The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine is the second book in the BookingIt Club from the Blogger LifeAsMom. I have enjoyed Paine sound advice, occasionally I found myself saying, “Of course!...I knew that!” or “Why didn’t I think of that!” I also found some of her previous experiences she wrote about in the book parallels some of my current experiences. This has given me a renewed strength just knowing (or reading about) someone who has overcome some not-so-fun situations in life.
I agree that you have to organize your house and your finances before you can implement other practices to save money. Like you can’t organize your bills if have can’t find them in the clutter of your house.
I have been couponing on and off for a few years now and have been researching strategies and ‘how tos’ but I felt like the advice she gives about integrating coupons and the “drugstore game” into your budget and shopping is more helpful to me than most other strategies and advice I have found. Basically don’t jump in over you head. If you drown yourself in saving money strategies then after you have factored in your time you are not really coming out ahead. Instead you just end up burned out and frustrated then you go back to spending more money or too much money, which is the opposite of your original purpose. Speaking of coupons, has anyone tried the Couponizer? It sounded and looked like a great tool!
I also really like Paine’s last chapter on finding contentment in your current situation not matter what it is. It is hard to get into a better situation in life if you are so caught up how bad you’ve got it. It’s like not being able to see the trees for the forest. If you can find contentment it is easier to relax a little and then when your are relaxed you can think more clearly about how to find/make a little extra money here or there, which leads to more enjoyment and encourages more creativity. It’s like a positive cycle.
I have really enjoyed this book and will definitely recommend it to my friends!
