Frugality is all the rage in the bookstore aisles these days, and Sarah Beckham of the Austin American-Statesman has sifted through the masses of butchered trees to point out three that may be worth a look to help you trim your budget.

Her picks are 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, Cheaper: Insiders’ Tips for Saving on Everything and 1,001 Things They Won’t Tell You: An Insider’s Guide to Spending, Saving, and Living Wisely.

Beckham’s comments on the latter:

We’re suckers for the conspiratorial, letting-you-in-on-a-secret tone of ‘1,001 Things They Won’t Tell You: An Insider’s Guide to Spending, Saving, and Living Wisely’ by Jonathan Dahl and the editors of Smart Money Books. Who are “they”? Everyone from your doctor, your plumber and your florist to bloggers, cruise lines and your child who’s in college. It’s a good reference to consult before many of life’s major undertakings. Besides keeping you from wasting money, it will help you avoid mistakes that have even bigger consequences, such as choosing a bad summer camp or nursing home. Some sections reach a little far to be shocking — did anyone really not know, for example, that a university doesn’t have responsibility for the safety of a student’s off-campus apartment? But overall this is a fine reference that you’ll reach for frequently.

We’re still waiting for the financial advice book that tells you to avoid paying for it by sitting down at a comfy bookstore chair and “sampling” it from cover to cover before slipping it back on the shelf.

3 books to help you save money [Austin American-Statesman]
(Photo: www.robinryan.ca)

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