The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year [Paperback]

Crystal Paine (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 10, 2012

FROM ONE OF NIELSEN’S TOP 50 POWER MOMS COMES ADVICE YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK—LITERALLY !

Crystal Paine, who has helped busy women everywhere take control of their finances, presents her most effective strategies designed for families of all sizes and income levels.

With hundreds of inspiring “why didn’t I think of that?” TIPS, plus WORKSHEETS, Paine breaks down your goals into easy, manageable steps so you can:

• Achieve a complete financial makeover

• Set up a realistic budget

• Never pay retail

• Slash your grocery bill

• Organize your time & your home

• Use coupons wisely

• Pay with cash only

• Live simply

• Become debt free

• Choose contentment

• Make every dollar count

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For this mama of six, driving a 14 yr. old vehicle, endeavoring to live frugally and to live generously, this book not only offers fresh inspiration, it offers a practical, creative plan to make your life priorities -- the reality of your life. And her last chapter on contentment? Standing ovation!" 

--Ann Voskamp, author of the New York Times bestseller One Thousand Gifts

"Crystal Paine does it all as an entrepreneur, wife, and mom—and that means she knows all about finding room in a home budget! From reducing clutter to finding amazing coupon deals outside the grocery aisle, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget will help you make dollars and sense of your life again."

—Dave Ramsey, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host

“Crystal will save you money, sure, but better yet, she will save you time. Smart home economists know there’s no point driving around all day to save $2 when those hours could be spent working, relaxing, or nurturing your family. The Money Saving Mom’s Budget teaches readers to make wise choices so we can devote time and money to what matters most.” --Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think

“Are you looking for more wiggle room in your budget? As a mom of ten, I spent years learning to spend our dollars wisely. If I’d been armed with Crystal Paine’s book a couple of decades ago, I’m quite sure that my learning curve would have included fewer mistakes. The Money Saving Mom’s Budget offers real hope to real families who want to escape the cycle of overspending and debt. With a guide like Crystal by your side, you can do this!”

--Mary Ostyn, author of Family Feasts for $75 a Week 

"This book is a great solution for anyone who’s struggling with the high cost of groceries and is ready to get on a budget!"

--Mary Hunt, founder of Debt-Proof Living and award-winning author of 7 Money Rules for Life

About the Author

Crystal Paine is a wife and homeschooling mom to three young children who has been writing on topics related to frugality for the last five years—and living a frugal, simple, and debt-free life since she was born. Her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, is one of the top personal finance blogs on the web averaging over four million pageviews per month. Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day magazine and All You magazine, as well as being mentioned on National Public Radio and CNN.com, in USA Weekend, and Real Simple magazine and numerous other local newspapers and radio and television stations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (January 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451646208
• ISBN-13: 978-1451646207
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Crystal Paine is a wife and homeschool mom of three, and founder of MoneySavingMom.com. Started as an offshoot of a mommy blog in 2007, MoneySavingMom.com has since grown to be one of the top personal finance blogs on the web averaging over 850,000 unique visitors/four million pageviews per month.

Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day magazine and All You magazine, appeared as a guest on the 700 Club, and has been mentioned on The Today Show, National Public Radio, CNN, USA Weekend, Shop Smart magazine, Real Simple magazine, and numerous other local and national newspapers, radio, and television stations. She is the author of the bestselling book, The Money Saving Mom®'s Budget.

Her motto is: live simply, save aggressively, give generously. Through her blog and book she seeks to encourage women and families to wisely steward their finances so that, ultimately, they might be able to bless and give more to those in their community and around the world.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

190 of 199 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted this book to be make a huge difference. January 12, 2012

By Rachel

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to love it, I still recommend it for some. January 16, 2012

By Kim Garroutte

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

68 of 75 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment January 13, 2012

By hloyall

Format:Paperback

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.