Note: background for image found via 401kcalculator.org and https://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6722569541 which simply requires crediting the source in order to use the image.
Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets Of The Good Life by Ruth Soukup actually had appeal to me because I have been going a bit wild with pinning frugal things on Pinterest. Soukup’s blog is one that comes up over and over. I ended up signing up for her mailing list after pinning some challenge and attempting to do it.
So, when I saw Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets Of The Good Life available via Hoopla on audiobook through the library, I had to download it. Well, after a few months. Alas, I did not love Living Well, Spending Less as much as I should have. I probably should have read a physical version instead of the audiobook.
For one, it’s a whole lot of religion. I understand this book is published by a Christian publisher, which is totally cool. I mean, even Dave Ramsey’s book has religion and I enjoyed it despite being a bit of a heathen. I just felt that via audio, it seemed overwhelming. I also felt like the information provided was sort of self explanatory and did not seem as actionable as I would hope. A lot of it was be grateful for the things you have and use a budget. Which, okay I understand. I also felt like the author was writing from a place of immense privilege and ended up in her situation due to overspending. It was hard for me to be as empathetic as I would have liked.
However, I still enjoy being on Soukup’s email list and continue to find her newsletters useful. So, this book was not entirely for me, but maybe you will like it more than I did.
Other reviews of Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets Of The Good Life by Ruth Soukup:
- Frugal & Focused – “This book is definitely a keeper“
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Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits For Living The Life You Want by Rachel Cruze popped up on my radar while I was browsing the new additions page on the library website. I am always one for reading non-fiction when it comes to goals that I have. One of my goals is to get out of debt and have financial freedom. I am well aware that given my current finances, this is one of those long time goals.
However, the one thing that really keeps me on track and inspired to achieve my goals and desired habits is reading books and pinning things that relate directly to what I want to accomplish. I’ll admit that reading Dave Ramsey earlier this year lit a fire within me. Yet, after my car accident and getting a new used car, I began to spend less on bringing my debt down and more on building emergency savings. I also broke the rules and got a car loan for my Prius. It totally goes against the baby steps and the rules. I won’t justify except to say with a 130 mile round trip commute, I needed something reliable and good on gas. Anyways, so I am well aware that I fell off the wagon a little bit and have been turning to these books and pins to get back on.
Rachel Cruze, for those who don’t know, is Dave Ramsey’s daughter. I thought her perspective was interesting – given that it seems her parents paid her way through college so she had no student loan debt. Also, she grew up observing and being raised with good money habits. I am a wee bit jealous. However, the money habits in this book, while obvious are pretty solid too.
I especially like that the first money habit is to stop comparing yourself to others. She really develops her dad’s mantra for a modern day millennial audience. She talks about how pinterest and facebook and instagram make us long for more glamourous lives and more stuff, instead of being content with what we have. She talks about how we only see the perfect side of people’s lives via social media and not the other stuff. I could definitely relate to this — as I do see people going on great vacations and such. It gives me the travel bug, but then I remember I can travel too, just on a more budgeted level. Love Your Life, Not Theirs also talks about couples and money and being on the same page. I found this to be really relevant to my life. I also noticed how when talking about the types I am probably more of a saver and Josh is more of a spender. Although, if I was looking at my type a few short years ago, I would be more of a spender.
In all, Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze is a great book if you’re a mid Millennial who is looking to examine your financial situation and to develop better habits. It really reiterates things we should probably already know and do, but don’t. I definitely felt really inspired by this book. I would recommend reading it and if you’re going to be frugal, borrowing it from your local library.
Other reviews of Love Your Life, Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want by Rachel Cruze:
- This Graceful Garden – “lays the groundwork for financial freedom in a readable and accessible way“
- Carrie Elle – “I felt like I needed to know ALL THE THINGS Rachel had to say“
- Coffee, Tea, And Holy Water – “uses heartwarming wit and charm to deliver sound financial wisdom“
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The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, And Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine actually caused me to start reading Paine’s blog. I mean, I skim it every few days for deals especially now that it’s the holiday season. This was an audiobook that was suggested by Hoopla as I was adding Soukup’s Living Well, Spending Less. As it goes, I liked The Money Saving Mom’s Budget so much more than Living Well, Spending Less even if this one also has a bit of a religious bent to it as well.
Also, I should put as a caveat, I do not mind people who have religion. I think it is great and wonderful. I, however, do not. I also realize there’s a pretty big personal finance market that’s directed at people who are faithful. Yet, the advice in these books are pretty solid. So, I just suck it up and ignore the religious bits unless it’s overwhelming. Luckily, it is not very overwhelming at all with The Money Saving Mom’s Budget.
Okay, so I am pretty terrible at coupons, even though we specifically get the Sunday paper at our house ONLY for the coupons. I sometimes forget to clip them or whatever. Crystal Paine, however, breaks down how to use coupons and the system for organizing them. The advice is probably obvious to people who aren’t financial idiots. To me, however, it was like a revelation. I like that I finally understand how to use coupons and clip them and that it takes me like 30 minutes to prep the coupons for my grocery shopping, along with ad comparisons. So, really 30 minutes every two weeks saves me like $50. She also recommends Aldi which I am TOTALLY HERE FOR.
I think that if you’re looking for tips that are practical and actionable, you need to read Crystal Paine’s The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. It is easy to follow, easy to understand, and actually useful. I would definitely recommend this book. I would even recommend the audiobook. It’s a fast listen and even though the author, Paine, narrates it herself, not a bad narration.
Other reviews of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine:
- Cheapskate4Life – “offers simple and effective advice“
- More Money Than Month – “a good place for you to get started learning the tools you need to take back control“
- Words With Books – “overflows with great advice“
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I am going to check out those first two books, since I am decided to go back to school full time and I am no long working I will definitely need to keep try of my spending.