Book Review & Giveaway of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget (5 Copies to 5 Readers)

MoneySavingMom.com is one of the very first frugal living sites that I followed. In fact, I’d say that Crystal of Money Saving Mom was a big force behind me starting Family Friendly Frugality.

Now, I didn’t set out to make my blog like the Money Saving Mom blog (and I’d argue our blogs are actually quite different. Both awesome, but different 😉 ), but it was the knowledge I gained from her site (and a few forums and books) and the enthusiasm I had for my newfound money saving skills that spurred me to share the great news of savings with anyone I could!

Now, she’s taken all that information on her blog and much more and turned it into The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year!

I was lucky enough to get a review copy of this book and pretty much read it cover to cover in just a day or so (disclaimer: I am a VERY fast reader. YMMV on how quickly you get through the book! It’s not a short book, but it is an easy read).

Here are some of my observations:

  • The material is presented in a very logical, step by step fashion. She doesn’t ask you to play the drugstore game on page 1 and she doesn’t explain what  a budget is in the last chapter. Now, it might seem like that’s a no brainer, but I’ve read plenty of books on personal finance that don’t follow that format.
  • Like I said, it’s an easy read. Crystal’s style of writing has always appealed to me. She talks to everybody and isn’t the type to use a $5 word when a $1 word will suffice. When you are teaching readers, this is so important. You don’t want to lose them due to simple semantics when the concept is what’s really important.
  • There’s a lot of personality in this book. This isn’t a dry, boring personal finance book that you’ll have to read a few pages at a time before the yawns kick in. Crystal talks about her own personal experiences and also brings up reader testimonials as well.
  • Now, I personally didn’t really learn anything new. BUT, you have to understand that I’ve been a long time Money Saving Mom reader. Not only that, the content of the book is totally in my niche. I didn’t expect to go into it to learn anything new. I did expect it to recharge me though, and it definitely did! Crystal is very uplifting and positive and has a great “You can do it!” attitude.
  • Finally, there’s something special about reading a book written by someone you “know”. Now, I don’t pretend to know Crystal on a face to face basis, but I do consider her a colleague in this blogging world. I have been a follower for a long time and have even guest posted on Money Saving Mom two times (here and here). I’ve emailed her questions and her responses have always been kind and generous. She’s just a good person, and seeing this happen for her gives me so much joy! I also thought it was cool that when I read her dedication, I actually KNEW some of the people she was thanking! Okay, geek out alert over ;).

Do I think this book is worth reading? I definitely think if someone is trying to get themselves out  of debt, or just trying to learning to manage their money better, this book is a must read.

Even if you know what you are doing, I think this book is a great read. You might learn something new, or you might rekindle the initial spark you felt when you first learned how to coupon! (the book discusses MUCH more than coupons though.)

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year is available TODAY (January 10, 2012) from Amazon.com and ships for free with Prime Shipping (or get the Kindle version and read it instantly on your Kindle or your Free Kindle Reading App).

Definitely add it to your wish list and get it on your bookshelf soon! You won’t regret it.

However…Money Saving Mom has graciously allowed me to GIVEAWAY 5 copies of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year to 5 Family Friendly Frugality readers!

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter form embedded in this post (if you can’t see the form in your email, RSS reader or phone, you’ll have to come direct to the site to enter. ).

Here are some of the optional entries you can use to increase your chances!

  • Subscribe to Family Friendly Frugality by email (be sure to confirm, these will be verified)
  • Follow Family Friendly Frugality on Facebook
  • Leave a blog post comment telling me what you hope this book will help you with.

Giveaway ends on 1/15/12. Winners will be contacted within 48 hours of giveaway ending barring any unforeseen circumstances. Winners will be announced on the blog and personally emailed. If winners do not respond within 48 hours of receiving their winner email, the prize is forfeited and another winner will be chosen.


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Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review. I did receive a free copy of the book to facilitate my review. My opinion is the opinion of a longtime Money Saving Mom reader, and is mine alone. This giveaway is not facilitated, sponsored or administered by Facebook.

Published by

Heather

Heather is the creator and owner of Family Friendly Frugality. She calls Texas home and is married to her best friend. With 2 children 22 months apart, she has her hands full. So full that she decided to start blogging as a hobby. That hobby blew up into a full time job. Now she's got the husband, the kids and the blog. We're not exactly sure what she was thinking, but she's too busy for us to ask. Find Me On Google +

74 thoughts on “Book Review & Giveaway of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget (5 Copies to 5 Readers)”

  1. As a mom of 1 (who wishes there were 2)…..and a wife (who lost her job last summer) to a man (that is temporarily unemployed)….I would LOVE to win!

    Reply

  2. Our budget is getting tighter due to my husband’s ACL surgery and him at home recovering. So this would help me out a lot!

    Reply

  3. This book would be awesome because I am trying to save my family money anyway I can but it doesn’t seem to always workout & I’d luv to find a new way to do it.

    Reply

  4. I’ve been an avid couponer for quite awhile now, but could really use some help on making and sticking to a budget! I follow her blog and would really like to read her book as well.

    Reply

  13. I would love to win! I love Crystal Paine and her site and what she offers, I would love to read her book.

    Reply

  18. I am hoping this book will help me with additional ideas of how to live a simpler life and save more in different avenues of spending.

    Reply

  21. I am SO excited to read this book. I had my first child in November and just gave notice at my job that I will not be returning from my maternity leave. So, we are in the process of becoming a one-income family and I’m looking for ways to help us stretch that money.

    Reply

  22. I would love to have the book. I have been following MSM for over two years and would love to have a book with all her great advice

    Reply

  33. Hoping this will help me learn how to put together a family budget. My parents were not as good with money as they would have liked, and I would love to have some more resources.

    Reply

  34. As of last week our family has become a homeschooling family, which has required me to go down to working one day a week. We’re very excited about our new journey as a family, but we need to now especially learn how to live more frugally! I think that this book would be very helpful to us!

    Reply

  35. I am hoping this book will help me shop more wisely. I love to shop and sometimes I shop just to shop. I want to be better at this money thing, so I can share my knowledge with my children.

    Reply

  36. I would like to save money at the grocery store and other things too. I don’t drive though so I might have to modify some of the strategies. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.

    Reply

  37. I’d love to win a copy of this book! We’re expecting our first baby in six weeks and I can use all the inspiration/know-how possible. 🙂

    Reply

  42. I would love to hear what Crystal says about couponing as I am new to it. I also am interested in the information about resolving clutter as this is an area that I struggle with.

    Reply

  44. Found your blog through Crystal’s site! I love it and would also love to win the book :). I’m trying to be a better steward of my money this year

    Reply

  52. I would love to set up an online budget/record keeping system. While my calendar/bill book has worked for years, it would be nice to access it when away from home and see everything in one place. But where do I start? This book would help me get off to a running start.

    Reply

  53. My biggest challenge is setting up a budget and actually sticking to it. My hope for this book is that I will be able to learn some “tricks” to follow that will make sticking to a budget work for me.

    Reply

  57. I would love to pick up any new tips but if I don’t find any then I would just love the extra inspiration that I am sure Crystal delivers in this book!

    Reply

  61. I’d like to know how to teach my children to live simplier and not as the world has taught them that they need need need everything.

    Reply

  65. I would love to win this book, because I really want it, but I don’t want to spend money to get it! 🙂

    Reply

  66. Thank you for this generous giveaway! This is the first time I have visited your blog and I must say it is rather impressive!
    Brenda

    Reply

  69. Now that I am a stay-at-home mommy of 2 babes we just brought home from China, I REALLY need to save money and live frugally. Would love a copy of this book!

    Reply

  71. I love her blog … have read a lot about this book and would love to have a copy. Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway!!!

    Reply

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