Book Signings

Book signings are a good idea. Not only are they free entertainment, but they are supportive of writers and book stores and the printed word. And, heck: they make for great gifts.

Yep, gifts. Authors are more than happy to sign their work - and while they are traveling the circuit promoting their newest book, most are more than happy to sign copies of previous publications. Giving a book the author has signed is a great thing - especially if it's personalized. Your local bookstore should post notices in advance, and chains like Barnes & Noble provide online information.

PS If you go to a cookbook signing, odds are high that there may be cooking involved. This cannot be a bad thing. I just mention this for those of you who like those Saturday morning tasters at the grocery store. Not that I've ever sucumbed to that temptation, of course ....

Role Models

Several profiles appear in an 1998 article from USA Today that is still available online today. An example or two:

Peter Mui changed his life: once earning $75,000 a year (1998 dollars) in publishing, in his new life he's living on $16,000-$20,000 a year instead. He rides a bike instead of driving a car. He looks happy in his photo.

The Padal family moved into a 888 sq. foot home from their their 2,000 sq. foot house - higher quality of life, and time to enjoy it.

There's more. I'd love to know what these folk are doing now - eight years later. So, I've written to USA Today and asked if they'd be interested in following up on this story.

We want to know.

What's the Secret?

Actually, there are six secrets, or tricks, to successful frugal living according to Deborah Taylor-Hough. Deb's got a great frugal living site called A Frugal, Simple Life and as part of that site, she writes of her own experiences in "One Income Living in a Two Income World."

The article lets you know that there are a lot of us out there in the world. She's heard, "It must be nice making so much money you can be home with your kids. We could never afford to do that." Sound familiar?

Deb and her family of five have been doing this for over ten years now. Nice to know she's out there -- she offers ezines, newsletters, and audiotapes if you're interested.