Book Review: The Money Saving Mom’s Budget

You all know by now that Crystal Paine, the “Money Saving Mom“, is one of my favorite bloggers. She runs a positive, upbeat blog full of great inspiration and encouragement on how to save money. It walks a great line between straight-forward, helpful tips and broader ideas on having a happier, more frugal life.

Crystal is a huge inspiration to me, even though our lives are very different. She is a married Christian mother of three living in the Midwest, and I am a single, liberal Boston girl.

She wakes up at 5am, runs something like 15 miles a week, reads a ton of books, homeschools her kids, runs a successful blog, and has a spotless kitchen. (We’ve seen your “messy” kitchen, Crystal. Ha!) I, on the other hand, spent most of my day at a super-messy desk and basically throw myself a parade if I can get the dishwasher filled and emptied on the same day.

What we share is a love for living the best we can on the resources we have, helping others, and finding fun ways to make frugality a part of everyday life.

So I was super-excited when Crystal sent me an advanced copy of her book, “The Money Saving Mom’s Budget“, to review. Just like Crystal, it’s upbeat, honest, detailed, and full of on-point tips you can apply to any budget at any level.

So many books about saving money try to get attention by being extreme. No one is surprised that if you live in a tent or spend 40 hours a week cutting out mayonnaise coupons or whatever other looney stunt, you can save money.

But this book is exceptionally practical and useful. There are guidelines for how to start making a budget, and how to work your way up to a full budget over a few months.

There are tips for saving money on essentials such as groceries and drug store items. Just like the budget advice, they start at the very beginning, and show you how to build up slowly. This is an essential and often-neglected principle of frugality, but budgeting is just like dieting. If you do some extreme belt-tightening, you aren’t going to feel good and the effects aren’t going to last long.

The financial and budgeting advice is practical and applicable no matter what your income is. It’s clear that Crystal is understanding of the fact that not everyone who wants to budget better and improve their life has lots of discretionary income to spend. So much financial advice out there seems aimed at people who have $200,000 a year coming in and are spending frivolously and without thought. This book is a refreshing change.

I really like that the plans and information in the book are peppered with personal stories and anecdotes of smart ways to save money that add up during the year. There are also some helpful links to sites or resources I didn’t know about yet.

I usually finish “self-help” style book feeling discouraged or as if I’ve wasted my time on something that doesn’t really apply to my life. I finished this book feeling energized and ready for another year of budgeting, bettering my life, and paying off my pesky student loans.

If you’re looking for a great resource for practical, use-today advice on budgeting and saving money, this book is a great place to start. It is a quick, accessible read, and anyone can find useful takeaways instantly.

“The Money $aving Mom’s Budget” can be purchased here for just $11. And if you needed any other reason to purchase the book, know that all of Crystal’s profits from sales of the book are being donated to Compassion International.

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