Sunday, February 26, 2012

February Book Review: The Money Saving Mom's Budget

The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year


I pre-ordered this book way back last November and couldn't wait for it to be released in January. I have been following Crystal's blog for over 2 years now and have learned so much from her. I now understand the art of couponing, how to build a better stockpile for my pantry and she's taught me what freezer cooking is and how it can help save me time and money in the kitchen, and these are just to name a few.

Being an avid follower of Money Saving Mom, I can't say that I learned a whole lot of new information from the book but it was definitely hard to put down. Crystal shares her 7 Rules for Financial Success and covers a variety of topics in her book including: setting goals and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces, clearing out the clutter in both your home and life, setting up a workable budget and of course couponing.  She doesn't sugar coat anything and that's one of the things I like about her. I also enjoyed reading about other reader's stories on how they've adapted some of Crystal's tips and improved their finances or just the quality of their lives.

This is one book I think I'll definitely hang onto for awhile and refer back to it from time to time. I absolutely loved every part of it. While I'm already implementing some of her "rules", there are a few that I'd like to take a stab at. I really like her rule for taking the cash-only challenge, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. I'm pretty good at sticking to my budget but I think if I forced myself to bring the cash with me to the store and not use my debit card, I will really think about my purchases a little more. Of course one of my goals this year is to eliminate more clutter from our house and I really liked Crystal's advice on going through your home from top to bottom twice a year in order to clear out unnecessary items. She also encourages setting up a time budget for yourself. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this, I spend way too much time on the computer some days! It's so easy to get absorbed in reading blogs, Facebook, Pinterest and what not. One thing I'm working hard on is setting a limit on how much I'm on the computer.

I encourage all of you to read Money Saving Mom's Budget, it's filled with all sorts of good advice that will force you to take a hard look at all areas of your life, not just your finances. You'll also find worksheets at the end of the book to help you develop your own time and finance budget, set goals, list your priorities and even make your own price book for grocery shopping. This truly is an inspiring read!


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