For the author, thrifty living is not just a recent concern, but rather a way of life dating from the 1940s, when he was born the eldest in a family that eventually grew to 12 children. By necessity and by choice, Frank Nellis has lived the simple life. He grew up in Evansville, Indiana. After high school, he enlisted in the Army, serving in the Washington D.C. area and Southeast Asia. Frank graduated from Indiana University, where he met his wife and also earned master's degrees in Economics as well as in East Asian Language and Literature. After college, Frank worked various jobs, including serving as an adjunct university professor in economics. However his most memorable job may have been a stint as elephant keeper at a zoo. Frank and his wife live on four acres in a rural Indiana county near Evansville, and they raised two daughters in that country setting. In early 2008, as work stress and health issues collided, Frank decided to retire early, which required that he begin living on a thousand dollars a month. This book, in which he has chronicled that yearlong lesson in frugality, should help readers discover novel ways to live comfortably on a more limited budget, whether they are thinking about retiring or just trying to get by in hard times. Since retiring, Frank spends time fishing, organic gardening, hobby farming, and writing. Access his blog at www.tightlivingfortoughtimes.blogspot.com.