Book Review: 397 Ways To Save Money

Over Christmas, I was given 397 Ways To Save Money by Kerry Taylor, a book from the creator of the blog Squawk Fox. From her site:

"Kerry K. Taylor is the creator of Squawkfox.com, a journalist, and a two-time Ironman triathlon finisher. She beat $17,000 in debt and saved a six-figure portfolio. Kerry lives on an organic farm in British Columbia with her husband, Carl, and their mutt, Pivo"

Her book is a collection of paragraphs on different ways to be frugal and save money on every day items. They are organized into fifteen chapters, and at the end of each paragraph there is a bold caption summarizing the annual cost savings. For example, when talking about dishwashers, "BOTTOM LINE: Start an open-door policy by air-drying dishes and save at least $20 a year on energy costs.

Overall, I was very happy with this book as there were several ideas that I had not thought of to save money around the house. Some of the ideas though leaned from "frugal" to "cheap" (watering down your shampoo to save $20 per year...come on!).

I'd recommend this book to pretty much anyone, but especially to those starting out and looking for ways to save money around the home, where her ideas were the best. At the end of the book, there is a month-by-month listing of household items to check. Things like "Clean air conditioning filters", and "check water and drainpipes for leaks". Obvious things to some, but a good idea of what to do on a regular basis to prevent large scale problems.