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Books 📚

January 18th, 2018 at 02:39 pm

Finished up "Why You Need a Budget?" and I really didn't care for it. I felt like the author was basically selling his product, YNAB. I can't imagine paying someone to creat a simple budget spreadsheet.

Well at least I have my first book of the year in, and starting the second , "The No Spend Challenge Guide" by Jen Smith. This really is a guide, 99 pages, so it's a quick read.

Goals, read one non-fiction (financial) book a month (12 books 📚).

Posted in Goals | 10 Comments »

10 Responses to “Books 📚 ”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    January 18th, 2018 at 02:43 pm 1516286628
    1516286628

    I've never read the book, but I do like YNAB. And I did pay a one time free for it that has been well worth it to me. But it's good that you know what is right for you.

    I thought the No Spend Challenge Guide was sub par. That was promoted by a friend of Budget Girl, right?

    You might look for Mary Hunt's books at the library.

  2. crazyliblady Says:
    January 18th, 2018 at 02:53 pm 1516287180
    1516287180

    I, like you, can't image paying someone to create a budget for me, but we each do what's right for us. I use a simple 4x6 index card for my budget. I have a skeleton budget with the basics that I usually spend money on. When payday rolls around, I right on a new card the expenses I am allocating for that payday. As I write checks or make debit purchases, I make notes indicating things have been paid and when. Because it is a card, I can just stuff it in my wallet. If I am at a store and want to know if I can afford to buy something that is not on my list, I check the card. Most of the time, the answer is no. This has helped me substantially as it is portable and doesn't require I buy a smart phone with an app.

  3. Dido Says:
    January 18th, 2018 at 03:21 pm 1516288873
    1516288873

    I read the book and I had a very different reaction. Yes, Jesse mentions his product at the beginning, but he then says that the method can be implemented without it, and I can't recall a single OTHER mention of the product anywhere else in the book. To me, the book was all about spelling out the underlying principles and giving case examples, so I'm curious as to why you felt the book was such a sales pitch? The program was perhaps mentioned in passing in the case histories, since he got those from his users, but I can't recall any specific mention of the program anywhere else in the book. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy reading it as I did.

  4. rob62521 Says:
    January 18th, 2018 at 04:18 pm 1516292300
    1516292300

    Amber, when I was a teacher and worked with kids on reading strategies, one lesson I hit often was author's purpose. In a nutshell, authors either inform, entertain, or persuade. Well, that's the simplistic way of teaching it and we would view different things both stories and media. I felt it helped students realize what the author wanted to convey. I have read similar books like the one you mention and was frustrated because at the end it seemed like the person was trying to sell something. I read one a couple of years ago and it promised ways to save and invest for the long term. It was basically redundant and at the end, it encouraged people to go to his website and purchase his "plan."

  5. Amber Says:
    January 18th, 2018 at 06:34 pm 1516300495
    1516300495

    Hi Dido,

    I think the book may have been updated since its original publication, but I'm not sure. What I found was every chapter discussed YNAB, at the end there was an entire piece dedicated to it. Though there were some great points, I just didn't care for it. It's one of recommend not purchasing but borrowing from the library.

    Rob, I like your observation, I never thought about the author's perspective

  6. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    January 19th, 2018 at 03:38 am 1516333087
    1516333087

    Hey, wasn't the creator of You Need a Budget a blogger here 10+ years ago? Anyone remember that? What is the author's name Amber?

  7. livingalmostlare Says:
    January 19th, 2018 at 04:07 am 1516334856
    1516334856

    I could never get you need a budget to work for me. For some reason DH and I charge too much separately that things get out of control.

  8. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    January 20th, 2018 at 03:50 am 1516420236
    1516420236

    Joan - yes, Jesse Mecham was a blogger here. That's how I got started with YNAB.

  9. Amber Says:
    January 20th, 2018 at 11:09 am 1516446557
    1516446557

    Hmm I've been blogging for sometime but can't remember him, his name doesn't ring a bell

  10. frugaltexan75 Says:
    January 20th, 2018 at 09:19 pm 1516483180
    1516483180

    He posted mostly on the forums. Most of it may have been before you joined. I think it was late 2005 that he started the YNAB forums, and then his postings here fell off rapidly.

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