America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams

I read this book when my family was spiraling into financial doom. We were spending $250-350 MORE than we were earning--per month. We were looking into selling our home and only car because we couldn't afford our lifestyle. And we were totally sinking in debt. Then I read AMERICA'S CHEAPEST FAMILY and decided to try the budget outlined in the book. It took me many hours of work at first to figure out all our expenses & debts, but it was so exciting when it started to come together. My husband and I were elated because we finally knew what was wrong with our finances. Before we put everything on paper using their worksheet, we couldn't pinpoint exactly why & how we had lost control. Once we finished listing our costs, our overspending was clear and we knew we could change it. We've been doing this budget for 5 months now. We're now spending less than we earn. We have money set aside ahead of time for all our bills, even the big ones like car insurance. And I no longer have to pay with the payment plans--I pay the entire bill at once. We've got a now-thriving savings account too. We even pay a little extra for our mortgage each month. And we've also got money set aside for Christmas & birthdays, so we can splurge and have no credit card debt. The one thing we do differently from the Economides' is that I pay all of our bills automatically (and free) online. It's way easier than checkbooks and you save on stamps and grief. Utilizing their budget system saved our family. We still own our home and car and I am so grateful. Our son can still play in our yard, which means everything to me. I could see how this budget could be too much for some people... however I actually enjoy the time I spend on it. Seriously, it's all good news now! It's also our plan for the future. This budget set us free. I never thought I'd ever say that, because you always hear how budgets restrict you, but for us it's the opposite. Now we have financial freedom.

What takes courage, commitment, creativity, idealism, faith, and the help of others? And isn't homeschooling? Choosing to live a frugal lifestyle, especially during the good economic times. The biggest negative about this book - use it and you'll soon realize that not everyone cares to be smart about how they spend their money. It could be an elderly parent on a fixed income who says, "I'm not /that/ desperate," when you tell them how to save $20 a month on their AOL bill. A sibling who thinks coupon clipping is only for lonely housewives who need something to do while watching soap operas between loads of laundry. Or maybe a good friend who swears their current method for teaching their children responsible money habits works perfectly fine, but admits they rarely remember to actually use it with their kids. When faced with these people, its best to avoid asking for the $240 per year in AOL savings, fast food coupons, and money their kids may very well waste themselves "forgetting" to pay their own bills, as they learned from mom and dad forgetting to pay them during their childhoods. Don't panic - this is not an all or nothing book that will force you to live on ramon and peanut butter just to pay off bills as early as possible. Every helpful chapter ends with three options: Timid Mouse for those wishing to start slowly, Wise Owl for those ready to make more of a commitment to frugality, and Amazing Ant for those eager to stop wasting their money needlessly and wanting to change now. Nor do you have to read this as a start to finish system with each chapter requiring you've read and implemented the previous chapters. Instead, you can start where you wish to dive in and bounce around as your interests and needs dictate. Our family has enjoyed many benefits already from the tips given to the reader by Steve and Annette Economides. Yes, that is their real last name. The day after my copy arrived, it paid for itself in a single grocery tip regarding lunchmeat. We used the money we saved the first month on medical expenses to buy new bedroom furniture. Think clipping coupons is a waste of time for just a few pennies? We didn't change our eating habits or purchases a bit, yet with coupon savings, we financed not one but two vacations to San Diego, complete with annual passes to Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, and the Zoo for the whole family. Throughout the book, the Economides' children chime in with their thoughts on the ideas and, more importantly, their implementation is a real homeschooling household. With that in mind, here is what our son thinks of our new lifestyle. I like the kid's paycheck. I get money for doing stuff like cleaning animal cages, feeding the cats, and even exercise. It's helping me save up to buy a used X-Box. Living a frugal lifestyle isn't about depriving yourself, it's about keeping as much of your money in your hands as possible. This book is full of tips to help you do just that as painlessly as possible.

I really didn't have any expectations for this book, I just knew that I liked the way Steve and Annette wrote. The book is broken down into sections and focuses on the process, not the details. You won't end up with a bunch of recipes or one sided arguements of what worked for them. They also give a step down guide for your journey into thriftyness.

I found Steve and Annette Economides, the authors of this book, America's Cheapest Family, to be honest, trustworthy and completely sincere in their advice. This is not a quick get-rich scheme. This is not a book to only make it's author's rich. This is a true, honest, truthful, hands-on approach to successful money management here in the United States of America. Unless Americans wake up to the fact that they are destroying their lives, the lives of their children, their country and everyone's future by drowning in unnecessary debt, the USA is doomed. The Economides have proved ALL the financial experts wrong! We can have a great life here in America, without consumer debt, without high mortgages, without big screen TV's, expensive vacations, big cars and all the other trappings advertisers have shoved down the American throat. This book should be required reading in every freshman high school class in America. The American dream, as we were led to believe is dead. The Economides, and their 7 children are the new living American Dream: own their own house outright, no consumer debt, living in reality and within their means, eating healthy, honest, decent, respectful, authentic people. I thank them for this wonderful book. I hope they will continue their journey and quest to help other fellow Americans manage their money and live an honest, realistic life. God bless Steve and Annette Economides. They have changed my life.

The Economides family has been living the lifestyle they espouse, which makes their book even more practical and down-to-earth. The writing style is easy to read, and they includes many concrete examples of how to cut costs in many areas such as clothing, groceries, vacations, etc. I found their budget idea the most practical one I've seen.