The Money Saving Mom's Budget (Library Edition): Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, And Save Thousands A Year (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Currently listening to Crystal Paine's audiobook "The Money Saving Mom's Budget" read by herself. She reads very quickly and I feel as if I am being yelled at hidden behind a smiling chipper voice. Going to try and push through it....The overall information is well laid out and mostly common sense. The majority of the ideas seem to fit well only for stay at home mom scenarios. While she did suggest doing small things for money here and there, one solution to overcoming financial burden and debt is to become a 2 family working household. I say this because all of the references in this book are geared toward 2+ person households. For all of the hours in a day it would require to sit at a computer and do surveys, reward events etc,to earn anything, you are obviously not paying attention to your child(ren) so you might as well go get a part time job. Even at minimum wage with paying half of your hourly wage on child care will reduce the time spent and increase the amount made each month. Another solution is to work a different shift then your partner. It will pay off the debt faster giving you more time to spend together as a family unit.There is never an easy way out, and the best way to avoid debt is to merely live within your means, don't have children until you are financially ready and using common sense.I would recommend this book simply for all of the links provided to many useful resources as well as how to utilize coupons, especially drugstores, but not in audio form. Crystal read the book herself and she spoke way to fast, and I felt as if she were yelling at me from behind a big smile. I could hear her swallowing and the spittle building up as she spoke made me wince every few sentences an she sped-read the book. It is hard to admit, but several years ago, I found myself buried underneath consumer debt without any real plans on how to get out. I was very much into retail therapy, especially when my boyfriend at the time (who is now my amazing husband) was away for two years in the Peace Corps. It was my way of coping with loneliness. Unfortunately, it led to a lot of bad habits with the ways I spent money. It wasn't until we were engaged and talking about merging our money together that I had to come face-to-face with the consequences of my poor financial habits.I think there are many young adults that start their adult lives without much teaching on financial planning. I did not stick to a budget until my husband and I came up with one. My parents were sporadic with giving my siblings and I allowances between money was tight, so I never really had a cash flow until I was in college and taking out loan after loan to pay for school. I was lured into the temptation of credit cards and never really found my out until my husband and I made a debt snowball repayment plan. I wish someone along the way had taught me how to manage my money wisely and how to be a faithful steward with what God has given me. I wish that I had spent my twenties saving more instead of spending every penny (and more) of what little I earned. I wish I had read/listened to something like "The Money Saving Mom's Budget" many years ago!Luckily, my husband and I have taken a financial course at our church called The Rock Financial Life (actually a few times now) and I am happy to report that the basic principles of "give, save, live on the rest" are very much embedded and central to way we run our family financially. We have successfully paid off all our of consumer debt, are chipping away at our student loans and saving to buy a home. We praise God that we are trying out best to be good stewards from the very beginning of our marriage and that we are starting our financial life together as man and wife on the right foot."The Money Saving Mom's Budget" was a great reminder on all the principles that we've learned before. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking to be more financial saavy. Paine was easy to listen to and gave lots of different ideas for ways women could better manage their money. The worksheets would be helpful starting points for newbies. I especially liked the chapter on coupons because that is a new area that I have been wanting to get more into.What I didn't like about the audiobook was that it felt like topics jumped around a lot. I have only listened to less than a dozen audiobooks in recent years and I think I would have liked this audiobook better as a printed book because I wanted to make sense of the various tips that she was giving out. I found myself wanting to take notes to remember all the little tips. This might just be because I am not a very good auditory learner. I also wish there were more Biblical references because the Bible says SO much about money. It would nice to tie some of the principles intoOverall, I hope that all women, especially moms, will take the time and effort to become more financially literate. Paine's audiobook is a great way to be a better steward of all that God has blessed you with.
What do You think about The Money Saving Mom's Budget (Library Edition): Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, And Save Thousands A Year (2012)?
This book offered very practical advice that was right in line with Dave Ramsey's material.
—Bella
Good for some basics. Nothing revolutionary, really.
—pinky
