Jeff Yeager, dubbed "The Ultimate Cheapskate" by Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show, is a very cheap guy. He re-cants, as opposed to decants, the wine he proudly serves his dinner guests, funneling cheap box wine into premium-label bottles. He believes you should never spend more than per pound on food items. And to save time and energy costs, he soft-boils his morning eggs along with the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. In his first book The Ultimate Cheapskate's Roadmap to True Riches, Yeager introduced his economical lifestyle to the world and tackled the age-old idea that accumulating "stuff" can bring us happiness. Instead, he offered a completely fresh take on personal finance, teaching us how to enjoy life by spending less, and he laid out the practices and principles that have helped him make cheap the new cool. Now, Jeff's at it again, but this time he's not alone. For The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means (Broadway Books; June 2010; Trade Paperback Original), Jeff has traveled around the country interviewing and surveying hundreds of his cheapskate brethren—people who are living happily and comfortably below their means—to discover common characteristics among cheapskates everywhere: what they buy and own, and how they work, earn, and spend their money. In his new book, Jeff reveals their strategies for spending less, saving more, and being all around happier (and sleeping soundly) while spending far less than the average American. For example, you'll learn how to cut your food bill in half and eat healthier because of it; how your kids can get a college education without borrowing a dime; how to let the other guy pay for depreciation by learning the secrets of buying used, not abused, and how—if you know where to look—there's free stuff and free fun all around you. "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 has a way of unleashing the inner cheapskate in us all!" —Jean Chatzky, Bestselling Author and Financial Expert "If you don't save ten times the amount you spend on this book, you probably didn't read it." —Vicki Robin, Author of Your Money or Your Life Read More >

It used to be that "stuff" made you cool. That is so twentieth century. The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches lays out the practices and principles that have made cheap the new cool. Jeff Yeager, the man dubbed The Ultimate Cheapskate by Matt Lauer on Today, offers his unique philosophy of personal finance, teaching us how to enjoy life more if we're willing to spend less. He will show you how to buy less stuff, retire young, and live financially free, while you make a positive difference in people's lives and save the planet along the way. Read More >

How to Pack Like a Cheapskate
Wed, 14 Jul 2010

I'm often accused of being a cheap-fake -- instead of a cheapskate -- when people find out how much I've traveled the world. To quote my favorite Johnny Cash song, "I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere."

Well, not really, but I have traveled in all 50 states and nearly 30 different countries -- not bad for a spending-challenged guy like me. Of course, traveling-on-the-cheap is the only way to go, in my opinion, since it's the best way to get a real sense of places and the people who live there. It's all about thinking locally while you travel globally, as I like to say.

Get the 7 rules of budget travel.

A big part of successful cheapskate travel is deciding what to pack, and, even more importantly, what to leave behind. Traveling-on-the-cheap means packing as light and compact as possible, not only to avoid extra baggage costs, but to enjoy the trip more and maintain maximum flexibility, which can save you a lot of money when you're traveling. Many of my travels have been under my own steam -- bicycling or hiking, or, at the very least, traveling by public transportation. That's usually the cheapest and greenest way to go, but it all depends on keeping your traveling kit to a minimum.

Here are some tried and true tips for cheapskate packing I've developed over the years:

* Worst Case Scenario: Before packing anything, ask yourself: What's the worst thing that will happen if I don't bring this with me? Unless the answer is you could die or suffer some immeasurable degree of pain or discomfort, think twice about packing it.

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Make Your Own Mulch
Saturday, July 31, 2010

You can make your own mulch by shredding, crushing, chopping and/or decaying organic matter such as leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, paper, and tree limbs, branches and twigs. As opposed to compost, mulch is not as far along in the decomposition process, and it's intended to lie on top of the soil, whereas compost is mixed into and becomes the soil. Mulch inhibits weed growth and helps retain moisture so you can water your garden less.

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2010 Tour de Cheapskate Underway

Thursday, July 1, 2010

My book-tours-by-bicycle continue in 2010 to promote my new book "The Cheapskate Next Door".  I'll be touring the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and the East Coast during the summer of 2010.  Check the "Events" page for my itineraries of local book signings along the way.

If you'd like to invite me to crash on your couch when I pedal through your area, please email me at UltCheapskate@aol.com. 

Hope to see you on the roaed!

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