How To Save Money & Organize Your Finances: Tales of an Urban Consumer (Paperback)

by Me'Shae Brooks-Rolling (Author)
Key Phrases: calling card company, event planner, financial literacy, Organize Your Finances, New York, Ways To Save Money (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
How do you survive the consumer demands of an urban lifestyle? We rise and shine, hop on the bus or subway and grab a newspaper, cup of coffee, and donut or bagel on the way to work. At lunchtime we dash to the deli to buy a sandwich and drop by the local neighborhood drugstore to purchase a few items. We're too tired to cook by the time we get home and therefore order Chinese take-out for dinner. Before we know it, we've spent 30 bucks, hands down, by the end of the day. Now multiply that by five workdays. Assuming the same daily routine, that's $150 per week and approximately $8,000 per year.money that could have been used to build up savings or pay off debt! Whether you want to or not, regardless of whether you love to shop, are a spendthrift or somewhere in between...you can't help but to spend money as a city dweller. You'd virtually have to be a hermit not to. And even then, you would still have to spend money just to supply even your most basic needs: Electricity. Groceries. Transportation. A roof over your head. In this book, you will learn how to: Save money everyday as an urban consumer Establish a personalized budget Be financially organized Eliminate and stay out of credit card debt Learn how to obtain your credit report-for free Prevent identity theft Prepare to become a homeowner if you rent Redirect money that is unnecessarily, uncontrollably leaking toward uses more meaningful and important to you Set-up your small business (including tips that you're not going to learn in business school) and much more! From one urban consumer, to another! "While Brooks-Rolling targets city dwellers, How To Save Money and Organize Your Finances: Tales of an Urban Consumer is an absolute must-read for anyone who is truly committed to laying the foundation for multigenerational wealth. It is an accessible, easy-to-follow and desperately needed guide to the kind of lasting financial empowerment that can only come from good stewardship, no matter how much-or how little-money we think we have. If you really want to build wealth, buy this book." Alfred A. Edmond Jr. Sr. VP/Editor-in-Chief BLACK ENTERPRISE

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142591618X
• ISBN-13: 978-1425916183
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,843 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brake the chains of slavery!, April 24, 2006

By	M. Fields (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Some say that wealth is power. If that is true, then very few of us have any power at all. Perhaps that old saying should be changed to say, "Those who know how to manage their finances have power." It is true that some people have a gift of financial wisdom but others must be taught. I believe, although Me'Shae Rolling has had many life experiences that have affected her finances, that she has the gift. She also has a servants heart which causes her to share her gift with others.

It would be difficult to navigate the waters of life without credit but let's face it, many of us are just working to pay off our lenders. The more lenders you have borrowed from the more enslaved you have become. Owing money is the new slavery but those chains can be broken.

Me'Shae has written a practicle, no nonsense, book. She suggests taking a calm methodical approach to eliminating your debt instead of the running around, tearing your hair out, helter skelter way of wondering what to do. Sit down, take a breath, read the book and let a cooler head prevail. Your situation will not become cured overnight but that's okay. It took time to get yourself in all the debt so it will take time to get out of.

Here are just some of the Chapters:

Being Disorganzied Costs You Money
Your W2 Form... Is It Accurate?
Mortgage PrePayments
Assess Needs vs. Wants vs. Desires
Time Your Purchases
Credit Reports & Fico Scores
Teaching Our Youth Financial Literacy

If you are truly tired of working everyday just to hand your check over to "The Man" on payday then you need this book. I reccomend this book highly as one who has recently gotten off of the credit train. I suggest following Me'Shae instructions step by step and learn how to use CASH. That's right, CASH. You'll be happier in the years to come that you took the time to learn the lessons that Mrs. Brooks-Rolling teaches. I encourage you to not only purchase a copy of this book but share it with your friends and family. Share the Power and be blessed!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative, introductory guide to achieving economic stability in personal finances , June 11, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

How To Save Money And Organize Your Finances: Tales Of An Urban Consumer by Me'Shea Brooks-Rolling is an informative, introductory guide to achieving economic stability in personal finances and making the best use of available funds in an urban setting through the establishment of a personal budget. Analyzing and organizing the common spending patterns for such expenditures as lunch, transportation, shopping, etc., How To Save Money And Organize Your Finances offers readers an expert perspective and an authoritative study on how to effectively save money, establish a liveable personal budget, become financially organized complete with record keeping of expenditures, eliminate and avoiding credit card debt, obtain a personal credit report for free, prevent identity theft, prepare to become a homeowner, redirect money that is unnecessarily spent on the unnecessary for the sake of more meaningful and important things, set up a small business, and so much more. How To Save Money And Organize Your Finances is very strongly recommended for any city dweller with a minimal or debt-restricted income as a practical, applicable collection of tactics and strategies for developing and maintaining a structured and secure financial basis for themselves and their loved ones.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for your wealth-building library, April 26, 2006

By	A. Edmond Jr. (West Orange, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's the bottom line: If you are serious about spending less, saving more and accumulating wealth, buy, read and follow the recommendations of this book. Brooks-Rolling presents practical advice in an easy-to-read, down-to-earth and entertaining format. You'll see my endorsement on the back cover of the book jacket; that's how much I believe in the principles and practices Brooks-Rolling preaches. It's not a coincidence that much of her content is consistent with the 10 principles of Black Enterprise magazine's Declaration of Financial Empowerment. If you are truly committed to laying the foundation for multigenerational wealth, here's a great place to begin.