Seven Frugal Living Books Worth Reading (Great for Aussies)

These seven frugal living books have stood the test of time, offering sage advice and practical tips for living well on a budget.

There are a bazillion frugal living books out there, and over the years, I’ve just about read them all.

Some books offer a bunch of frugal living tips. Others provide a way of living that’s a little different to our current 9-5 consumer culture.

The following is a curated list of books on frugal living that I’ve found useful and inspiring. Some are Australian, which is a nice change to the usual list of books you’ll find; some aren’t but are still useful for Aussies wanting to live more frugally. Or to just be re-inspired if you already live frugally.

There’s a bit of overlap in the tips, but sometimes it can be useful or inspiring to re-read something that’s explained differently or in a way that resonates with you. There’s also the serendipity of reading the right thing at the right time. The more you read, the more likely that will happen.

TBH, many of the books I read nowadays are eBooks. Mostly because I can make the text bigger – I find I need that more and more as the years pass. But also because it’s easy to highlight, make digital notes, and keep them for reference in a notetaking app.

I’ve included links to Amazon (they are affiliate links) if you want to view the books, but of course, the most frugal option is to borrow them from your local library for free!

1. Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Fully Revised and Updated for 2018. Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez

While technically a personal finance book, Your Money or Your Life isn’t a ‘get rich’ book so much as a ‘learn to be happy with enough’ philosophy.

It’s about saving money and investing for the future, but it’s also about living well, enjoying life, and being environmentally responsible. It’s about not being caught up in consumerism, which is why it makes it to the frugal living list.

I first read this book many years ago, and while I’m a bit sceptical about the whole FIRE thing (financially independent, retired early), many of the concepts in this book have been infused into our everyday life.

Get it at the library, your local book store, or on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format.

2. Down to Earth: A Guide to Simple Living. Rhonda Hetzel

I’ve followed Rhonda’s blog for over 15 years and have been inspired by her life and simple-living tips.

While she no longer posts on her blog, all that information is there and in her three books. Down to Earth was her first publication with Penguin.

It’s not so much about frugal living as simple living, but there’s a huge cross-over. They are almost one and the same, I think, anyway.

Get it at the library, your local book store, or on Amazon in Kindle, hardcover, and paperback format.

3. The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More. Annie Raser-Rowland & Adam Grubb

This is one of my all-time favourite frugal living books.

It’s a light-hearted read with a friendly tone and an uplifting vibe.

Sometimes, when money is tight or we’re living frugally for other reasons, we can focus on what we don’t have or are missing out on, which can be a downer.

It’s always good to be reminded to take joy in the simple things in life.

Epicureanism was an ancient Greek philosophy that emphasised hedonism. Today, we use this word to mean extravagance. But the original Epicureans were all about taking pleasure in the simple things. They argued that leading a life of excess brought sorrow, not joy.

So this book is another chapter in a long line of thought about finding pleasure in small things.

Get it at the library, your local bookstore, or on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format.

4. The New Hard Times Handbook. Keith & Irene Smith

This is probably the book that started my frugal living journey: that and Molly Dye’s Book of Household Hints and Tips.

My dad owned both, so I guess that’s where I get my frugal-ness from. As he was born in the 1930s, he didn’t think of it as living frugally, or sustainably, or simply. It was just living normally.

There are lots of tips in this book for when you’re on an extremely tight budget.

The Hard Times Handbook is, unfortunately, currently out of print. However, you may be lucky enough to find it at your local library or a second-hand bookstore. I thought I’d share it so it’s on your radar.

5. The Complete Tightwad Gazette: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle. Amy Dacyczyn

Funny story: this was the first purchase I ever made over the internet, many, many years ago.

I had it delivered to my parent’s address because we were moving, and it arrived just before we got married. Mum gave it to me the day before our wedding day.

This was our first, albeit unintentional, wedding gift! And the advice in the book helped us through financially tight years and inspired this blog.

The book is a compilation of newsletters – paper ones that used to arrive in the post before the internet was a thing! Because of its age, some of the tips are a bit out of date. But many suggestions can be modernised and massaged into relevance. For example, keeping a cost book of groceries can be done in an app these days. We could probably get AI to help!

Look for it at your local library, bookstore or on Amazon in paperback format.

7. Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less. Leah Ingram

This is another American book with lots of tips for saving money. It is almost entirely couched in personal experience, making it an authentic and inspiring read.

I’m not so good at sharing personal stories – it feels awkward talking about myself on this blog (I’m a ‘just the facts, mam’ kind of person), but I do like reading them.

And I agree with many of the opinions about frugality that Leah shares in this book, and I love the positive vibe.

Look for it at the library, your local book store, or on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format.

8. Frugal Living for Dummies. Deborah Taylor-Hough

This book is a compilation of all the frugal tips combined in one volume and organised by topic for easy reference.

For example, there’s a section on saving money on groceries, saving money on kids’ costs, saving money on clothes etc.

It’s a beginner’s guide to saving money – if finding ways to save money is new to you, this book is a great introduction. There are a lot of tips – it covers a lot of ground, so it’s sure to save you money in many areas.

Keep in mind it is American, so you will have to translate a few of the tips into Australian.

Look for it at the library, your local book store, or on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format.

Do you have a favourite frugal living or money-saving book? Let me know in the comments below.