Clark's Big Book of Bargains: Clark Howard Teaches You How to Get the Best Deals

by Clark Howard, Mark Meltzer

Clark Howard, the bestselling author of Get Clark Smart and host of the nationally syndicated radio program The Clark Howard Show, wants to show you how to get the best bang for your buck--whether you are at the supermarket, buying new clothes, renovating your home, or going to the movies. Learn how to pay $12.95 for a CD that costs $19.95. Find out why a $90 VCR just may work better than a $300 VCR.

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Talk radio host and consumer advocate

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Cashmere]

Let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of consumer advocate Clark Howard thanks to his daily podcast. I also turn to his website a lot, but it was really his podcast where he established my trust.

Being such a fan of Clark, I had to read this book when I chanced upon it. I didn't read it all the way through, but rather, tried the experiment of reading it piecemeal while also reading other books. I think the experiment was a success.

The truth is, this book is a little a dated. The edition I read was a first edition from 2003 and I read it in 2019. There is no question that some of the information in the book is definitely out of date.

That said, much of what Clark says in the book is good, sound wisdom that's good for the ages. You can't help but learn something from his approach. You may not want to take the time to read it cover to cover -- even piecemeal -- as I did, but I did bookmark certain sections that I can see myself returning to in the future.

Let's face it: I'm cheap. I can be a very generous person, but I hate wasting money unnecessarily and Clark has always been very helpful to me to that end. This book is another tool in my cheapness toolbox.

[Kristen]

Wow! This is written by a true cheapskate. Clark Howard is my hero. He even said he wants his ashes scattered at Costco when he dies. There are good ideas in here for anyone who wants to hear real ways to save money.

[R J Waller]

Clark is just awesome.

[Jodi]

I read this book in just an hour or two. Most of it was very obvious advice on how to save money. But I did make a page of notes of things to remember from what he taught. He had some clever ideas I hadn't thought about before--like checking your car's manual for how frequently your oil REALLY needs to be changed. He mostly tells you to shop for used items, or shop at Walmart or Costco. He also names other stores that generally have lower prices for certain items from eye glasses to suits, drugs, tires, furniture, flooring and more. Nothing too earth-shattering in here, but it was a good refresher on how to save some money.

[Voracious_reader]

Good for someone who is already money conscious and is looking for affirmation of their penny-pinching ways or is looking for some great tips, but there are other better books around for those who are curious about the world of personal finance and investment.

[C]

Totally outdated now-but this book was pretty rad when I first got it. Clark really helped me get my sh-t together as a young-un starting out.