In “Living Large in Lean Times,” author, radio host, and penny pincher Clark Howard says he is frequently asked when the economy is going to come back. To win this book, see below. Clark’s response shocks a lot of people: five to ten years. So what’s a person to do in the meantime?
Learn to live large in lean times, says Howard. He writes:
I can’t predict when the nation will get healthy. But I can help you empower yourself so that you have your personal financial house in order. That way you can survive and ultimately prosper regardless of the country’s progress. You do it one step at a time, fixing your finances and then building the path to independence and ultimately, dare I say, wealth.
The 251-page book, on sale for the first time today, is divided into
ten chapters in which Howard writes about issues everyone will have to go through in life: buying insurance, saving money on prescriptions, buying electronics, elder issues, and protecting your wallet when you travel, among other things. “Living Large” is an easy read.
This book will help newbie saver a lot, and if you’re a seasoned saver you’ll also find helpful nuggets of information. I particularly liked the insurance section of the book where Howard recommends saving money on prescription drugs by finishing your expired pills and buying larger doses and then cutting the pill in half. The computers and Internet section will also keep you up to date with ways to combat identity theft.
Let us know how you are living large during lean times by Friday, August 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. PST for a chance to win my review copy. Winner announced Monday. If you can’t wait to get your hands on the book and read more about Howard’s suggestions, you can purchase a new copy on Amazon
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
This is great—a new book by one of my favorite radio commentators. I appreciate his down to earth approach to helping people with their finances. AND I’d certainly love to win a copy of the book.
First, we bought two things: a freezer and a solar oven. Now we take advantage of opportunity buys to fill the pantry and freezer. Next, we use the solar oven to cook dinner. This saves us both in the energy used to cook the food, and in the energy used to cool the house down that cooking inside requires. We also took advantage of our power companies offer to put a box on the air conditioner that allows them to remotely turn it off if there is a power shortage. They give me a discount on my electric bill over the summer months, and I’ve never noticed the air conditioner being turned off. Oh, one more thing we do is to listen to the Clark Howard radio show!
My local grocery periodically doubles coupons up to two dollars, for just a day or two, plus gives senior citizen discounts, plus cash credit for providing my own bags.
Also, we take advantage of BYGO offers for dining out, usually staying with the basic entree, BUT we still tip out our servers as if we’d paid full price. They exist on a minimum hourly wage, and depend on tips. Don’t penalize them for the restaurant owner’s coupon draw, and they still served two people, not one. If you are lucky enough to be able to dine out, respect the fact that your servers are dependent on those tips to make their bills.
Oh how I need this book!!! We are trying desperately to save some money, even though I am not working, my husband is working, but with bills and all it is hard to save. We never go out to eat except on rare occasions and movies? HA! We do Netflix which works for us. We spend about $400 a month on food for the 2 of us and I’d like to know how to cut that down even more. And we don’t have health insurance because we can’t afford it!
First of all, most everything we eat comes from our own garden. I can, freeze, and dehydrate Not only is this frugal, but it is also a benefit to our health…which saves on doctor bills, high insurance premiums, etc. We don’t do high fructose corn syrup, and all the bad things you read on the labels that actually cause bad health and increased spending in your health care. We stay fit and trim and focus on prevention rather than cure. We are intent on exercise, in that it also fits this bill. When I do buy from the grocery stores, I buy from the weekly sales when I see something I will use. Making fewer trips saves on gas. In addition, I shop the ‘bent dent’ stores for a fraction of the costs you find in conventional grocery stores. I buy clothes, books, etc. from the thrift stores. Yesterday, I bought a beautiful navy blue Oleg Cassini suit from a thrift store in tip top shape for $2.50. I buy all of our clothes from thrift stores, as a rule. In addition, I recyle and remake clothes. I try to follow the rule of shopping at home. I keep a running list of needs so that I can one trip to town instead of running to town for things on needs only. I don’t ‘toss out’, I ‘wear and repair’. this would include things like shoes, purses, wallets, etc. A little ingenuity will go a long way. I have one cell phone…all incoming calls free, which works wonderfully and 100 minutes outgoing. I have worked out a system for this. I pay all bills on the internet, thereby saving in stamps and envelopes. For entertainment, I do things like getting movies from the local library for free viewing. My focus is on saving, not spending. It is an art.
We live large by having fun on the cheap! Going for long family walks is free, of course! And we enjoy having Game Night where we play Scrabble, Boggle, etc. at home. When we do “splurge” it’s still pretty affordable: going to a drive-in movie, getting a pizza, things like that.
It’s amazing that with a little reading and research, and with a little help from the experts like BargainBabe and Clark Howard, how much you can save on daily living expenses as well as the little extras that seem hard to come by these days. Another place to save is at the dump racks and tables I see in the back of grocery stores. An item I use at 50% off clearance plus a doubled manufacturers coupon is a huge savings!
I live large by using store coupons in addition to waiting for the items I buy to go on sale. I shop department store sales all year long for Christmas and birthday presents. That way, I don’t need to rush out to buy gifts at the full price. Radio contests are another way to save money. I rarely pay for entertainment, I win it. In addition to on-air contests, there are stations that go out to various locations for prize giveaways. And I’m never embarrassed to ask for a senior citizen or AAA discount. The Entertainment Book has loads of values that are 2 for 1 or discounted. I think it’s smart to save money.
I would love to read his book I TIVO his show every week he is very down to earth and I’m sure his new book will be awesome. Thankyou, Pam
Driving old cars until they die. I love saving $!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
We’ve planted a garden and built two rain barrels and two compost tumblers to help keep it going :). With fresh food from the backyard and scanning grocery ads for good sales, we make yummy food at home so we save by not going out to eat much. We also use Netflix for cheap entertainment. We are currently making it through three different series of Star Trek :D.
We garden and I can/freeze what we grow. Also clip coupons. Love Clark!
I love to read, so I joined PaperBack Swap to save money. The only cost to me is printing out the address label and postage to mail the book(which is Media Mail). I can usually find a good book I haven’t read and they are in good shape! This book looks good, but I think it will be a while before it is on there!
would love to win a copy – since I just checked and my library doesn’t have it yet.
I live large, but always trying my best to never pay full price for anything. At Carmike Cinemas we can go on super bargain from 4-5:30 pm for $5 a ticket and on tuesday popcorn and drinks are only $1. Plus I use coupons ALWAYS.. at restaurants and grocery stores..Exchanging things with friends is living large as well, for example: books, meals (its like going out to eat), games, and movies etc… But I want to live larger, sleep at night less of financial stress. Thanks for the give away and please pick ME!!!!
Clark’s response of 5 to 10 years is very troubling. Although I think I am doing what I should to save money, I am sure his book will be enlighting to me. I need all the help I can in these times. I would love to win his book.
I tried couponing but it seems to be a hassle for those like me who work and have kids and really don’t like sitting down with papers of coupons.. store brands seem to be a better deal. I do like eggs so we have chickens and am looking into bees. We also garden but the one key to me is budgeting. We budget for disney trips and christmas.. we just started the new car budget and we grew our one mutual fund into 6 mutual funds.
Thanks for the review!! I need to add it to my “to read” list.
As for saving money, I really don’t use coupons…unless they are mailed to me. Instead I shop at the local farmer’s market and store sales to save $$$. I still stay within our budget, but eat much healthier while still saving money.
I am always looking for ways to save money where I can. Buying a freezer really helped us. Bunching together trips helps with gas and cooking at home is great too!
simply shopping at discount stores. I got a pair of jeans for $11!
Cooking at home! With 3 kids a night out costs $50 in our small town. Doubling up with family and ordering in bulk from Amazon 🙂
We bought a smaller house to keep all our household costs lower.
Sounds like a great book! My husband and I eat at home and have fun trying new, fun recipes!
I would so read this & share with others! When the economy took a dive, I was in the middle of a major home remodel – 1 whole side of house taken down to expand. Could not stop work so all the money I saved for 7 years for this dream project went real fast. Trying now to keep my nose above water. That’s how deep I’m in. This book, I am sure, would help. Hope I win and thanks for offering it.
We live large by spending time with friends at the many free and cheap activities offered in our area – outdoor movies, festivals, and such. We also spend a lot of time when the weather is nice out on our porch – even if the menu is hot dogs on the grill and lemonade, it’s fun to be outside with no bugs and visit and play cards into the evening until the lightning bugs come out – cheap thrills!
Our family uses the library for books, movies, and entertainment for the kids (like puppet shows). We bought season passes to Magic Mountain, including parking, and have visited 8 times! That is less than $10 a visit. We bring our own water bottles, and go after lunch so we don’t buy any snacks or meals there. I would like more tips on how to live more economically!
I bought a freezer and vacuum seal bags, can’t wait to fill it once hunting season starts here in Michigan
buy fresh at farmer’s markets, use money, not credit cards, shop outlets, freight sale shops, phone around before driving, saves $$, because sometimes places are closed have new hours and check online for pricing, grow your own herbs (lots of $$$ saved) refresh old clothing, buy from consignments stores, use your library-ebooks are greath, help people out in a pinch–its good karma!
Clark Howard is great – very practical and common-sense advice.
We moved to a smaller house, which freed up a lot of income both in rent and also in utlities, etc. And the new house is adorable, so we quickly fell in love and didn’t feel like we were sacrificing.
I get pampered at a massage school for $10 or donation of canned goods. For less than half the price of a regular salon I get beauty school treatments. Wine tasting for $10 is a favorite night out.
I am putting things on credit cards, which is I’m sure, exactly the sort of thing the book will tell me not to do! As you can see, I really need this book!
Saving gas $ by working from home, couponing and shopping for essentials online through cash back sites all help me to save for life’s little pleasures.
I get books and dvds from the library. I don’t pay for cable. I bookmark manufacturer websites to print coupons for items that are always on my shopping list, and then I wait for them to go on sale to combine discounts. I combine trips to run errands. I shop discount stores or thrift shops for clothes and accept hand-me-downs from my sister! For books I know I’ll read over and over again, or that I will use for reference, I buy overstock or scratch and dent copies. If I really want to see a movie in the theatre, I wait a couple weeks after the release so that I can see it at the $1.75 theatre.
I bought a Frezer and of course I am clipping coupons and it is really helping but I am always open to more tips on how to save money this sounds like a great book
Sounds like a great book. I try to never pay retail. Trade books with friends & family… get stuff from the library… but I’m sure I could work at it harder.. Don’t do much couponing as its just the 2 of us..
I posted on the facebok page instead on here :(.
I talked about how the only groceries we buy not on a special sale is bread and milk. Otherwise our freezer and pantry is full of food that we buy on sale. The sales that are posted to bring you into the store, hoping you will buy other things. Rarely is there anything in our cart that was not the hot specials. One exception is our local supermarket does their markdowns at a certain time, we go in and buy entrees from their deli, bakery items and meat at about 1/2 the price we could have bought it an hour before. We use or freeze it immediately. I like to talk about our fancy meal of pork tenderloin cooked stuffed with and surrounded by stuffing with green chili and mushrooms. The stuffing was after holiday clearance with a marked down tenderloin. We freeze our own chili and buy marked down mushrooms from produce, slice and freeze.
I would love to win this book. I never buy anything unless it’s on sale and I have a coupon. I stopped buying books and get them from the library, and we only go to movies at the discount theater or when we get a LivingSocial deal. We eat at home most nights and try to enjoy as many free events (movies/concerts in the park, festivals, etc.) as possible. What else can I do, Clark??
I shop the bargain bins at my grocery store. I’ve picked up organic milk for 99 cents, organic, free-range eggs for 99 cents, fresh bread for $1.50, and tons of meat for under $3. I’m single so I don’t need a large quantity. Most of these bargains are because they’ve reached their sell by date, but you can freeze most of these items.
I saw him on TV recently, his advice seemed pretty solid. I’d be interested in reading his book to see what else he has to say.
I would love a copy of this book. We have been on a very tight budget for the last 10 months and are always searching for creative, money saving idea. Thanks!
I think I’m pretty good at living large in lean times because the first 20 or so years of our marriage were pretty lean. Still, I KNOW there is always more for me to learn! That being said, I believe I passed my frugal ways on to our four adult kids. Except the one who’s having trouble getting really, really lean with income cut in half and a new baby. I think this child would benefit immensely from reading Clark’s book, much more than from Mom offering “advice.”
Some very good ideas posted here folks!
I practice some of these ideas. Some with variations and some completely different.
Yes, I coupon occasionally if it makes it a good deal for real, and then use the little freezer.
I shop the thrift and discount shops for cloths, especially if I need something a bit on the pricey side. I once got an Evan Picone long winter wool coat for $25 in my favorite shade of blue; at that time that was $300. Recently I got some cute embroidered jeans for $5, which I saw for $150 the next week. Can’t beat that with a stick!
I use the library extensively for books and books on cd (if I have to be in the car I’m making good use of the time–besides some parts of Maine’s highway has really bad radio reception), and occasionally for movies.
I frequently check Amazon for it’s free Kindle downloads, as that can save me the time and gas to go to the library.
This year, we bought a half share in a CSA (community supported agriculture). This has been a help in quite a few ways. Everything we get from them is organic. The amount of produce in each box is more than what we could get at the market for the same money. Part of the package has included herb plants which I have put into my window boxes. We have been introduced to several new vegetables through the CSA and the newsletter they send to my e-mail the day before pick-up tells me what to expect each week and has recipes as suggestions of what to do with the veggies.For example, hubby has learned to love kale and now makes this kale, olive and gruyere pie. So, for the money we are eating better!
As for the solar oven… we took it one step farther. We went online, found several designs and then came up with a few of our own. In all we made, I think, 6 ovens, but only 2 are practical. I did design one you could put in your backpack and take on a hiking trip and cook a hotdog in it, using a Pringles can, a skewer and a plastic bag.
Cheap and a scavenger by nature, I went out the day before bulk pick-up and to collect most of the supplies for my best solar cooker. It’s made out of an office chair box, a computer monitor box, newspapers, aluminum foil, black poster paint, school glue, a coat hanger, a glass pane from a discarded storm door.
I’ve used it more as a hobby in the past (hubby and I get into these ” who can out design/put science to practice” contests and this was one of them), but now that I’m in a new home with a much better sun exposure I think it’s time to pull that thing out again and do some serious cooking.
Speaking of the new home… we just about drove our real estate agent crazy finding this house! We were looking for flow! Yes, we wanted flow as in things were connected, because there were some homes we looked at that had a visual disconnect, but we also were looking for flow as in AIR flow, which is so important! So far, this summer, we have only needed to turn on the AC 2 or 3 days! In the old house it would have been 2 or 3 weeks at least! This alone hopefully will have saved us a great deal.
Unfortunately, this house came with oil heat. The gas company has recently offered the chance to extend the gas lines down the street far enough that we could have gas lines to the house, BUT if you want gas you have to be willing to foot the bill for the gas company to dig up the street and run the lines.
Sadly, I see nothing for it, but to bite the bullet and pay our share, because I don’t know about the rest of you out there, but I don’t see oil getting any cheaper in the near future and see this as a way of saving money in the long run. (it costs approx 50% less to heat using gas with prices the way they are at present. I got this from the guy who will do my retro fitting— he installs both gas and oil equipment— so he knows what he’s talking about)
Once I get the gas line and the retro fitting paid off……. I’m dreaming of the gas oven/stove—-can’t tell you how spoiled I’ve become over the past 25 years cooking with gas!!! And now to be cooking on an electric burner?
Burn is the right word! It’s a waste of money! Loss of control! Get something boiling and then want it down on low and instead it’s burning b/c the electric burner is still raging hot! (the gas burner would be on low already!)
ok, ok! I’m spoiled rotten to core that way!
Oh, and speaking of the old house, one of the smart things we did, early on, we installed an on demand water heater. That thing paid for itself in less than a year!!! But then again, we had an 80 gal electric rental that came with the house. Got that thing out in a rush. Between the price of the rental ($10/mo) and the electric it was burning to heat 80 gal at all times!!! OUCH!!!
Another thing we do here is Freecycle. A good way to get rid of things you don’t want to pay shipping to be rid of or want to get but don’t feel the need to have new or pay to get. We got rid of our old TV that way, it was making TV people look green and person wanted it for a computer monitor for black and white, so they picked it up off our front doorstep. We got a baby monitor which we placed in Mum’s room and the living room…if she starts to moan in pain we know to get the pain medication long before she will ask for it. It was free for the picking up! We feel more secure with it there.
I’m hoping Howard Clark can supply some additional ideas, as extra money is always welcome when you have a new mortgage to go with the new house!
We have 1 credit card paid off each month. I garage sale & cruise Good Will making sure the items purchased are essential. Trips to work/store/ect. are planned to make the most of mileage. I’d welcome more ideas from Howard Clark.
I use store coupons with manufacturers’ coupons, I never pay retail for clothing, and I always use a Groupon-type deal when eating out at a restaurant! Looks like a great book. =)
I love listening to Clark Howard! My favorite way to save $ is to use my library at my “Netflix” by reserving DVDs on my library’s website.
I “live large” in a few different ways. One: listen/read Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, BargainBabe and other money saving gurus. Two: one of our local movie theaters is a bargain @ $3.00/$3.75. I also register at restaurant websites for coupons and free meals etc. I would love this book to add to my knowledge.
I religiously follow savings blogs in order to find deals on a little bit of everything. Also, I have purchased a small cash car to help with savings on gas with my long commute to and from work. I would love to read this book because I love to arm myself with knowledge that will help my family.
My TOP TEN Centsible Ways to Save
10. I buy a lot of my accessories, housewares, shoes, and sometimes even a handbag at resale stores. Some of my favorite pieces were gently-used treasures I uncovered at my local Goodwill. In fact, I don’t think I paid over a few bucks each for any of the beautiful scarves in my extensive collection! I love that my purchases are benefiting the needy in the community, and I find that I enjoy a piece more when I know it was a one-of-a-kind steal!
9. I have also been given several really neat freebies on Freecycle, including women’s leather belts, a CD rack, and a knife block. It’s a terrific place to recycle the items I no longer use as well, and that’s an essential part of the centsible lifestyle too!
8. My husband and I simply refuse to pay retail prices for groceries! I buy many of my groceries online and get free shipping. For most of my condiments and relishes, I make a trip to my local .99 store. I can find nearly everything I need there, including pickles without alum (aluminum), unlike nearly every other grocer sells. No need to pay more AND poison ourselves by ingesting a heavy metal! I make a meal plan most weeks and I plan ahead. We keep our pantry and freezer well-stocked with items that we buy when they are on sale so we don’t have to spend too much when they aren’t on sale. We are loving the fresh fish and berry prices right now! I even like to pick up the really good deals on non-perishable grocery products I won’t use and donate them to the local food bank.
7. There have been SO many good deals this summer that I have run out of freezer space for all of it! (Not exactly an awful problem to have, eh?) So my husband and I joined a wholesale buying club called Direct Buy to save money on a new energy star freezer and many other large household items. I am still shopping for the right model, but as soon as we get our freezer, we plan to buy a side of beef which we are going to split with friends. That way, we can eat healthy organic, grass-fed beef all year long at less than half the retail price per pound.
6. I have learned to make many of the products that I used to pay too much for – like sugar scrub, mayonnaise, low-carb chocolate syrup, basil pesto, vanilla extract, window cleaner, soft-scrub cleanser, and salad dressings. That way I can be sure that the ingredients I put into my home-made goods are of the highest quality, and I save a whale of a lot of money in the process. The secret is to make large batches of each product when I do make them, so that I don’t have to make them again for several weeks or even months. Of course, the clean-up time is the same whether I make a lot or a little.
5. We’re doing major house renovation/ remodeling a little at a time without accruing any debt, so we shop at our favorite home improvement stores online, have the items shipped to the store, and get cash back rebates on the purchases after we have the promo codes discounts taken off the top. That way we get the instant gratification of picking our items up in the store immediately, while saving a significant percent off what we would have actually paid in store. When we know we’re going to make a major purchase, or even several smaller ones, we also like to buy discounted gift cards in advance so that we save even further.
4. On date nights (woohoo!), we eat out solely using group buy-style coupons or the Entertainment book. Many of these we purchase using our credit card’s online store which helps to accumulate rewards points towards cash back or gift cards that we use to purchase the items we use every day. More moolah for those major remodeling projects! We pay the credit card off at the end of each month, so it costs us absolutely nothing to get these extra credit card perks.
3. Last year we built raised organic garden beds to grow our own vegetables and herbs. Whew-ee (!) that was a LOT of work, but nothing beats home-made pesto made with basil grown right outside my back door. This year we planted blackberries, a lemon tree, and an avocado tree. Next spring I’d like to plant even more berries. I downloaded free plans for a compost tumbler, and my Dad put it together for us the last time he visited. We save all our kitchen and yard scraps, dump them in the top of the tumbler. A few spins a day and we’re on our way to free, nutrient-rich fertilizer for our garden. When it cools down a little outside, we’ll make the rain barrels I downloaded plans for. This should cut down on our water bill a bit, considering that Texas is currently in the worst drought the state has ever seen.
2. I joined a wholesale buying club to purchase all my organic/natural personal care and household products, like shampoo, body wash, hand soap, bulk herbs, laundry detergent, and chlorine-free feminine products. This way, my husband and I (and some of our friends) pay the same price that the big name retailers pay for the same products, BEFORE they mark them up for retail. This option requires a tax ID number/resale license, but since my husband owns his own business that works for us!
1. And now, numero uno. Drumroll puh-leez!
We take care of our health now with herbs, nutritional supplements, anti-pathogenic Essential Oils, and a whole foods/mostly organic diet. Most of the health conditions known to us humans are caused or at least exacerbated by poor nutrition and a lack of access to anti-pathogenic herbal products. Unfortunately, a lot of savings sites recommend taking a “dollars and cents†approach to buying groceries with abundant coupons available for heavily processed foods, but the long-term result of eating cheap processed foods now is health problems later. My husband and I prefer the “dollars and SENSE†approach. The way we see it, it’s ALWAYS cheaper to maintain good health now than to ruin it little by little over time with a preservative-laden, nutrient-poor diet and pay the price with serious medical bills and loss of life quality in the years to come. I have searched out the best prices/quality for the products we need, and I order online using promo codes. The benefit is that we NEVER get sick…with anything ‘going around.’
I buy all my families clothes at thrift stores and yard sales; Also some of our shoes. Use coupons and BOGO on dinners out but I still need help to cut cost more.
Hey Cindy. Just remember when you are looking around for the amazon kindle, that the legit ones have copyright protection. So if you see a special offer and you see no copyright or the copyright does not match the name on the product BEWARE!
All the information you need on the amazon kindle can be found at:
http://www.my-kindle.net
Good Luck and like I said…be carefull where you buy from! =)