The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year [Import] [ペーパーバック]

I have been reading Crystal's blog for over a year now. Generally I like her advice. I pre-ordered the book in December and I eagerly awaited my copy arriving. My family has a budget but we can't seem to stick to it and I was hoping for tips and tricks I hadn't heard before that would give us some breathing room.

When I got the book I read it in a little over an hour, front to back. I wish I wasn't disappointed, but I was. From the reviews written by lots of other bloggers I thought I'd find some gems but unfortunately there wasn't anything in the book that I hadn't already heard about how to save money. All of the advice given was very basic, and common sense. Which is probably super helpful if you haven't already been down this road before!

Also, and I don't know how to say this without sounding a little bitter- Crystal mentions quite a few times that she has always been thrifty, never owned a credit card, has always had good control of her finances. And that really is WONDERFUL but is not the case for probably 95%+ of her readers, so... I got tired of hearing about it. And it made me think a little about how she's never really been in my shoes financially, which makes it harder to take her advice.

I normally don't write reviews on books I've read and I do feel bad about writing this one, because I truly think Crystal is a wonderful, beyond generous woman. I just wanted to tell people who have been cutting costs for a while that they may not get any new ideas from this book.

This book was a disappointment. The first section of the book is a rehashing of Dave Ramsey's financial methods. The other `tips' provided can be found the author's blog. The author writes in a conversational style which makes the content very simple to understand but occasionally slips into a pompous lecturing tone. The book contained several typographical errors, chronic misuse of explanation points and dozens of plugs for the author's blog. I am even more disappointed that the first reviews of this book were written by other `frugal bloggers' (receivers of advanced copies) that I feel did not provide honest book reviews. While the book does provide valuable information regarding de-cluttering, budgeting, saving money, etc; it is reads more like a very long self promoting blog post.

As soon as I finished MoneySavingMom's book I knew I'd want to write a review, even though I'm quite nervous about it. Before I start, let me say, I do recommend this book for some, but you'll want to read all of this review to know why and who for.

First let me say I love, love, love all that Crystal Paine puts out in this book. However I was a little disappointed. There is a ton of great information in this book, but it wasn't anything new. It might be to someone who is new to saving money, but it wasn't to me and I don't think it will be to anyone who's been reading money saving blogs for even a year. And if it isn't new information, then what is the point? Is it to put it all in one place? If so we needed a bigger book. Hence my next point.

One thing I love about Crystal is that she writes like a conversationalist, however there was so much jammed in this book that it didn't flow well. I felt the chapters come to an abrupt end and then the next one pops out of nowhere. I find the same thing happens to me when I have a lot to say in a little space. I can't blame Crystal, I'm sure it was a restriction by the publisher, however the book bears her name. Some segways would have been nice.

Lastly, I wasn't motivated. I just read a book called "Eat That Frog" (recommended by Crystal). Most of the stuff in this book was what I already know, but it motivated me. I was hoping for that from MSM's book. It is actually what I expected. I figured I would already know most of the tips and tricks, but come away feeling renewed, but for some reason it didn't happen. Not even the last chapter on contentment, which I was most excited about. I looked back to see how much highlighting I did (yes in my Kindle) and only 3-4 times (I'm a big highlighter, so this is really low). I actually enjoyed the acknowledgements most.

Now, why do I recommend this book if I'm not crazy about it. Well, like I said, it has great info in it. Just because it didn't motivate me doesn't mean it won't motivate you. And just because it wasn't new to me...well I'm repeating myself. I think it could be a great resource to have to give to a friend who all of a sudden ends up in a pickle. Also, she list many websites throughout the book that are good resources (however this does date the book). But mostly I recommend this book because all the proceeds go to Compassion International. My one NOTE is that that if you can't afford your electricity bill, don't buy this book, go to MSM's blog and read the articles. I think even Crystal would agree on that one.

That's my opinion. Feel free to disagree. All my love to Crystal Paine.