. Check it out at www.homeeconomiser.com or google search America's Cheapest Family.

Muah and xoxo,
BellaNikkita