Budget Books

Somewhat entertaining, but practically a bit of a waste of time and money. Poor information for the most part. Some incorrect information I found, which I emailed to the author about. He asked me where I located the bad information, but then he never got back to me to help me or apologize.

This is a good beginner's book on expatriating to Mexico. It covers the basic questions of "how to do it". However, it does not address issues that so vex the new expat--particularly new AMERICAN expats. This is not a slam against Americans. It is that we are not as accustomed to a foreign country as are Europeans and need to know what to REALLY expect when moving to another country.

A good book but doesn't cover the picadillos of living in Mexico.

Doug Bower
Author--The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico

I was very pleased with this book as it really answered most of my questions about moving to Mexico. I think the authors' perspectives on life in Mexico seemed to be very honest and accurate since they revealed both the good and bad aspects about living south of the border. This book was informative and enjoyable to read. I was inspired!

I disagree with the reviewer's statement that there are no substantial differences being reported over an 11 year period. Because of our interest in visiting and living in Mexico, I own three editions (including the 1988 and the 1999 copies). I've found each edition extremely comprehensive and appreciate the updated material provided in each. Like any guidebook, Choose Mexico provides comprehensive information about living, retiring, and doing business in Mexico. We have used it extensively during our yearly semi-retirement visits to the country. The basic facts in any guidebook do not change from year to year while new regulations and changing economic are dutifully reported. I certainly don't expect the authors of a guidebook to present the same facts in a different form for each new edition. It's a guidebook, not a novel! I would rate Choose Mexico as five stars for their complete and entertaining guidebook on living in Mexico.

Having read the 1988 edition recently and then ordering this 1999 edition, I was pretty disappointed to read the newest version and find practically no substantial differences being reported over an 11 year period.

I purchased this book because I needed help shopping and planning my meals. I work FT and I don't have the time or the need to bargain shop. The problem is I can go to the supermarket spend a couple of hundred dollars and not come home with any "food." We get snacks and a little of this and a little of that but I go to make dinner and there is no way that we have food for 3 meals a day for 4 people. This was a good planning book. Since money was not really an issue for us, I purchased slightly higher end items, like fresh whole wheat bread instead of day old white, soy milk instead of regular or kielbasa instead of hot dogs. I clearly ran over the suggested budget in the book but we: 1) spent far less than we normally do, 2) had "food" all week and a much better variety 3) felt more organized about what's for dinner issues.

Regarding saving money, I think I was looking for a magic trick. At the end of the day, it's mostly common sense things like shop at cheap supermarkets and use cupons. For us, how to get your family organized with food was very helpful.

This book is a waste of money IF you have purchased her second book--Eat Healthy for 50 a week. It is virtually the same material--page for page all recipes are the same and the only real differences are an update on her family status and four new menus and shopping lists. The "hypothetical family" scenario is word for word the same as in her previous two books as is most of the other info in the other chapters. Save your money--only buy ONE of her books. Either will give you the same info.

If you visit the publishers website, you will see that this book, "Feed Your Family for $12 a Day",... is an UPDATED version of her previous book,.."Feed Your Family for $50 a Week". It was not meant to be a NEW book,.. it is an UPDATED version of the previous book. You don't need BOTH books.

This book would be a good first read for people trying to cut down on their grocery bills, but if you've looked at other frugality books (Tightwad Gazette, etc.) you'll find much here that is repeated from other sources. That's not really a criticism of the author: Frugality in the kitchen is largely a matter of common sense, and she has managed to put together a good, basic primer.

The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is that the recipes, which take up half the book, were singularly uninspired. If you have very plain "Midwestern" tastes or picky kids, they might be appealing, but they wouldn't fly at all in this foodie family. Luckily, it's not all that hard to come up with easy recipes for fresh, frugal meals. Any of Jack Bishop's cookbooks will put you on the right track.

Most frugality-related books contain, at best, one or two chapters on saving money on groceries. Since food is one of the few flexible items in many families' budgets, it makes sense to devote an entire book to this important subject. Although much of the information is repeated from her previous books, there's enough new information to make it a helpful addition to any frugal bookshelf (even if you already own the author's previous books). BUT ... if you don't already own Barfield's other books, you'll want to buy this book right now! Your budget will thank you, your dinner table will thank you, and your family will thank you!

This book is too old to report actual facts concerning entrance fees and expenses. It still is in the French Frank era with nothing new enough to mention the Euro. It requires you to know the area you want to visit to find an attraction. For the first visitor to Paris looking for a particular site, it requires looking over the whole book to find it.

Don't waste your money. Buy an up-to-date guide book instead.

Those who complain about this book being out of date are missing the point of this resource. It's true that it is out of date as far as the money system is concerned, but the information that it is most useful for will never be out of date - all the major tourist attractions, but more importantly, many little known yet equally wonderful sights. If you're looking for secrets to get something cheap, you'll be disappointed. It is europe, and with the exchange rate being what it is, everything's expensive, and this book is not going to get you around that (although there are many good money saving tips). It's also not for those who want to be dazzled with pictures, which are few and far between, and black and white at that. However, this is one of the best resources for finding all of the hidden gems that comprise Paris, especially for return visitors who wish to see more than just the tourist's city.

The book outlines, arrondissement by arrondissement, every landmark and point of interest that you can imagine, from the major tourist sites to shopping districts, "cheap" stores, tourist offices and more. What it is best for is calling to attention some obscure details about buildings that you may otherwise pass by, not knowing that you are missing a real treasure inside.

I have been traveling to Paris yearly for more than ten years and know the city well. This is still one of the best resources for "discovering" Paris that I have ever found, and even after years of visits, I still occasionally look to this book to find something "new" to discover.

For the first time visitor who has limited time in the city, this book may not be for you, although it does give many helpful hints on how to avoid lines and/or find the easiest means of entrance to a particular attraction. Another plus is that it is written in simple language and clearly outlines the address, metro stop (including line #), and hours. If you are looking to completely discover Paris, this is the book for you, as it will point out and explain every beautiful and noteworthy feature of this incredible city.

Not extremely helpful. Most listings are churches and parks that are free to enter. After reviewing this book for a short week in Paris, I decided it was not worth the space or weight to take it with me.

Terrific little book to supplement a comprehensive travel guide like Fodor's. The tip on seeing the Louvre for free saved me double the cost the book alone!

An excellent guide to free or cheap things to see and do all over Paris and its suburbs

I got this book for some ideas to help take the cost out of scrapbooking. While there were some good ideas for materials to use around the house, I realized with the page examples they give, you're still going to have to put money into the scrapping tools, papers, etc. So I picked up some good ideas for unique materials, but it's not really gonna help with scrapbooking on a shoestring budget.

For the most part, I really like this book. It has some great ideas on how to use things that would otherwise go in the trash. My main problem with it, is that many of the ideas call for using items that are very 3D. I keep my scrapbook pages in an album (I realize that some people keep them in shadowboxes), and 3D items just don't work. For example, some of the layouts have things in them such as chopsticks, sea shells, a string of pearls, an antique comb, binder clips, and even Legos. These things stick out off the page WAY to far to ever use the page in a scrapbook. But other than that, the book is great. It really helps me not only get ideas directly from the book, but come up with ideas of my own by changing the way I look at "trash".

This is the COOLEST scrapbooking book ever! I loved it because it validates MY STYLE of scrapbooking...I'm always on the lookout for items in my own stash to use as embellishments so I don't have to BUY such things. The use of these items makes my pages much more personal and unique...that's what creativity is all about, isn't it? I'm also not one to follow "patterns" and I don't like the look of pre-made embellishments, but rather like to add unusual items for surprise effects in my work...other people tend to ooh & aah a lot more because they are surprised at the effects I come up with, USING ONLY FOUND OBJECTS! Don't let the "one star" review influence you in buying this book...if you are CREATIVE, you'll love it! It is chock full of great ideas that I never thought of!

I am so sorry I wasted my money and time on this book. If you are looking for some realistic and new ways to use items found around the house for scrapbooking, this is NOT it.

Learn how, where, and when to shop, smart ways to eat out, and how to use food you might have otherwise thrown out. Money saving tips include cheap cleaning solutions, and advice on growing your own harvest. Ideal for young people just starting out.

This book is so complete with facts and methods to cut ANYONE'S grocery bill, it is amazing. Pat Edwards includes not only the standard helps of coupon cutting and supermarket tricks but suggestions for growing and making your own products. The book is written to help the reader find their own best method and places to shop. Sprinkled with comments that make me life at myself, this book is both humerous and informative. I have searched for a book like this for years !

No question in my mind why this book is no longer in print! One of the repeated themes in this book is to not shop with your children because they will just whine and beg you to buy all of the snack foods they see on TV. The author then goes on to say that for an entire summer they utilized only kerosene light as they watched TV to save money on their electric bill. DUH! TURN OFF THE TV! There is also a fascinating segment toward the back of the book on how to prepare "shrubs" which can replace the cost of alcohol in your budget. ??? I was waiting for her to tell me how to build the still! Full of sarcastic humor...brownie recipes that contain 3 cups of flour and 5 cups of sugar....save the money you would have spent on this book and apply it to your grocery bill!

Although most of these ideas in this book are pretty good, I draw the line at purchasing $.49 per pound hotdogs at Aldis to save on "meat" costs, or feeding my dog and cat the cheapest pet food available, to save money (it won't save money on vet bills). She even suggests you just get a smaller pet to save money! Not an option. But overall she does give some good ideas on buying in bulk, comparison shopping, stretching foods, etc. Probably a good buy for someone starting out, but I would round it out with other books such as Tightwad Gazette or some basic cookbooks.

Lots of enthusiasm for the by-the-skin-of-your-pants approach to garage video making.

I was expecting the latest and greatest tips and techniques on how to get the best video with the lowest overhead. However, I was truly disappointed with the content as I felt it was so out of date that it was not very helpful in this digital age. Additionally, I felt the information was not layed out in the best format either. While I am an intermediate film-maker, I felt this book did not provide any new learning, value, or provide any usable take aways or action items to help the readers.

Hoffer's attitude towards the digital video revolution is a combination independent film producer and midnight computer hacker. His gonzo attitude lends a breezy, hip tone to this compendium of tips and tricks of the trade. His approach is one of passionate artistry rather than pedantry, as his love of the medium shines through the sometimes overcaffeinated prose. He is at his best when describing dozens of workarounds for bad shots, cheaper ways to get the same effect as the big production houses, and how to recognize, capture and recycle good shots for your media library. Best of all, he imparts to his readers the same enthusiasm and wry attitude that keep you going during those long, long hours of rendering and rewinding. Extensive quotes from other pioneers in the DV world, time-management tips, advice on the quickly evolving world of digital delivery (CD versus Web), and survival skills in this highly competitive environment are the best features. Recommended for novice or expert alike.

Video is a creative medium, and this book is just meant to get you thinking, and exploring. For me, I never would have thought of covering my scanner with sand, or tinfoil to create backgrounds. He suggests using compositing tracker data to capture the motion of a natural object like a feather falling, and then applying that motion to your own animation -again I never would have thought of this. The book is full of creative tidbits. It's a "wow, if that's possible, than I could also do this" kind of book. It gets you thinking about all the possibilities and potential that exists for your videos.

The book is well formatted, short, and easy to read. Took me 4 days to read. Recommended.

While the book has excellent design examples, I find it hard to believe that 4 spot colors with a varnish falls into "limited budget" category. Limited budget in the Montana market is "Designer donates time to make cheapskate project look good." This book has great stuff, but does not fit within limited budget parameters.

They need to call it stale and boring reading about cost effective design. This by far is one of the worst books on this topic I have read. Check it out from the library or flip thru it while sipping coffee at your favorite bookstore. Whatever you do-- don't waste your money on this one.

This book sparked my creativity and showed me examples of exactly the type of design I was looking for. Perfect source of information for brainstorming sessions.

I loved this book, it really helped with my projects. It helped stimulate my creative side. I think its layout and format was easy to read with full of fresh ideas

As a loyal and longtime fan of the LP (Lonely Planet) Series, I thought I would economize and buy the "Let's Go Britain and Ireland 2000" since LP does *not* offer a combined (i.e. UK & Ireland)book. Boy, what a disappointment! This book falls terribly short of LP standards--if you are considering this book *please* splurge for the two separate LP guides instead. "Let's Go" skimps on info and offers little more than tourist brochure quality advice (seriously!). Granted, the information provided in this guidebook is basic enough for the occassional tourist but NOT of the caliber and detail demanded by the seasoned traveller or backpacker. (Forget about wanting to *drive* to any location--"Let's Go" does not even provide driving routes, ONLY provides maps of major tourist cities (and sometimes not even the major cities!), and truthfully only covers the larger cities and tourist spots. Forget about any "off the course" travel if "Let's Go" is your guide!) I learned from my mistake--hopefully you can too: BUY LONELY PLANET INSTEAD! Sorry "Let's Go"---you made my 2 months of travel in the UK and Ireland more trouble than pleasure!

I used the 1997 edition to travel alone through England and Scotland for 3 1/2 weeks in October of '97. I found it very useful and informative. I knew ahead of time many of the things I wanted to do and see. This guide was quite helpful in getting me around England by public transportation. My focus was mainly on larger cities with a couple of side trips to the country. Using the guide allowed me to find a nice, clean place to sleep in each city I stayed. In one city I stayed at a great hostel not in the guide, but it was nice to know that I had the guide to fall back on if needed. I can understand the disappointment of the writer of the "Caveat Emptor" review. This is not the best guide for off the beaten path travel. However, as a first time solo traveller, woman, and British Lit fan, I found it very useful, comforting, and fun. The only problem I had with the '97 version was the pitifully vague index. I am glad to say that they index of the 2000 version appears to be much more thorough. I would certainly purchase this guide again.

This guidebook is an excellent buy for anyone who wants to travel to Britain and/or Ireland without spending a lot of money. The book gives HONEST reviews of what to see and what to skip, as well as listings of budget places to eat and stay. The book's writers seem to have a sense of humor and are good at combining the factual and the entertaining. As for another reviewer's complaint that it contains no driving directions/maps--sorry, but most people on a budget can't afford to rent a car and pay for the expensive petrol (gas) in Great Britain! :-) Over all, I would recommend this book.

Let's Go: Britain and Ireland is an awesome guidebook! It really helped me out in my travels -- it offers very solid factual information, but at the same time it's witty and entertaining. The youthful slant of the writers gives the book a welcome fresh face. I particularly appreciated the tips on English soccer -- or 'football' -- that made me feel like an insider once I reached England. A well-worth it investment. I'll definately be buying the Let's Go series after this.

I purchased this Let's Go guide to accompany me on my solo trip through Eastern Europe. I visited twenty-one countries over the course of six months. Having used other Let's Go guides, I expected the same high quality information from my previous experiences. I was disappointed. This guide is more like "Eastern Europe Light". Seems the staff didn't go anywhere they thought they might need a visa. Ridiculous. This guide "cherry picks" which countries it covers. While I understand not covering all of Turkey, I think Istanbul should have been covered...it is on the European continent after all. The Balkans were left out completely except for the much too touristy mecca of Croatia. Belarus was also completely ignored, as was Albania. I went to all these places and had the best time. Prague and Dubrovnik were the stand out disappointments. (I went to Prague ten years ago, and it was heaven. But now, its a trainwreck.) I am thankful that I purchased the Lonely Planet Eastern Europe guide. It is far superior, and the latest edition was published in March 2007. The LP isn't perfect, but its much better than this drivel.

To be entirely honest, I had my doubts at first about the Let's Go line of guidebooks, but this edition really changed my mind. Having picked up a copy of the newest edition on Let's Go Eastern Europe, I recently set out on a tour of the region and found this guidebook to be exquisitely put together and extraordinarily informative. This is a book which maintains a distictly entertaining personality while still offering the soundest travel advice a budget traveller could possibily hope for. I could not recommend this guidebook more highly - it is quite simply the best on the market today.

This book is ok.

I'm living in Prague now, and plan to travel eastward. It has helped me in Slovakia and Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The problem is that I want to travel to the Balkans...romania, bulgaria, and croatia are the only places covered in this book. The rest of the Balkans are completely not in there.

Also, it would be nice to put Greece in the Eastern Europe book as well as the western. I know it isn't thought of as Eastern, but the Geography kind of makes it a good place to visit while going through the Balkans.

P.S. Prague is NOT a trainwreck!!! I live here, and enjoy every minute of it. I'm sorry if there are tourists here, but you will run into tourists everywhere. If you are looking for a local experience, get out of Wen. Square and Mala strana!

let's go eastern europe 12th edition was my constant companion on my recent solo travels through ukraine, poland, and the baltics. the book has a great eye for both the wonders and the frustrations of the region--and the best deals.

Well, I just returned from London, too, and I found this book quite useful. Lots of unusual museums and parks that I never would have heard about. The book's a real bargain.

Just returned from London, and tried to use this book as a guide. Many of the sites don't exist, and those that I found were generally not worth the time.

This book is loaded with quite a few free things to do in London, England. Indeed, they seem to be good suggestions. However, the book lacks an index, which makes it hard to revisit interesting ideas (what page is the Sikorski museum on?). Also, the book offers only the briefest of blurbs about each of the sites it suggests. This means that it is hard to tell what you are going to actually see.

The previous criticism is nitpicking; I'm going to London to teach some courses for American students, and I found lots of neat information here, not only about museum contents related to my classes, but also info on sites for my wife and 13 year old daughter to explore. true, thre is no index, but the book is so short, compact, readable, that you don't need one. Just do what i did: highlight the sites you want to see; it'll take you under an hour; you can do it on the plane!