America's Cheapest Family by Steve Economides and Annette Economides is a good book about raising a family on a budget. They might have some crazy ideas like take cold showers or putting a timer on to take a shower but some of the ideas are great to use. They share their plans and how they raise their family of 7 on $350 per month. They have a debt free lifestyle and share how you can do it too!
Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family: Includes So Many Innovative Strategies You Won't... by Steve Economides and Annette Economides goes more into detail with how they do once a month grocery shopping and save lots of money. There are many reports that say the more you go into a store, the more you spend. I don't agree with all of their methods since I save lots more money going during key money saving sales.
The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means by Jeff Yeager was an interesting book. Whether you read it to hear others stories or to find out how you stack up again other cheapskates, I promise you won't be the cheapest one out there but take head that your family won't want to hear how others live less expensively and how you are living in luxury on your small budget but it might help you set yourself at ease. The great thing is that it is super funny while being being very interesting about others lives.
The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less by Jeff Yeager was the second book by the author that I read and it was like more of the first. It talks about spending less so that you save more which is a great idea for all those starting out on their saving journey,.
I wrote about all four of these books very early when I was blogging (here) and it was the most boring blog post written with no pictures and very little details. The good news is that I have gotten a little better and I hope that you enjoy the newer reviews of these great books. Here are a few that I have written since I started blogging but keep in mind that the first ones are really old and therefore a little harder to read.
Here is a must read for everyone The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacycyn. It was a lot to read at nearly 1000 pages so be prepared because this isn't a book you can lug on vacation or read it pool side. It is a encylopedia of information on how to live cheaply and what you can do to save money from shopping for used clothes and toys to making breadcrumb cookies (not my favorite recipe). There are tons of tips and things you can try included in this long book but I suggest reading it all and checking out her tips!
Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half by Chrissy Pate and Kristin McKee is a great resource for first time couponers. If you want to coupon and don't know where to start, this is a good one to help provide you a realistic view of how you can shop and save. I wish that I had read it to begin with but I was glad that I picked it up.
Money Saving Mom's Budget Book by Crystal Paine was another added to my list which goes over how to balance a budget and save money on your family finances. I thought it provided a lot of good ideas but most of the ideas were ones that I was already using so it wasn't super helpful for me by that point but a great beginning read.
Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking Are you just starting out in a new home or new marriage and trying to figure out how to start? This is the best book for you! It has great information about setting up a house and trying to make something homey with very little money. I thought it was really informative but was meant for people starting out and making their first apartment a home.
My latest reading challenge was the Modern Pioneering which I think also fits into this category of money saving reads with lots of do-it-yourself money saving ideas so make sure you check out the review and see if it is something you might like too!!
This is only part of the many books that I have read but I think that they all provide a different piece to the puzzle. Make sure you pick up the ones that will be most helpful to what you want to learn and how you plan on saving money. If you don't know where to start, just pick one and I am sure that you will learn at least one thing from the book and be entertained while reading it. I hope that you check them out or add them to your list to read this summer! I hope that some of them will inspire you on your path to trying to save more money. I know that they have inspired me. If you have any books that you read that you particularly liked, please let me know because I would like to add them to my summer reading list!!!
Thanks for sharing Alison, I have been frugal/couponer for many years do to necessity of raising 7 children on one income, but I still like to enjoy reading about others accomplishment, because I still learn new things everyday. It's fun to learn things you would have never thought of. I enjoy reading your blog. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteYou can always learn a little from every book even if it is just a reminder of what you used to do and forgot :) I love reading new ones as they come up. Can't wait to get a few more but I just reached the limit on how many books we can check out at the library so it is going to wait until I get my son to return a few :)
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