With the distractions of the election behind us, I’m fully embracing my inner frugalista and called Amy Dacyczyn this week for some pointers. She's the mom of 6 kids -- now aged 17-25 -- who created “The Tightwad Gazette” in the early 90s.

Nicknamed “The Frugal Zealot,” 53-year-old Dacyczyn (rhymes with decision) retired in 1996 after building a 6-figure annual newsletter business about the joys of living on the cheap. She went on to publish a few books featuring the best of her writing. I first interviewed her back in 1992 when marketers were worrying about consumers shifting away from big brands - a trend that’s on the rise again.

An avid recycler of aluminum foil and still on watch for creative uses of dryer lint (for the rare occasions when she uses the dryer), Amy continues to live in the farmhouse in Maine she and her now-retired military husband bought on his $30,000 salary. They “saved their brains out” for 7 years to get the down payment to buy it, she recalls.

Amy says it’s all about the right attitude: “I would like to see people learn to live within their means and to do it without a sense of victimhood. We need to stop making the association that frugality is only what you do when you’re poor.”

Many of her newsletter readers survived the Great Depression, and those who remembered it as one of the best times shared these commonalities: no debt, deep community connections and resourceful parents who learned to make thrift a cool game - doing things like fashioning doll furniture out of old cigar boxes (remember those?).

If you frame thrifty living for your kids as a deprivation, you’ve lost the battle. The truth is, living cheaply and mindfully can yield a more creative and upscale life. More thoughts:
 

• Be honest with your kids about what’s going on with the family budget. Engage their participation. But avoid saying it’s a bad thing.
• Thrift and consignment stores have higher quality merchandise than new things you can buy for cheap. “I go to Wal-Mart and watch what people buy and it’s a lot of nonsense.”
• Dress your kids in clothes purchased from second-hand stores. Holiday presents can also  be second hand.
• Parents have to walk the walk. Shop for yourself at a thrift store as well. If your child brown bags lunch, you should brown bag it to the office. If your child wants store-bought brands in their lunch, show them the difference in cost.
• If you live rurally, you can grow your own food. If not, find a patch of ground somewhere.
• Reconnect with people and learn to rely on each other to become more resourceful.
• Look for entertainment that is fun and saves money. Spend the day at a yard sale. Learn to sew.
• Start keeping a notebook and write down every place you spend your money. This awareness will help you identify where you can cut right away without radical pain.

Her final note: “It’s easier to save more money than it is to make more money. There’s a lot of defeatism in our society. But today -- right now -- you can start to save. You are the person who can best ensure you succeed.”

Thanks, Amy. I needed that.

Here's what my colleague Jill Jacinto wrote on the topic of making saving a family affair.

What are your frugal living secrets? What do you do with dryer lint? Weigh in on The Exchange.

Teach your kids about earning, spending, saving and giving at MinyanLand.com.