The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means

The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means

America’s Ultimate Cheapskate is back with all new secrets for how to live happily below your means, á la cheapskate.  For The Cheapskate Next Door, Jeff Yeager tapped his bargain-basement-brain-trust, hitting the road to interview and survey hundreds of his fellow cheapskates to divulge their secrets for living the good life on less.       Jeff reveals the 16 key attitudes about money – and life – that allow the cheapskates next door to live happy, comfortable, debt-free lives while spending only a fraction of what most Americans spend.  Their strategies will change your way of thinking about money and debunk some of life’s biggest money myths.  For example, you’ll learn:  how to cut your food bill in half and eat healthier as a result; how your kids can get a college education without ever borrowing a dime; how to let the other guy pay for deprecation by learning the secrets of buying used, not abused; how you can save serious money by negotiating and bartering; and how – if you know where to look – there’s free stuff and free fun all around you.      The Cheapskate Next Door also features dozens of original “Cheap Shots” – quick, money saving tips that could save you more than $25,000 in a single year!  Cheap Shots give you the inside scoop on:    -- How to save hundreds on kids’ toys; -- What inexpensive old-fashioned kitchen appliance can save you more than $200 a year; -- How you can travel the world without ever having to pay for lodging; -- What single driving tip can save you $30,000 during your lifetime; -- Even how to save up to 40% on fine wines (and we’re not talking about the kind that comes in a box).    From simple money saving tips to truly life changing financial strategies, the cheapskates next door know that the key to financial freedom and enjoying life more is not how much you earn, but how much you spend.  *Starred Review* Ah, yes, belt-tightening is the procedure of the day, from how giant businesses conduct themselves to managing one’s own personal finances. It is the latter aspect of conservative spending that the author of the popular Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches (2007) and of the blog Green Cheapskate addresses in this delightful—yes, delightful—guide for me, you, and everyone else. Personal finance is a universal concern, particularly in these tight economic times. It is a topic that people need to know about but still shy away from. Yeager is here to draw you in and does so easily. He does not use the term “cheapskate” in a pejorative fashion; after all, he lists himself as one and wishes that all his readers would aspire to cheapskateness. A cheapskate to him is someone who lives below his or her means and does so happily. How to spend less than you are spending now is the program he details; the amazing fact about this book is that in addition to his instructions making perfect sense, like no other book of its kind, this one can be read simply for the humor of the author’s prose. --Brad Hooper Reading THE CHEAPSKATE NEXT DOOR is like looking in the mirror on a very good hair day - I see myself and I like what I see. the mirror, of course, is the passel of stories Jeff serves up with good humor about cheapskates like me from around the country. I see myself in almost every one of his 16 Idiosyncrasies of the Cheapskate Mind. I've dump picked, cherry picked yard sales, carefully picked every purchase, always for a fraction of retail. Like my Cheapskate clan, I'm a bit smug about it all - feeling smart rather than deprived - especially in this recession that has barely affected my financial peace of mind. Jeff is the consummate troubadour for our clan. If you don't save 10 times the amount you spend on this book, you probably didn't read it.” – Vicki Robin, author of Your Money or Your Life   "I loved this book and couldn't put it down, it is an absolute must-read.  Jeff puts the fun back in frugality with entertaining insights from "cheapskates" all over the country, sharing their secrets on how to live happy, less-stressful lives on the cheap…I think everyone in the country should read this book." -- Stephanie Nelson, founder www.CouponMom.com and author of "The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half”   “Jeff Yeager has a way of unleashing the inner cheapskate in us all!” – Jean Chatzky   “I’ve written that there are three basic ways to finish rich: spend less, make more, save more. Jeff Yeager has discovered a whole class of happy Americans who pride themselves on mastering the ‘spend less’ part of the equation. The Cheapskate Next Door proves once and for all that living happily within your means is possible at practically any income. ” -- David Bach #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and Start Late, Finish Rich   “Jeff Yeager's research and cross-country cheapskate quest uncovered a truth few Americans know: Not only can you be happy buying less stuff, you would likely be happier.