Review and Giveaway: The Money Saving Mom's Budget

One of my favorite money saving blogs is MoneySavingMom.com written by Crystal Paine. Crystal's first book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget, comes out in January 2012, but I was given an advance copy to review.

As someone who reads her blog regularly, I was familiar with a lot of the material in this book, but it didn't seem redundant or boring. I think a big part of that is the different feel of reading a book versus a blog post, or even series of posts. A book can go into more detail than a single blog post, but it is also constrained by the physical nature of the book. Blogs allow for unlimited posting, but books make you pair things down, and I think that's the beauty of this book in particular.

This is a quick, easy, and encouraging personal finance book...how often do those qualities go together?! It was also much more than a book about money. The principals concerning being careful with your finances extend to all aspects of purposeful living - at work, at home, with children, living on your own, or in college. 

The chapter on eliminating chaos and clutter was especially helpful for me. I have plenty of days where I feel like I am busy all day, but didn't accomplish much. Crystal's suggestion is to create a Time Budget. Instead of having to-do's like "clean the upstairs, do the laundry, put away the kid's clothes" she recommends setting a specific amount of time for each task.

I could work all day "cleaning the upstairs" and still not be done because the task is too broad and the goal too far-sighted. Budgeting a smaller amount of time (de-clutter for 20 minutes, then put things away for 10 minutes) will help me get a lot more accomplished in a smaller amount of time. And really, I only have small chunks of time in my days right now anyway! 

I really appreciated her observation: "The Time Budget puts you back in control as the master of your minutes. You will no longer end your day with nothing to show except exhaustion. When you tell you time where to go, not only do you have a lot more time, but you also have a lot more peace and order in your life" (The Money Saving Mom's Budget, p. 25). I am challenged to now budget a specific amount of time for certain tasks and focus fully for that time, instead of getting distracted by several tasks all at the same time!

Crystal gives step by step instructions on how to pair down your budget so you can live within your means, while still giving generously to others. She advocates not using credit cards at all, and even going without debit cards for a time so that you can get accustomed to a cash-only system. We use credit cards for most everything, though we are careful to pay the bill in full each month and not carry a balance. I don't see our family switching to a cash-only system anytime in the near future, but I am challenged to start small, perhaps with the grocery budget, and see if only using cash really can decrease our spending.

 

Crystal is a huge advocate for everyone (yes, everyone!) using coupons, and gives some great beginner and then more advanced couponing tips. Of course, she covers coupon tips much more extensively on her blog, but the basic concepts are really important too. There are also chapters on ways to spend less on groceries without using coupons, strategic splurging (loved that chapter), and an appendix on ways to make a little extra money.

Most importantly, she reminds us to be content - not envious of what others have or comparing our situation to others who have more. The contentment chapter was the perfect conclusion to the book. "A cheerful attitude can go a long way in less than ideal situations; you can either complain about the thorns or you can savor the roses that bloom in their midst" (The Money Saving Mom's Budget, p. 170). After reading this book I see a number of new ways for me to savor the roses I have instead of complaining about the thorns. Thanks, Crystal!

My book is a pre-release copy, so when the book comes out in January I will be sent the final edition. BUT, I thought it would be fun to give that copy away to one of you! (Hey, my book still reads fine!) So...

Win it!

Leave a comment on this post telling me one way that you save money. I'll start...I save money by making my own laundry detergent! Please make sure that your Blogger profile is enabled or that you leave your email address in your comment. I need to be able to get in touch with you if you win. The giveaway will be open for one week, at which point I will choose a winner at random.

If you are not the lucky winner, you can still pre-order a copy of The Money Saving Mom's Budget on Amazon (the price is $11.09 right now). If the price lowers after you pre-order, Amazon will give you the lower price too.

I was given an advance copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.