By Trina, March 22nd, 2010 |
I’ve always been keen on hearing other people’s money-saving tips—you know, those little things we all do to help us stay in our financially comfortable zones. That’s why my interest was piqued when Phil Villarreal asked me to review his book, Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel. I’d seen Jenny Blake’s interview with Phil on Life After College, which further intrigued me. I had to say yes…and I never turn down free stuff.
 Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel Quick review: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel is a collection of amusing, unique and somewhat morally reprehensible money-saving tips which range from “I could do that” to “Wow, Phil, I really don’t know about that one” to “OMG, Phil, NO…so so wrong”. Overall, I found the book highly entertaining and enjoyed reading a few of the quick chapters each night.
Full review: After a few pages into the book, you’ll begin to feel like Phil Villarreal is that darkly hilarious, brilliant cousin with misdemeanor tendencies. His money-saving tips aren’t conventional, but they are devilishly smart. Some of his tips make you shake your head in horror and others will make you take mental note and file them in your “bringing down the man” section.
Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel is chock full of tips and is broken into the following sections:
- Personal
- Eating
- Relationships
- Household
- Finance
- Leisure and Entertainment
- At the Workplace
- Corporate Cataclysm
- Gross, Mean, and Just Plain Wrong—and Yet Oh So Profitable
Some of my favorite tips came from Phil’s past work experiences as a sports and movie critic. He gives tips on getting into movies for free, seeing multiple movies at one theatre, sneaking into sporting events and bargaining with scalpers. You get advice from a real pro here!
There were several things Phil suggested that I already do and enjoyed getting his strategy on them; things like:
- Rocking the coupons
- Taking free stuff off curbs in May/August at college campuses (truly a free furniture goldmine)
- Never purchasing condiments or napkins (who need a bottle of honey mustard when you’ve got Chick-fil-A)
- Stealing mom’s Tupperware
- Ordering the cheapest item at coffee houses to work and get free wifi (a small brewed coffee is easy on the wallet and the waistline)
Other pieces of advice were a little over my moral line, and I can’t imagine anyone ever doing them. In fact, some of these tips seemed a little ridiculous. My jaw was gaping open when I read the chapter “Pound Your Dog: Help your puppy heal without having to pay for nothin’.” To be fair, Phil does give you disclaimers throughout the book about these sorts of tips.
Final thoughts: There were times in the book were I really wondered if anyone would do some of these things…then I remembered how insane human beings can be and realized people do this stuff all the time. Those times were outweighed by times where I actually found myself developing a new strategy on how I handle certain situations. It took me a few chapters to get used to the “stingy scoundrel mindset”, but once I did, I really enjoyed the ride. It may teeter on a morality line, but I smiled throughout the book nonetheless.
Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel is amusing (and at times ridiculous) but is an overall solid read with a mix of funny and surprisingly practical tips.
By Trina, February 23rd, 2010 |
I am a pair of black pumps’ worst nightmare: wearing them to work and wearing them out at night leads to me wearing them down to nothingness. It is only a short matter of time until I completely ruin them.
The first thing to go is usually one of the heel caps leaving me with a metal peg at the bottom of the heel. That tiny piece of black plastic protecting the metal falls off or wears down, and I can be heard tapping around on any hard surface. I get very self-conscious when only one heel is missing the cap, and I make a tap sound with every other step. My least favorite is when I make a sliding move causing my metal heel to screech like nails on a chalkboard.
I have taken my precious shoes to the cobbler and had them repaired. Sometimes I go to payless and buy plain black pumps during a BoGo sale. This upkeep is maddening.
I’d like to ask my fellow heel-wearing friends: what brand do you turn to for your trusty black pumps and how long do these last?
 Exhibit A: the metal peg that will make me tap as I walk
By Trina, February 14th, 2010 |
I have had a few periods in my life where a perfect storm of change has occurred and altered my course. The last few months have been one of those times. Not only were things changing in every aspect of my world, I honestly felt like I’d lost my blogging voice.
After two months off, I [...]
By Trina, December 13th, 2009 |
I’m a person who loves coffee. Brewing it, smelling it, drinking it—I love everything about coffee. Another thing I love is seeing a company with a great cause. That’s why I’m suggesting you head over to Jumpy Monkey Coffee’s website and purchase a gift for the coffee lover in your life.
First thing, I love their coffees. They have amazing fresh roasted coffees that come in amazing flavors and varying roasts. My personal favorite is the Cinnamon Sticky Bun flavored coffee. Go to their online shopping page and browse the flavors. Most 12 oz bags are $8.00
By Trina, December 8th, 2009 |
Some of my happiest childhood memories were during the holiday season in my hometown of Ida Grove, Iowa. There were weeks of festive cookies, a real Christmas tree decorated to perfection, visits with loved ones, white blankets of snow and evenings spent opening advent calendars and Christmas cards. My mother would decorate the entire house so beautifully that holiday parties were an absolute must. On Christmas Eve, we would watch Christmas Vacation, eat Rueben sandwiches for dinner and attend the evening service at St Paul Lutheran Church to sing classic hymns in a candlelit sanctuary. To me, the holidays were truly magical and those family traditions made it so.
However, families naturally evolve: babies are born, loved ones pass on, folks marry in and people move away. My family is no exception. I live in Dallas, my brother’s family lives in Florida and the majority of my relatives are back in the Midwest. Unfortunately, a mega-trip to Iowa is not feasible every December and my family understands.
Over the last two years, this complicated geographic situation has given me the idea to come up with some of my own holiday traditions. I’m not sure what the final catalyst was—if it was the fact I’m becoming more and more like my mother every day OR if it was that my apartment seemed to lack the magic of my home in Iowa—but whatever it was, I’m glad it happened. Here are some of the holiday traditions I’m beginning…
By Trina, November 30th, 2009 |
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and I’ve compiled my (shameless) annual wishlist. Unlike my childhood years where I flagged pages in the JCPenny Christmas catalog, this year I used the internet to provide links for reference and easy purchasing. Thank goodness for online shopping!
I wanted to share my list on Trina Left Iowa just in case any of my readers were thinking of buying me a gift or need gift ideas for a fellow twenty-something female. I found that Target.com had some great tools and lists for different personality types – my favorite lists for females were Corporate Diva and Urban Gourmet.
By Trina, November 25th, 2009 |
This Thanksgiving I will not be returning to my hometown in Iowa, and it is the first year I have been unable to make the trip home. Surprisingly, I am okay with this reality. Why? Although they will never replace my real family, I have developed a secondary family in the last few years, and I’m excited to celebrate this stomach-stretching holiday with them.
By Trina, November 23rd, 2009 |
Over the last 4 months, I’ve had an excessive amount of change happen in almost every facet of my life: work—I’ve switched positions from a travelling consultant to a stationary office worker, location—I stay in Dallas every week now (I actually feel like I live here now), financially—being local means I drive more and need to buy groceries so suddenly bills are going up, love life—Irish BF has moved to Dallas changing our ridiculously long distance relationship to a suddenly very short distance relationship, physical size—I’ve been expanding… All this drastic change has resulted in many things, but one in particular has bothered me to no end: severe neglect of my darling blog.
By Trina, October 29th, 2009 |
Courtesy of my beloved NPR, thisis a great animated video on how the flu invades your body and spreads. NPR’s Robert Krulwich and medical animator David Bolinsky are your visual guides in this viral journey. Once you get past the amazingness of it, you will wonder how we aren’t all dead by now.
By Trina, October 26th, 2009 |
Dear Autumn,
Ah yes, it’s autumn yet again and that pumpkin-shaped hole in my heart has been filled. That’s right, the leaves are changing, the air is cooler, drunk people in burnt-orange shirts are wandering around Uptown Dallas on Saturday afternoons and Starbucks has their pumpkin-flavoring out. I LOVE this glorious time of year, and I want to sing these affections from my balcony.
For the last 3 falls, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing autumn in 3 very different states: Iowa, Rhode Island and Dallas. Each one has offered up something delightful in this already wonderful time of year, and I’m going to share my favorites from each with you…
|
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this blog are all mine.
|
|