Nov. 11, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: Ethics, Schmethics: 'Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel' Helps You Survive Current Hard Times
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
Question: What do you get when you cross Dave Barry and Benjamin Franklin? Answer: Arizona journalist Phil Villarreal, author of "Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets" (Skyhorse Publishing, 256 pages, $12.95).
Of course, a cross between Franklin, famous for his punchy sayings on frugality printed in "Poor Richard's Almanack," published from 1732 to 1758, and Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Barry, equally famous for his exploding toilets and house-fire-starting pop tarts and other urban catastrophes, is impossible, but I had to think of a lead for this review and this was the best I could come up with. If you think reviewing books that you get free from publishers is easy, think again: It's hard work coming up with snappy leads and graceful prose. It's a dirty, nasty job, but somebody has to do it.
Tongue firmly in cheek -- or sticking out in rebellion at society's stuffy norms -- Villarreal advises his readers to perform planned acts of economy like hanging around a university's dumpsters at the end of the semester to obtain microwave ovens, TV sets, computers and the many varieties of stuff the rich, overprivileged students are throwing out of their dorm rooms. Just don't stand too close to a dumpster that's right below a window. Or, something I've been doing for years, accumulating free condiments from fast-food restaurants. I've got a cigar box full of them. Along with condiments, don't forget those napkins. Don't buy a lawnmower, borrow your neighbor's instead. Tipping is a place in China; it's not up to a restaurant patron to supplement the income of the joint's employees.
Yes, We Can Save Money, is Villarreal's motto -- or it should be -- as he advises a prospective groom to opt for a cubic zirconia engagement ring, telling your bride-to-be that it's an heirloom passed down from your grandmother to prevent it from being appraised. Or take your date to a college sporting event, often for little or nothing ticket-wise. (He's a fan of volleyball because of the sexy -- he says "slutty" -- uniforms the very fit women volleyball players wear. Forgive him, he's only been out of college for nine years and is still a student at heart. And he's right about volleyball; I always include photos with stories about college volleyball games that I place on the online news site I edit.)
He provides a detailed method of getting refunds on already opened DVDs; how to clothe yourself from credit card promotions -- without destroying your FICO score; how to attend a potluck dinner at little or no cost to you. Villarreal is married with two very young children and he's the film and video games critic for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, so he has to be frugal. As the survivor of five daily newspapers -- with the scars on my back to prove it -- I don't envy a young journalist these days.
Phil Villarreal is not a Harvard MBA or a professional financial adviser -- although he earned a business degree at the University of Arizona -- or a talking head on a cable television network focusing on business, but he can change your financial life—if you are willing to move into the gray areas of money and ethics. His advice is as funny as it is useful as it is a little bit evil.
Instead of playing straight and saving money by cutting back on things you need or want, "Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel" has a better plan to save money by working the system and sticking it to "the man." Villarreal was inspired to write the book two years ago when his schoolteacher wife Jessica quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom. Supporting a wife and kids on a newspaper reporter's salary is a neat trick, so he tapped into his inner college kid scrounger mode.
He wrote a chapter a night for three months and suffered dozens of rejections from literary agents and publishers (How dumb can people be to reject a book like this?) only to find a publishing home with the enterprising folks at Skyhorse in New York City. The economic meltdown helped, but even if you don't follow Villarreal's advice in all matters, "Secrets" is a very entertaining, funny as all get out book.
If you think internet service is too expensive, Stingy Scoundrel Phil has advice for you. If you think coupon clipping is for desperate housewives, Phil will set you straight. Buying a car? Phil can help you haggle with the people who do it for a living and probably for fun, too. Got a Costco or Sam's Club or big supermarket in your area? You have today's equivalent of the old-time tavern's free lunch with the samples at these places. I don't have a Whole Foods store in my town, but whenever I visit a place with one I sample the edible and drinkable swag.
A book about saving money would most likely be printed on cheap paper -- most of them are. Skyhorse went the distance with Villarreal's book, printing it on heavy, durable, beautiful paper, with 50 great color illustrations by Adam Wallenta. It's a perfect bathroom book. It's not free, but it won't bust your budget and should end up paying for itself quickly if you follow the 100 steps provided by Villarreal.
About the Author: Phil Villarreal attended the University of Arizona, where he graduated with a business degree in 2000. He is the movie and video game critic at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, AZ and contributes to consumerist websites and blogs. He's the author of "Stormin' Mormon." Villarreal lives with his wife Jessica, son Luke, and daughter Emma in Marana, AZ.
Publisher's web site: www.skyhorsepublishing.com
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BOOK REVIEW: Ethics, Schmethics: 'Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel' Helps You Survive Current Hard Times
Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
Question: What do you get when you cross Dave Barry and Benjamin Franklin? Answer: Arizona journalist Phil Villarreal, author of "Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets" (Skyhorse Publishing, 256 pages, $12.95).
Of course, a cross between Franklin, famous for his punchy sayings on frugality printed in "Poor Richard's Almanack," published from 1732 to 1758, and Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Barry, equally famous for his exploding toilets and house-fire-starting pop tarts and other urban catastrophes, is impossible, but I had to think of a lead for this review and this was the best I could come up with. If you think reviewing books that you get free from publishers is easy, think again: It's hard work coming up with snappy leads and graceful prose. It's a dirty, nasty job, but somebody has to do it.
Tongue firmly in cheek -- or sticking out in rebellion at society's stuffy norms -- Villarreal advises his readers to perform planned acts of economy like hanging around a university's dumpsters at the end of the semester to obtain microwave ovens, TV sets, computers and the many varieties of stuff the rich, overprivileged students are throwing out of their dorm rooms. Just don't stand too close to a dumpster that's right below a window. Or, something I've been doing for years, accumulating free condiments from fast-food restaurants. I've got a cigar box full of them. Along with condiments, don't forget those napkins. Don't buy a lawnmower, borrow your neighbor's instead. Tipping is a place in China; it's not up to a restaurant patron to supplement the income of the joint's employees.
Yes, We Can Save Money, is Villarreal's motto -- or it should be -- as he advises a prospective groom to opt for a cubic zirconia engagement ring, telling your bride-to-be that it's an heirloom passed down from your grandmother to prevent it from being appraised. Or take your date to a college sporting event, often for little or nothing ticket-wise. (He's a fan of volleyball because of the sexy -- he says "slutty" -- uniforms the very fit women volleyball players wear. Forgive him, he's only been out of college for nine years and is still a student at heart. And he's right about volleyball; I always include photos with stories about college volleyball games that I place on the online news site I edit.)
He provides a detailed method of getting refunds on already opened DVDs; how to clothe yourself from credit card promotions -- without destroying your FICO score; how to attend a potluck dinner at little or no cost to you. Villarreal is married with two very young children and he's the film and video games critic for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, so he has to be frugal. As the survivor of five daily newspapers -- with the scars on my back to prove it -- I don't envy a young journalist these days.
Phil Villarreal is not a Harvard MBA or a professional financial adviser -- although he earned a business degree at the University of Arizona -- or a talking head on a cable television network focusing on business, but he can change your financial life—if you are willing to move into the gray areas of money and ethics. His advice is as funny as it is useful as it is a little bit evil.
Instead of playing straight and saving money by cutting back on things you need or want, "Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel" has a better plan to save money by working the system and sticking it to "the man." Villarreal was inspired to write the book two years ago when his schoolteacher wife Jessica quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom. Supporting a wife and kids on a newspaper reporter's salary is a neat trick, so he tapped into his inner college kid scrounger mode.
He wrote a chapter a night for three months and suffered dozens of rejections from literary agents and publishers (How dumb can people be to reject a book like this?) only to find a publishing home with the enterprising folks at Skyhorse in New York City. The economic meltdown helped, but even if you don't follow Villarreal's advice in all matters, "Secrets" is a very entertaining, funny as all get out book.
If you think internet service is too expensive, Stingy Scoundrel Phil has advice for you. If you think coupon clipping is for desperate housewives, Phil will set you straight. Buying a car? Phil can help you haggle with the people who do it for a living and probably for fun, too. Got a Costco or Sam's Club or big supermarket in your area? You have today's equivalent of the old-time tavern's free lunch with the samples at these places. I don't have a Whole Foods store in my town, but whenever I visit a place with one I sample the edible and drinkable swag.
A book about saving money would most likely be printed on cheap paper -- most of them are. Skyhorse went the distance with Villarreal's book, printing it on heavy, durable, beautiful paper, with 50 great color illustrations by Adam Wallenta. It's a perfect bathroom book. It's not free, but it won't bust your budget and should end up paying for itself quickly if you follow the 100 steps provided by Villarreal.
About the Author: Phil Villarreal attended the University of Arizona, where he graduated with a business degree in 2000. He is the movie and video game critic at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, AZ and contributes to consumerist websites and blogs. He's the author of "Stormin' Mormon." Villarreal lives with his wife Jessica, son Luke, and daughter Emma in Marana, AZ.
Publisher's web site: www.skyhorsepublishing.com
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