Customer Reviews

How to Raise a Family on Less Than Two Incomes: The Complete Guide to Managing Your Money Better So You Can Spend More Time with Your Kids

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is a big difference between "what we WANT in life" and "what we NEED in life." As a counsellor, I hear so many people with families say, "there is simply not enough money to go around," and in many cases, particularly single-parent families, that is true. However, in the case of many (and certainly not all) two-parent families, there WOULD be enough money to go around, if people had their priorities in order and actually knew how much they were spending on the "wants" in life, as opposed to the "needs. All the frills, luxuries, power lunches and expensive "play toys" i.e., cars, boats, motor homes and exotic vacations, can bring financial burden. Long after the novelty of the new "play toy" has worn off, the debt continues.

It is most unfortunate that all those who choose to live in a materialistic world, do not read this book before they lose sight of what is truly important in their life, and how short life is. The time, in the overall life cycle, that we have our children all to ourselves to enjoy is very short, indeed. Children need parents or a parent, depending on your family structure, to give them quality time and love far more than they need designer jeans and a car by the time they are sixteen. Sure, most kids would want those things; kids have a neat way of testing limits and boundaries, theirs and ours. All too often, it is the parents who are trying to compensate by giving their sons and daughters what they never had as children. But, at what cost?

This is an excellent book and highly recommended. It will make you think twice, not only about where you are spending your money, but how much quality time you actually spend with the greatest investment of your life - your children.

I've been doing a lot of research on whether or not it will be feasible for me to either quit my job or cut back to part-time. And while I truly appreciate all the books out there about how to clip coupons and make my own granola, this book is different. Ms. Topolnicki gives financial advice on cutting back from two incomes, starting with tax savings and going all the way through to saving on groceries and entertainment. This is serious, real-life stuff. Her chapter on investing alone is worth the price of the book. Taxes, investments, savings, insurance, groceries, vacations, entertainment -- they're all covered and MORE! This is the first book I've read on the subject that gives me REAL hope that I can plan a budget on less than the two incomes we've gotten used to in the past ten years. I can't say enough about this book and the strategies that are outlined therein. Buy it, or borrow it from the library today.

Denise Topolnicki gives practical advice on how to save money and live better at the same time.

The book is well-structured in that you can use its chapters separately as references, without having to go in cover-to-cover order to make use of its suggestions.

In my case, I mostly skimmed the preparatory suggestions on how to transition from a two-income to a one-income family, as we're already one income. The practical tips that followed were great. You get perspective on how much you should be spending on groceries, which kinds of cost-cutting measures aren't worth the effort and what how various saving and wealth-building techniques work.

Topolnicki's book also was a great springboard toward greater financial awareness. Now I find it easier to spot and understand information that's out there to help boost my family's finances.

I give credit to Topolnicki, a fellow business journalist, and her book for getting my family onto a plan that gets us squarely on our feet financially in just a matter of a few months.

The book was filled with a lot of common sense suggestions. I consider myself to be a good manager of my money so most of the book was nothing revolutionary in how to deal with finances. There were a few things that were brought out that I didn't already know. I would suggest that if you are not good with your finances or don't have common sense in regards to these issues, then it is the book for you. If you are already finance saavy, then it might not give you what you were looking for. Still a good book.

The purpose of this very readable book is to allow a parent to spend more time with their children. The author used her experience in financial journalism to calculate expenses. After surveying more than 100 mothers, she then wrote this book to help other families with young children survive on one income. Most mothers are at home when their children are young. Whatever your reason, this book can help you to spend less on living expenses without pain.

This book has four parts. One) to help you analyze your present financial situation and plan for the future. Two) has hundreds of tips to help you cut spending. Three) shows how to save more while earning less. Four) tells you about work: quitting & keeping benefits, part-time work, and how to resume full-time work.

I found this book to be extremly helpful. The author breaks down all of your "worries" about staying at home with your kids by topic--ie, "How will we survive on only one income?", "How will we still save for retirement?", "How will we manage to save for college?". For readers with access to the Internet, there are DOZENS of references to helpful Web sites.

Also, this book covers families from all occupations and incomes. Although the author herself was a high-powered executive prior to her "retirement," she also interviewed women who worked as secretaries and other less well-paying jobs.

The only drawback I found in this book is that it assumes that you are leaving the workforce with children who are newborns and/or toddlers. I left the workforce to be at home with an 11 year old and a 15 year old, because my husband and I agreed that in these crazy times, this age group needs a parent at home. Also, I have a chronic illness which "flares" when I work excessive hours. (The book also discusses the alternative of finding part-time work which will align with your kids' schedules).

Despite the drawbacks, I highly recommend this book to parents of children of any age.

This is a good book if you have a toddler or younger child.
and also it is good if you have NO experience being frugal and have never heard of discounts, etc...
I suspect the author is married to a guy with a good job and he makes a lot more money than my husband does, I also suspect that they own a nice home, and aren't struggling to come up with a downpayment on a home.
Its easy to be a stay at home mom when Dad earns a lot.
maybe her idea of cutting back means on the dinner parties and expensive jewelry
a good book for the yuppie set.

I really read this book, unlike the authors friends who posted here and clogged up the true review space with false praise

How to Raise a Family on Less Than Two Incomes is a good, basic guide for those who have thought about taking this route but haven't really looked into it yet. Many of the areas that the author explores -- such as understanding your monthly expenses, cutting child care and grocery costs, saving for your future -- are things you'll find in many of the personal finance and frugal books out there, so if you have read more than a few on the subject there won't be much new here. But the author has a nice clean writing style, and does a very good job with the information she presents. So I would heartily recommend it for a beginner, less so for an experienced frugal person. For more in-depth book reviews I've done, search for goldenrulecomics on the Squidoo website.

I really like this book - it gives you the knowledge you need to know to make changes in your budget, expectations, etc. Topolnicki really knows her stuff, and delivers the message in a user-friendly manner. I recommend this book to all parents who want to cut back to one income.

Denise has hit the nail on the head. Although everyone will find much they already knew (but might have forgotten), almost everyone will find new insights as well. Denise's straightforward and personal writing style communicates that she's not just making this up, she's telling what she knows from experience. Few people are as well qualified to discuss this subject. If this topic is even slightly of interest to you, you'll want to read this book.