Reviewing a book can sometimes be a tricky task. But sometimes, as in this case, it turns out to be kind of fun!
A few months ago, the Almost Frugal writers were contacted about a personal finance book written for young people. I felt everyone sort of collectively (and yes electronically) look over to me. As a 29 year old and the youngest writer here at AF, I was the logical candidate to read the book. Also about half the time I agree to review a book (not just on Almost Frugal but at my own blog), I never receive it. So I said sure, thinking it might not actually show up.
A week later, the book arrived. “Enjoy Your Money! How To Make It, Save It, Invest It, and Give It” by J. Steve Miller didn’t look super long, but then I opened it. Holy text, Batman!
But rather than judge a book based on formatting (or a cover), I started reading. The basis of a book is a group of four students and a mentor type named Mrs. Kramer. They get together every week for breakfast and to talk about money as part of the “Counterculture Club”. Occasionally there are guests who show up to breakfast and the whole thing is like a flashback, as the ‘kids’ are now adults having a reunion.
Overall the book is in dialog format, like a play, with occasional assignments and recommended reading. For awhile, it drove me a little nuts but last night I realized I had gotten half way through the book without even realizing it. I guess a change of format is sometimes nice to have!
One thing you learn as you get older, or even just as you take more classes, is that you can get explained the same thing in multiple ways and, at one point, an explanation hits you and you just ‘get it’. This book explains things like compound interest, living below your means, etc. with multiple examples so many different times that I think there are a lot of different opportunities for people to ‘get it’. And the book focuses on normal people who are rich but don’t ‘act’ rich, a lot more of an attainable goal than winning the lottery or becoming famous only to make more money than you can possibly spend.
This book was unexpectedly good, so much so, I am going to lend it to a few people I know. J. Steve Miller does a great job and knows his stuff. As everyone who reads says, I should have read this years ago! Good news: it’s never too late to start.
Click here to read what some other people thought on Amazon.
Did you like this post? Then become a fan of
Almost Frugal on Facebook, or
subscribe by RSS or
email to keep getting great frugal content, every time we publish.
This is What Frugal Looks Like is a series that highlights different ways that people can be frugal in their lives- after all, frugality doesn’t have to be drastic or just about clipping coupons. Frugality can be fun and easy. Each respondent answers the same four questions. Today’s interview is with Jennifer from Hilltop Communications.
What does frugality mean to you?
To me, frugality means using resources of all types – money, time, and “stuff” – wisely, so that you can enjoy living. Frugality is a way of showing respect for whoever worked for or provided the resources, whether that be the Almighty, a family member, or oneself.
What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?
I clip a few coupons (although I am not a major coupon-er), I stock up at grocery specials, I open or close the blinds to control passive solar heat depending on season, and I turn the heat way down in the winter.
What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?
I started canning food when I was 8 years old, and I like to think I was “putting up” (preserving food) before it became cool again. I have the biggest garden that my suburban lot will allow, and I grow some food plants in the front yard, which is not typical for this part of the country. I make my own laundry soap, my own fleece pillowcases, and my own make-up remover wipes. I try to eliminate or greatly reduce the need to buy disposable items.
I compost, which is not unusual, but I do so as much for the garden fertilizer as to control waste. I get a significant thrill out of watching garden produce nourish my family, then sending its waste to the compost so it can nourish the next garden and continue the cycle.
What are some of your longterm goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?
Of course, my husband and I would like to retire comfortably one day, although I think there will always be some sort of work in our lives; hopefully, our retirement savings will allow us to be choosier about the work we do. Additionally, my husband and I dance competitively and like to spend time in Key West, Florida, neither of which are inexpensive hobbies! But I sure would rather spend my discretionary income on a mojito on the beach than on a few extra degrees of heat and some commercially-produced laundry soap!
About Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti
Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti is a writer, editor, speaker, and owner of Hilltop Communications. Lorenzetti had her first garden – and her first compost pile – at the age of eight, and she has embraced the sustainable homemaking arts ever since. In 1997, she founded Hilltop Communications, a professional communications firm focusing on the challenges of making complex subjects understandable to professionals and laypeople alike. In 2009, she married the two passions to start Fast, Cheap, and Good, a blog dedicated to helping readers pursue a more sustainable lifestyle, one choice and one project at a time.
Did you like this post? Then become a fan of
Almost Frugal on Facebook, or
subscribe by RSS or
email to keep getting great frugal content, every time we publish.
This is What Frugal Looks Like is a series that highlights different ways that people can be frugal in their lives- after all, frugality doesn’t have to be drastic or just about clipping coupons. Frugality can be fun and easy. Each respondent answers the same four questions. Today’s interview is with Garrett Ball from Secure Medicare Solutions.
What does frugality mean to you?
Frugality is certainly a way of life. To truly be successful with it, you must let it seep into all, or at least most, aspects of your way of life. To me, it means having a financial plan and goal in mind, not just casting about aimlessly on a whim. The world tells us we should get what we want when we want it, but to be frugal, you must fight those urges and stick to a concrete goal or plan.
What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?
The thing that I consider typically frugal that we do is budget. We have a set plan every month and watch it vigorously. I know every dollar that goes out and every dollar that comes in to the point that our budget is itemized very precisely.
What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?
This has probably surpassed frugality and moved into downright cheapness, but my family reuses holiday greeting cards. We can get a few uses out of one card. Sometimes, what starts as a large foldout card ends up being the size of an index card with “Happy Holidays” and our name on it. First, the recycling is simple. We just cut one card into two cards and send out both. One has a lovely picture on the front; the other has a message and no picture. I wouldn’t use this “frugal” trick on just anyone but it works great when sending holiday cards or birthday cards to family and close friends. They probably think we are crazy – maybe we are! And one more bonus thing that is both frugal and unusual – I am a relentless shaker of the printer cartridges. If you don’t know this, you can get many, many more prints out of a cartridge even after the computer/printer says it is out of ink. So, you just take it out, shake it vigorously, and put it back in. Then, print away. Computer says it is out of ink again, repeat the process, until you finally just cannot get one more print out of it.
What are some of your longterm goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?
It is my hope that being frugal will allow my wife and I to leave a legacy for our children, not necessarily monetarily but more like a legacy of saving and conscientious spending. On a more personal note, I believe and hope that my family’s frugality will allow us the freedom to stop working at age 55 and do a lot of traveling.
About the Author
Garrett Ball is the owner of Secure Medicare Solutions and Medicare-Supplement-Comparison.com, two websites devoted to educating seniors about the complex and convoluted world of Medicare and assisting them in saving money on their Medicare Supplement insurance. His site offers practical advice, information and Medicare Supplement quotes.
Did you like this post? Then become a fan of
Almost Frugal on Facebook, or
subscribe by RSS or
email to keep getting great frugal content, every time we publish.
Subscribe by 
Get updates by
Follow us on 
Friend us on 
