When I first started reading Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It, and Give It, I was a little put off by the format.

This personal finance guide, aimed at young people ages 16 to 30, is totally different than most books like it.  Rather than tell you the information directly, author J. Steve Miller has created a cast of characters who learn about money and life over the course of a series of breakfast meetings.

It has a bit of an "After-School Special" feel to it, as the characters face love, money, and drama, while learning about the ins and outs of personal finance.

While I was put off by this style of writing at first, I grew to tolerate it (and dare say, even enjoy it a little) by the time I finished reading.

The reason that I grew to appreciate Enjoy Your Money! is that the personal finance information in this book is fantastic.  Miller does a phenomenal job of weaving the knowledge of the experts in with good, solid, money-saving advice.

The book covers investing, saving money, making money, and enjoying your money. Throughout the book, there is additional suggested reading to help you learn more, and each chapter contains discussion questions and homework assignments so that you can sharpen your personal finance knowledge.

This book covers all of the things I wish I had known about money when I was in my 20s.  It would make a great graduation gift, wedding gift, or a book club selection.  I could easily see this book used in a classroom setting or as part of an employer-led workshop. 

As a mid-30-something, I found a great deal of value in reading this book.  Enjoy Your Money! takes a lot of complex financial topics and presents them in an interesting and accessible way that inspires you to become a better steward of your money.  

Disclosure: While Wisdom Creek Press sent me a complimentary copy of this book to review, please know that the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own, honest reflections based upon my reading of the book.  This post also contains affiliate links which help support this blog at no additional cost to you.

Could you feed yourself for just one dollar a day?

Two high school teachers challenged themselves to do just that and the result is a compelling look at our relationship with food, poverty, and the world around us.

Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard share their story in their new book On A Dollar a Day.

The book outlines their trials and tribulations with living on a dollar a day for a month, then living on a food budget equivalent to the food stamp allotment (with personal contributions), and finally on just focusing on eating a healthy, affordable diet.

What started out as a simple experiment in response to outrageous food costs, ended up revealing some incredible lessons on the psychology of what (and how) we eat, the art of self-disclipline, and a greater awareness of the issue of hunger and poverty in the world around us.

This isn't a book that will teach you how to do this.  This is an emotional account of their very personal experiences during their experiments.  It outlines the challenges people on a limited budget face every day when it comes to eating healthy.  Living on a dollar a day or on a food stamp budget can be done, but even people who are extremely careful planners and try to follow healthy eating guidelines will find great challenges in doing so.

What I loved about this book was that it really made me think about the food we eat and where it comes from.   It made me question the unfairness of a society in which unhealthy processed foods often cost so much less than their healthier, wholesome counterparts. It made me do a lot of thinking about whether it is better to buy cheap food or local food - an issue that I must admit, I haven't given much thought to before.

The book does include some great information on how to save money on food, but in a completely different way than I have ever seen mentioned in a frugal living book.  Instead of the usual "clip coupons, watch the sales" advice, there is no mention of coupons.  Instead there is a focus on buying natural foods, growing your own foods, buying locally, menu planning, and not wasting food.

I enjoyed reading about this couple's determination, the challenges, and the triumphs to live On a Dollar a Day.  Their efforts to make more people aware of the issue of hunger and poverty were very touching and inspiring. 

Disclosure:  Hyperion Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's authors, publisher or distributors. This post contains affiliate links, which help support this blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Remember those lazy days of summer when you were a kid?  When you figured out how to make tree forts and paper airplanes and tried to touch your tongue to your nose?

Those lazy days when kids entertained themselves without the use of an electronic gadget are rare now.

But fortunately, a little nostalgia can bring it back.

Tin House Books has just re-released the 1958 book How to Do Nothing With Nobody All Alone by Yourself by Robert Paul Smith.

Smith wrote the book as a guide for children because he wanted them to learn to do things by themselves.  

He writes in the introduction, "If things were as they should be, another kid would be telling you how do do these things, or you'd be telling another kid.  But since I'm the only kid left around who knows how to do these things - I'm forty-two years old, but about these things I'm still a kid - I guess it's up to me."

There are lots of inexpensive things for kids to do and make outlined in this book, from how to make different styles of paper airplanes to making a paddle wheel boat.  The idea is that kids don't need an adult to help them do these projects - only a few items from around the house and yard and a spare afternoon.

The book is full of illustrations done by Smith's wife, Elinor Goulding Smith to give you an idea of how to complete the projects.  Smith explains how to do the activities in much the same way as a friend or a slightly crazy uncle might.  

What is entertaining, maybe even a bit refreshing about this book, is that some of the activities - such as how to make darts, slingshots and play mumbly-peg (yes, the game with a knife!) are so different than the more mundane (safe?) projects you see in modern children's activity books.

Some of this book had some great ideas to share with my boys (when they're older), some things I'm not sure I'm ready for them to learn about ever.

But it is a fun read for those who are a little nostalgic for the way things used to be.

Disclosure: Tin House Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors. This post contains affiliate links, which help support this blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

I often tout the idea of how important it is to talk about money with your significant other.

But sometimes, the biggest challenge is not the talking.  It's how to start talking.

Fortunately, there's a book for that.

Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar addresses how to talk about personal finances with your significant other.  Because as anyone who has ever been in a serious relationship knows, love dos not conquer all.

The book is divided into three main sections:  Own Your Finances, Own Your Life, Talking Money With Your Honey, and Time to Get Tactical.

The first section addresses your own finances and how you view money.  You need to know your own relationship with money before you can address joint finances with your partner.  This is a similar concept to the idea that you can't really love someone until you love yourself.

The second section offers a compatibility quiz to open up a dialogue with your partner. This section also address the five key lifetime expenses (home, car, kids, retirement, and extended family) and how to tackle them as a couple.

The final section offers advice for taking what you learned about yourselves in the first two sections and using it to reach your financial goals.  This section offers guidance for building savings, eliminating debt, and building retirement funds.

There's also a Q & A section that handles many of the common questions readers may have about making sure they're on the same financial page as their partner.

The book is written by two women for women, but men will still find a lot of good information here, too. 

As someone who has been working on personal finances with my husband for nearly 12 years, I found Get Financially Naked to be a bit basic. But if you've never talked about money with your partner, or if you feel like all you and your partner do is fight about money, this book will do an excellent job of getting you both on the same financial page.
 
Get Financially Naked was easy to read and easy to follow and it's message clear:  If you're willing to get undressed with your partner,  you should also be willing to get financially naked with them too. 

There's some solid advice in this book for talking about every aspect of your finances with your partner and reminders of how important it is to revisit the conversation on a regular basis.

When you're in love, it is so easy to only think about the physical and emotional attraction and to forget that financially compatibility is a key aspect of a relationship's success.  Get Financially Naked makes you think about your relationship in a way that will help you connect on an even deeper level.


Disclosure: Adams Media provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors. This post contains affiliate links, which help support this blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.

I am dinner challenged.  I rarely have a plan and I lack creativity in the kitchen.

Thank goodness for The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook!

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook written by Erin Chase has 200 recipes for quick, delicious, and healthy meals that cost less than $5 to prepare.

I've been a huge Chase's blog, $5Dinners.com since its early days, and I remember e-mailing her after she made an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show.  I said, "You really should write a cookbook" and she replied, "I am!"

So I was thrilled when she asked me if I'd like to review a copy of her new cookbook.  And even more thrilled that this book did not disappoint!

Chase devotes two whole chapters to strategic shopping and couponing and explains it in a way that makes you feel like you're chatting over coffee in her kitchen.

She also outlines how stockpiling items when they're on sale can help you stretch your food budget.

Being the dinner-challenged person that I am, I was also delighted to see a chapter devoted to menu planning.  Her ideas remind me that menu planning is a huge money saver and can prevent you from letting your food bargains go to waste.

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook is a little different than other cookbooks in that each recipe is essentially a recipe for the entire meal.  This makes the whole question of "What's for dinner?" even easier because you don't have to come up with side dish ideas!  Categories include pasta and pizza dinners, chicken and turkey meals, beef meals, pork meals, fish and seafood, soups and stews and vegetarian meals.  The final chapter has homemade recipes for things like salad dressings, breads, and sauces. The recipes are simple, tasty, and healthy, and contain price breakdowns by ingredients.  

At the bottom of each page are tips to help you save money in the grocery store as well as tips to save time preparing the meals.

The book is scheduled to be released December 22, but you can pre-order it now.  You can also download a free holiday menu planner from $5Dinners.com.   This mini-book has some great tips for planning those large holiday menus without breaking the bank!

I also highly recommend reading the $5Dinners.com blog, reading my interview with Erin Chase, and catching a glimpse of the book on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Dec. 22. 

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook is a must-have for anyone looking to trim their food budget by cooking at home.  It would also make a lovely gift for a new bride or a new stay-at-home mom.

Who needs takeout when you have $5 Dinners?

Disclosure: St. Martin's Press provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review by St. Martin's Press. While I consider the author to be a friend, please know that the opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited or influenced by the book's author, publisher or distributors. 

When I think of the financial state of some of my family and friends, it makes me so frightened for them. They're in their 50s with mortgages and credit card debt and little-to-nothing saved for retirement.

It is scary to think they may not be able to enjoy their golden years.

I recently read America, Welcome to the Poorhouse: What You Must Do To Protect Your Financial Future and the Reform We Need by Jane White, and while it was a good read, it certainly didn't make me feel any better.

White, who is the founder and president of Retirement Solutions, LLC and been an editor of Standard & Poor's Your Financial Future, outlines a critical situation that is brewing in our economy:  80 percent of Americans can't afford to retire at a time when millions of debt-burdened college graduates will be looking for work.

In America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, White explains how the government contributed to this impending perfect storm and outlines ways we can alter the course.

The first half of this book paints the portrait of a dire future for most Americans:  With no plan to ensure Americans save for their retirement, and with home prices and education costs soaring out of control, Americans are swimming in debt, with little hope of preparing for a comfortable retirement.   White does an excellent job of stating her case for reforms that would change our future.

The second half of the book shares her ideas for government reforms and tactics Americans can use while we work on those reforms.  She offers solid advice on reducing home costs, finding afforable education opportunities, and eliminating credit card debt.

She also is a strong advocate for government-funded research on innovation (to produce jobs) and laws that would force Americans to save for their futures.  This book outlines some serious concerns, but the thrust of it is a call to action - to change the path that we are on.

This is not a light read, as it is heavily mired in the politics of our economy.  But if you are concerned about our economic future, this is worth the read.

Please note:  FT Press provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review by FT Press. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.

In December 2007, Stephanie O'Dea made a New Year's Resolution to use her slow cooker every single day for an entire year.

And she wrote about it - complete with all of the successes and failures in her blog A Year of Slow Cooking. 

Now O'Dea has taken her experience and written a fabulous new cookbook called Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking.

And for those of you who love your slow cooker,  this book will not disappoint.   There are more than 300 tasty, easy-to-make recipes your family will enjoy.   All of the recipes are gluten-free and don't cost a lot to make.

I love to use my slow cooker - it is a lifesaver to me on those days when I'm running the kids to various school functions and appointments.  It's so easy to just throw the ingredients in my slow cooker and come home 8 hours later to a great home-cooked meal.  I also love that I can use cheaper cuts of meat and have them turn out beautifully in a Crock-Pot.

I've got a collection of cookbooks, and a few slow cooker cookbooks, too, but they all seem to be the same collection of soups, stews, and casseroles.

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is different.  O'Dea shares some ideas for your slow cooker that I would never think of doing:  Chex Mix in the Crock-Pot?  Creme Brulee in a slow cooker?  Barbecued Shrimp - really? She's got receipes for them all!

This cookbook has a lot of depth - something I found refreshing for a slow cooker cookbook.  For those of you trying to eat out less ( see me frantically raising my hand in the air), she's even got a section called "Takeout Fake-Out."  She's got chapters dedicated to vegetarian dishes, baking and beverages. And she also includes a "Fun Stuff" section that shows you how to make play dough, Shrinky Dinks, and even glycerin soap in your slow cooker.

O'Dea gives easy-to-follow instructions for making all kinds of great family meals in the crockpot, including helpful tips for both beginners and slow cooker veterans.  She also shares her family's responses to some of the recipes.

She's completed her one-year slow cooker challenge, but I know Make it Fast, Cook It Slow will be used for much longer than that in our home.

Disclosure:  I bought this cookbook with my hard-earned money. 

As a person who is trying to make the most of my hard-earned dollars, I'm always open to learning about new ways to make money.

But when I first started reading Put More Cash in Your Pocket: Turn What You Know into Dough by Loral Langemeier, I was a little put off.  Langemeier believes that scrimping and saving is the "opposite of what you need to do to breathe easier."

Her attitude is not to cut back, but to make more money so that you can have what you want.  I was put off by her strong stance, because I think there's room in our lives for both approaches.  I believe when times are tough, it is good to trim back, and it is good to seek out new opportunities for income.  I don't think you have to choose one or the other.  After all, I make a small income from this blog, writing about that very idea!

I'm glad that those first few pages didn't stop me from reading the rest of the book.  What I like about this book is that it gets right to the meat of how to put more money in your wallet.  Using four different scenarios, Langemeier shows you how you can turn your skills into $500 to $1,000 of new cash every month.

Langemeier knows business and personal finance. She is the author of the national best-seller The Millionaire Maker and two New York Times bestsellers, The Millionaire Maker's Guide to Wealth Cycle Investing and The Millionaire Maker's Guide to Creating a Cash Machine for Life. In addition to her sold-out Millionaire Maker events, currently acts as a financial expert on the Dr. Phil Show, mentoring families in financial crisis.

Put More Cash in Your Pocket is a quick read, and is full of some good tips on how to get started making money fast using skills you already have.  So many of us make excuses for our financial situations, when we could be out making them better.  Langemeier provides simple steps to getting started and advice for how to not get caught up in the details.

While this book has good advice, I would have liked Langemeier to take a bit more time to consider legal issues and tax documents of running your own business.  She breezes over these issues, and depending on what line of work you are doing, that can be a very critical step.  I would also have liked to see more than just a casual mention of the work-family balance.  It's very easy to let a side job become all-consuming, and I would have liked to have read more about how to deal with that aspect of running your own business. 

I tend to over-analyze most decisions in my life, and so, if you're that type of person, Put More Cash in Your Pocket may be just the kick in the seat of the pants that you need. I was able to walk away with a few new ideas of things I could do to make extra money.

Of course, I'm still going to clip coupons and scrimp a little.  

Please note:  Harper Collins provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors. 

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure Phil Villarreal is the guy stealing all of the great peelies off products in the stores.

I'm also pretty sure he might be the guy who signs up for freebies using 20 different e-mail addresses.

No, I don't have proof.  Not unless you count his new book Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets.

Villarreal, who is a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star and a contributing editor at one of my favorite blogs, Consumerist.com. uses his book as a pulpit for the evil side of frugality.   Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel outlines all of the low-down, no-good strategies for saving a buck.  This book undoes all of the work I've done here to erase the stigma of "cheapskate."

A few examples from the book:

• Swapping your scratched DVD with a good one you've borrowed from Netflix.
  
• Dumping your pet at an animal shelter to get vet care for it, then adopting it back later.
• How to benefit from free illegal labor (Hint, rope your neighbors and their kids into doing your work).
• Getting your fiance a cubic zirconia engagement ring, then telling her it is a family heirloom so she won't get it appraised.
  

Anyone with this little dignity when it comes to saving a buck, has to have a slight sense of humor, Right? And that's exactly why Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel is listed as a humor book, not a personal finance book. 

Amid all the dark, twisty, not-so-nice methods of saving money, I did gather a few pearls of frugal wisdom from the book:

• Take a Pac-Man approach to money (Pick it all up, no matter what!) 
• Head to a WNBA game instead of an NBA to save money.
• Learn to play hardball with car salesmen. 
• Saving on magazine renewals. (Don't!) 
  

Read this book with the goal of being entertained and you'll find yourself laughing out loud at Villarreal's cheap exploits.  Read this as a frugal living guide book and fight back the dry-heaves as you become completely disgusted with the sadistic practices of one of the stingiest people on the planet.

Read Secrets of Stingy Scoundrel at your library, or maybe just one chapter at a time at your local book store.  I'm  pretty sure that's what Villarreal would do.

Please note:  Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.

I've always felt that by using the word "cheapskate" in the title of my blog, that maybe, in some small way, it will lessen the stigma that comes with being a frugal person.

It's like Lauren Weber read my mind.  She has recently published a book called "In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue."

In her book, Weber takes readers through a delightful journey of the history of frugality in the United States, as she tries to erase the stereotype of cheapness.  I was afraid the history in the book would be dry and dull.  Instead, I found it fascinating and even caught myself wanting to take notes.  Here was an author who understood how I viewed the world and was sharing stories of some of the most famous frugal people of all time (like Ben Franklin, for one)!

Weber weaves the culture of frugality into the threads of the times.  Her book is a fascinating look at how frugality affects the American economy and how we embrace (or disengage from it) as a society.

In Cheap We Trust also includes a bit about the psychology behind frugality and an introduction to frugal living (although if you're reading this blog, some of that information may be second nature by now).  Weber also shares her own personal experiences with money and frugality.

This book was a fun read, especially for the tightwad who is also a history buff.

And keep a pencil handy.  You may just want to take notes.

Please note: I was given a copy of this book to review by Hachette Book Group, the publisher of this book. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.

Please note:  This giveaway is now closed. See who won here.


One of the biggest challenges I face in my home is getting dinner on the table in a timely manner. With three little boys under the age of four, it's a big challenge to make dinner, especially without a plan!

That's why I was thrilled to be able to review Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites by Mimi Wilson and Beth Lagerborg.

This cookbook outlines everything you need to know to save yourself time and money when it comes to making dinner for your family, and it's authors know what they're talking about.

Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson's original bestseller Once-A-Month Cooking started the bulk freezer cooking phenomenon from recipes made for their own families. Both live in Colorado and continue to share a passion to help today's cooks save time and money while building family relationships over delicious meals.

I'm a big fan of once-a-month cooking. When my husband was in graduate school (a round-trip commute of 3 hours from where we lived), I also had a job where I was on the road a lot. We struggled with mealtimes, until I discovered Once-A-Month Cooking.

Once-a-month cooking was a lifesaver for us - both health-wise and financially. We were able to make up dozens of home-cooked meals in just a few hours. Then during our very busy days and nights, we could pull whatever meal we wanted to eat out of the freezer. It saved so much time, and it kept us from eating out at fast-food places. Now that we have three little boys, once-a-month cooking is still a huge help to us.

Once-a-month Cooking: Family Favorites is more than just a cookbook - it's a handy guidebook. Wilson and Lagerborg walk you through everything you need to know about Once-a-month cooking.

The book lays out what to expect for a marathon cooking session, and gives lots of great tips for success. There are comprehensive shopping lists, advice for prepping, freezing and thawing your creations, and conversation starters for sharing a more relaxing meal with your family.

The book also gives you a wide variety of family-friendly recipes. There are two one-month cooking cycles, two two-week cooking cycles (for those of you who are short on time or just starting), and three specialty cycles: summer cooking, gourmet cooking, and gluten-free cooking.

Each recipe is designed to serve 4-6 people (some recipes serve more), and when you use the Once-A-Month Cooking methods, an entree costs around $2.16 a serving!

The recipes are delicious - from Adobe Chicken, to Country Style Ribs, to Mediterranean Burgers, there is something for everyone. I love that these recipes are easy to follow, made with easy to find ingredients.

If you're looking for a way to save time in the kitchen while saving money, check out Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites. You can learn more by visiting the official Once-a-Month Cooking website, or join the bulk freezer cooking discussion on Facebook.

You can also win your very own copy of Once-a-Month Cooking Family Favorites from Northern Cheapskate!

To enter to win this giveaway, simply fill out the form below before 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, October 13. If you're reading this in a feed reader or your e-mail and you can't see the form, please click here.

You must be a US Resident age 18 years or older. Please only one entry per household. Duplicate entries will be deleted. The information I gather will only be used to notify the winners.



I will randomly draw one winner and notify them by e-mail once the contest is over. I'll also announce it here. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize, or I will draw a new winner.

While you are welcome to comment on this post, please note that comments are not considered a valid entry. You must fill out the form to enter!

Disclosure: St. Martin's Press gave me one copy of this book to review and provided one copy to give to one of my readers. I was not compensated in any other way for this post or giveaway. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.

When I was first asked to review If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay: How  to Know if Your Child's Injury or Illness Is Really an Emergency by Lara Zibners, MD, I kind of chuckled to myself.

I mean, I'm the mom of three boys.  Life is loud and full of cuts and scraps and bangs and bumps.  What do I need this book for? I mean... I think I have developed some serious Mom instincts.

But after reading this book, I realized it is a book every mother should read.  I learned a lot about taking care of babies, toddlers, and kids.  This is a great reference for those of us who are worry warts. I wish I had this book when my boys suffered through miscellaneous rashes, stomach flu, fevers, and nursemaid's elbow.

Author Lara Zibners is a pediatric emergency room doctor.  She's seen just about everything during her career, and has a lot of excellent advice on when to go to the emergency room and when to wait to bring your child to the doctor.

She's quick to remind her readers to use their instincts: "If you don't know if it's really an emergency, err on the side of caution. Please. Your child's health and safety are at stake."

She writes with a sense of humor and a common sense practicality that I thoroughly enjoyed. For example, Zibners has a great section about falls.  She writes:

"One place kids love to fall is on the staircase. Parents always want to know, "How many steps are dangerous when falling?"  The answer is, "It doesn't matter." The first step is the most important. After that one, the number becomes largely irrelevant. Either you hurt yourself or you don't."

This book covers all aspects of your child's health - covering everything from fevers and injuries, to vomiting and rashes and much more.  I love the quick wit and wisdom in Zibners' writing style. This is a great read for all mom's - but especially new moms! 

Disclosure - I was given a copy of this book to review by Hachette Book Group.  In addition, they have also allowed me to give away five copies of this book to my readers.  I was not compensated in any other way for this post or the giveaway.  The opinions reflected in this review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.

When Wise Bread recently posted it was looking for people to review it's new book "10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget," I jumped at the chance.

I've been a big fan of Wise Bread for years. Their writers have challenged me and inspired me in my quest to live a frugal life.

Their new book did not disappoint! One of the things that impressed me right away is that this book is in full color. The book's design is a joy to read because it's broken up into convenient bite-size sections and lists.

And it doesn't just look pretty. This book is chock full of great ideas on every aspect of your life - from travel to health and beauty, entertaining to dressing for success. I especially enjoyed the essays "8 Endurance Principles for Staying the Frugal Course," and "How to Get Rid of Your Junk."

What I loved about this book was that it brought me back to that feeling I had when I first read Amy Dacyczn's The Complete Tightwad Gazette. I felt excited, inspired, and empowered to know that there were many people like me who were just trying their best to live within their means. To me, this book feels like a modern (and shorter) version of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Wise Bread's 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget is a terrific resource for those looking to use the internet to unlock great deals. Even those who consider themselves frugal zealots will learn a new trick or two!

This book is written by several writers of Wise Bread (the top personal finance blog on the internet), but you would never know it wasn't written by one person. The writers share a common voice: down-to-earth and helpful.

I recommend checking this book out from your local library... but if you do decide to buy it (and I think it is well worth buying), I can share a couple of tricks to help you get a good deal on it.

First, you can buy it at Amazon for $10.17 - which is a fabulous price. Sign up for Swagbucks and you'll only need to earn 135 Swagbucks to get it for free.

You can also order this book through Ebates. If you've never used Ebates before, you'll get a $5 bonus just for signing up and making your first purchase. Log in to Ebates and order through Barnes and Noble or Borders and you'll get 4 percent cash back on your order.

Happy Reading!

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know that I'm anti-debt. But I am not anti-credit cards.

I truly believe that responsible use of credit cards can actually benefit you financially. Unfortunately, it is all to easy to be irresponsible with credit cards.

I was recently sent a copy of Jim Randel's new book The Skinny On Credit Cards, How to Master the Credit Card Game. Randel is also the author of several other books in "The Skinny On" series, including "The Skinny on The Housing Crisis" and "The Skinny on Will Power."

In "The Skinny On Credit Cards," simple stick figures illustrate the story of Beth and Billy and how they tackle their credit card debt. With humor and common-sense advice, Randel has written a simple-to-follow, quick read to help you better understand how credit works.

I consider myself pretty credit-savvy. Parts of this book were a little too simplistic for me. But I was also pleasantly surprised to learn a few things - particularly when it came to the discussion of FICO scores and how they are calculated. The conclusion, which includes "The 15 Most Important Points to Understand About Credit Cards," should be a must-read for anyone who has a credit card or intends to get one.

My strategy is to use credit cards to earn rewards. We put all gas purchases and regular bills (phone, cell, satellite, and internet) on the credit card. We always pay the bill in FULL each month. We've never carried a balance. We've saved hundreds of dollars using this system.

Randel's book reminds folks to be cautious using that approach. If you lack discipline, rewards credit cards are a terrible choice for you - they always have higher interest rates - and you shouldn't rack up debt just to earn some airline miles.

I couldn't agree more.

One of my favorite books is The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan.

Here's the description from the back of the book:

"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio introduces Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the "contest era" of the 1950s and 1960s. Evelyn's winning ways defied the church, her alcoholic husband, and antiquated views of housewives. To her, flouting convention was a small price to pay when it came to raising her six sons and four daughters. Graced with a  rare appreciation for life's inherent hilarity, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for fun and profit."

Evelyn, whose story is told by her daughter Terry, manages to win contests of skill to provide for her family, when her alcoholic husband cannot.  Using the power of her pen, she writes award winning advertising jingles and slogans to win everything from toasters to brand new cars to her weight in gold.

I was first drawn to this book because my grandmother was a contester.  In the 1960s, my grandmother, who had four children and an unhappy marriage that ended in divorce, won two new Pontiacs for her witty Kellogg's jingle and bicycles for all four kids.

I fell in love with this book because Evelyn demonstrates how a good attitude can help overcome many obstacles.  She could have been any other housewife of an alcoholic... exhausted from chasing 10 kids all day and paralyzed by her dire financial situation.  But instead she was inspired to write and to win... for herself and for her family.

The days of contests of skill are gone.  Companies have swapped these types of contests for sweepstakes that don't require any skill, other than luck.

And now the blogosphere is changing the way we win contests.  Now we enter "giveaways" for products donated to bloggers by companies of all sizes.  These companies know that there is a valuable market to reach in the blogging community.   And most of these giveaways don't require much more than a comment or maybe a plug for their blog.

The goal is the same:  we all want to win something to help stretch our dollars a bit more... to provide for our families... to give us a thrill.   But the game is changing, and if you want to win, you've got to know how to play.

There are so many wonderful blogs and websites out there that have great lists of giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes, that I couldn't possibly list them all.

But in the spirit of Evelyn Ryan, who I can only imagine the blog she would have written, I'll share with you a few of my favorite resources for modern day contesters:

Freebies 4 Mom - not just free stuff for moms!  Heather has loads of links to giveaways and sweepstakes.  When it comes to the big sweeps, she only lists ones that have more than 1,000 winners, so you'll actually have a chance to win a prize.

Sweeties Sweeps -  an extensive collection of winnable sweepstakes, blog giveaways and Twitter contests. Be sure to check out her "Teach Me How" section.

Mom Giveaways - an extensive list of blog giveaways - smaller prizes, and usually good odds. I like that!

Happy Winning!

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to plan a menu. We're heading into February and I've made a meal plan every week... and followed it.... most of the time.

I will admit that I could use a little help. E-book author Jamie Ussher must have sensed my struggle. She recently sent me a copy of her e-book, "Month of Meals."

Month of Meals is an easy-to-read 71-page e-book that starts at the very basics of why you should meal plan and how to begin.

The e-book includes one whole month's worth of meals planned out for you - right down to the ingredients you'll need, the recipes, and how to shop for them without breaking the bank. It's perfect for people who have no clue where to start with menu planning. Ussher outlines ideas for nutritional meals and even has a checklist for making sure you're getting all your fruits, veggies, grains, etc., as you plan your weekly menu.

What I enjoyed about this book is that it doesn't compromise health for the sake of frugality. She even includes tips for how to get your kids to eat healthy!

Ussher offers some frugal living tips and explains how menu planning and living frugally can have a positive impact on the world around us.

You can purchase Month of Meals for just $6.95.  If you feel you already have the menu-planning thing down, you can also check out Ussher's blog Baby Get Green.  When you sign up for her free monthly highlights newsletter, you will also receive an e-course on budget meal planning.

As a parent of twins, I've always taken an interest in the TLC television show Jon & Kate Plus Eight, which follows the daily lives of Jon and Kate Gosselin and their twin daughters and sextuplets.

There have been many days when my twins and older son are crazy busy when I step back and think, "What would Kate do?" and some evenings when I watch an episode of the show on the DVR and realize how easy things are around here!

My husband got me Jon and Kate Gosselin's new book (co-authored with Beth Carson) called Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets for Christmas.

The book, narrated by Kate, talks about the family's transformation from a young couple struggling with fertility issues, to surviving the arrival of eight children in three years.

I realize that I usually review books about personal finance and frugal living, and this book is not at all about those two things. However, I was so impressed by the strong message of determination and faith throughout their story, I wanted to share my thoughts with you. I think the powerful message conveyed in this book can easily translate into your approach to frugal living and your family.

The book has a few lessons anyone can learn from:

1) A strong faith can help carry you over tough times. When you don't have money, a job, or good health, it's important to remember that the best things in life are free.

2) Don't wallow in self-pity. The Gosselins experienced unemployment while having 6 preemies and twin 3-yr-old girls at home. You can feel sorry for yourself and watch everything slip away, or you can pull yourself up, dust yourself off, and fight to protect all the blessings in your life.

3) Reach for help when you need it, and be sure to reciprocate when you can. You can't do everything yourself all the time, and neither can anyone else. Remember that.

4) It is hard to be frugal all of the time. At one point in the book, Kate talks about using disposable bottle liners for bottle-feeding the babies. She says, "Sometimes time is more valuable than actual money." And she's right. You have to determine what your time is worth and what conveniences may be worth paying for in your family.

5) Learn to let go. I can relate to Kate's personality - she's smart, organized, and likes to be in control. But sometimes life hands you major curveballs; you get socked with a health issue, lose a job, have more children than limbs... and you have to learn to accept that you can't do it all. Just do your best and that will be more than enough in the end.

I enjoyed Multiple Blessings. It was a fun, quick read, and helped me to see my own family in a different way. It made me appreciate the fierce love inherent in strong families and recognize the sacrifices parents make for their children.

I'm so grateful for my multiple blessings, too.