The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn

Might I also point out that Market Basket is a haven for local Boston flavor, replete with their sawdust-on-the-floor cleaning methodology and lengthy, colorful loudspeaker announcements ranging from Red Sox scores to employee birthdays to, you know, things actually happening inside the store like sales on charcoal and cat food. Especially in the produce department, Market Basket throws down top-notch organic veggies so fine (and so economical), they’ll bring a tear to your deal-seeking eyes. Their costs are comparable to Aldi’s, but I find their quality vastly superior. I’ve lauded them before, but it bears repeating that Market Basket–a local New England chain of grocers–has the lowest prices of any store I’ve ever frequented. And there’s only one champion in these grocery store wars: Market Basket.* We’ve judiciously price-compared our way around town in order to uncover the dirt cheapest deals on tasty, healthy food in our region.

Frugalwoods and spend a cool $300-$350 per month on groceries–and since we don’t eat out, this is every morsel of food we consume.

This glut of options–not to mention the sheer number of people living densely compacted in one area–facilitates a robust used market at thrift stores, garage sales, on Craigslist, the Buy Nothing Project, and of course, my personal favorite, the side of the road (aka the trash).Īnd as we find ourselves on the eve of perhaps the most epic trash find weekend in Cambridge–the annual September 1st move-out–I feel it’s only appropriate to humbly submit this guide to frugal living in our fair city of Boston, MA. From grocery stores to hamster wheels, there’s rarely a monopoly on any one good or service in the city, which serves to foster healthy competition for low prices. Much like frugality gives you options, options themselves yield frugality. When the naysayers scoff at your undertaking of devout thriftiness in the big city, tell them nay! For as city-dwellers know, a large metropolitan area is home to the frugal weirdo’s greatest advantage: options. Hidden amongst the ritzy retailers and posh restaurants are havens of frugality sure to make even the most frugal among us leap with glee.

What we’ve discovered is that high cost-of-living areas are actually secret boons for thrifty people. FW and I frugal it up in one of the priciest zip codes in the country. In an effort to give the people what they want, I’m devoting a few strokes of the pen (keyboard?) to detailing how Mr. Lately, I’ve been pleasantly inundated with messages from fellow Boston-area frugal folks–thank you all for saying hi and especial thanks to those of you who’ve invited us over to your homes, we look forward to meeting you! FW & Frugal Hound on a winter walk from Cambridge to Boston

The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn