Australia’s tightest man Posted on April 13th
FEW men would admit to it, but Paul Squires is proud of the title: he is Australia’s tightest man.
The penny-pincher advocates avoiding family gatherings, limiting your friends and ignoring Mother’s Day.
“I’m tight, but I’d like to think there are people out there much tighter,” Mr Squires, 43, said.
“There are times when my wife is even tighter than I am.”
In his new book, Wealthier Than You Think, the father-of-two promises to cut readers’ debt, and put as much as $50,000 back into consumers’ pockets over five years.
He believes many Australians are living beyond their means, and there is a “river of money slipping through people’s fingers every day”.
Among his strategies for a financial makeover are having a weekly blackout night, where no electricity is used.
“It not only saves on the power bill but also gives people ‘time out’ to reflect,” he said.
The multi-millionaire also recommends avoiding family get-togethers, particularly Christmas and Easter.
“There’s nothing but heavy stress, heavy drinking and, amongst some families, some deep-seated issues come up. You spend a lot of money to partake in it and seriously, without being too negative, people come out mentally scarred. The reality is, why do it?”
As for friends, Mr Squires believes people need to limit the number of mates they have, and reduce the amount of time spent with them.
“Invariably, catching up with friends involves spending money and, some of the people you socialise with you don’t like that much, anyway.”
Mr Squires, a real estate agent, rejects assertions his methods are “extreme”.
He concedes that some members of his family “don’t understand what we are doing”.
Luckily, Mr Squires’ accountant wife of 16 years, Krystina, is equally frugal.
Mr Squires believes his book is particularly relevant in today’s climate of rising interest rates and spiralling debt levels.
“The driving force (behind the book) was seeing the level of debt and the amount of consumption out there. It just wasn’t logical.”
Top penny-pinching tips
*Avoid your family. Christmas and Easter gatherings are expensive and psychologically damaging.
*Limit your mates
*Ditch ‘friends’ who are living beyond their means
*Don’t fall for ’special day’ marketing such as Mother’s Day
*Don’t volunteer for committees. It can become a financial burden
*Don’t buy jewellery
*A weekly black-out night to save on electricity
*Settle for a basic barbecue rather than the latest outdoor kitchen
*Buy a standard TV not a home theatre package
*Dress your children in hand-me-downs
*Don’t buy toys for your children
*Avoid two-for-one deals
Share this article
Trackback URL