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Book Reviews

Grow Your Money – A Book with Good Investment Tips

Grow Your Money; 101 Easy Tips To Plan, Save, And Invest by Jonathan D. Pond

Grow Your Money is written by an expert financial planner and it contains advice on everything from budgeting to investing to estate planning. It is geared towards Americans because it has in depth sections on the various types of IRAs and other American financial products, however, this book covers many other topics that are not specific to any particular country such as accumulating wealth, home renovations, and getting out of debt, to name a few.

I like the layout of the book and how the author makes complicated topics easy to understand. He breaks the book down into sections each pertaining to a single idea so that you can easily find the topics that interest you. There are some interesting quizzes throughout the book to help you to determine what kind of investor you are, and whether you are a spender or a saver. I especially like the famous quotes he has on about every second page.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about saving and investing their money, especially for Americans as there is a lot of great information about Roth and Traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs, and 401(k) plans.

June 29, 2009

Book Reviews

Shameless Shortcuts – A Great Book of Ideas to Save You Money & Time

Shameless Shortcuts: 1,027 Tips and Techniques That Help You Save Time, Save Money, and Save Work Every Day! Edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and the Editors of Yankee Magazine

Most of us don’t have a lot of extra time and money to waste, so when I heard about Shameless Shortcuts I decided to check it out. I am totally impressed with this book! It’s divided into 18 chapters each discussing a different theme.

Examples of some themes include:

“Shop Smart, Shop Fast” , “Don’t Forget To Exercise”, “Going Places Without Going Crazy”, “Managing the Morning Madness”, “Great Garden Shortcuts”, and “Hassle-Free Holidays All Year Round”.

As you can see from some of the chapter titles above, the book discusses a wide range of topics compiled by experts from various fields. There are some great tips for getting exercise, for cooking quick and healthy meals, for yard work and landscaping, and much more. It’s a must-read for anyone looking for ways to save time and money.

Here are just a few tips in this book to get you started:

-When shopping at a garage sale, don’t act disinterested or you won’t get the best price, because the seller won’t know that you might be receptive to a better offer than the listed price. Just tell the vendor what you are looking for and if they don’t have it they may be able to steer you towards someone who does.

-If you are sick and tired of having to remove snow from your vehicle windshield, all you need to do is drape a heavy-duty garbage bag over your entire windshield and hold it in place by closing the front doors on the edges. If you do this before every forecasted snowstorm you will never have to brush off your windshield again.

-Spray your dog’s paws with cooking spray before taking your dog for a walk in the ice and snow. It will provide a protective coating and keep snow and ice from accumulating between the toes.

June 13, 2009

Book Reviews

Save Money & Make Your Home Safe – Read Organic Housekeeping

Read Organic Housekeeping Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck

Have you ever stopped to think about the cleaning products you use around the house? Or about the chemicals you use on your lawn to get rid of those nasty dandelions? Believe it or not, a lot of the products we use are highly toxic, and some have been known to cause cancer and other health problems. If you are interested in learning about alternatives to these toxic products, check out Organic Housekeeping.

Organic Housekeeping is full of great ideas for keeping your home clean and poison -free. There are tons of tips on food preparation, cleaning, landscaping, and a whole lot more. The author provides expert advice on how to prevent fungi, mold and mildew from growing in your home, as well as provides fire prevention and safety tips. The book is easy to read and somewhat humorous, too, which makes it interesting as well as informational. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about keeping your home clean and safe through the use of primarily organic products. A lot of the tips found in Organic Housekeeping will save you money and time, too, which is an added bonus.

To give you an idea of the type of information found in this book, here are some excerpts:

-“Fatty foods such as cheeses and meats will absorb some of the plasticizers from plastic wrap and plastic bags. If you want to minimize your exposure to these chemicals, when you bring your groceries home, remove the plastic packaging and wrap all your cheeses and meats in freezer paper or waxed paper before putting them in a plastic bag or container.”

-“Don’t buy precooked lunch meats, cooked shellfish, or smoked fish that are displayed in the same case as raw fish or meat. The cooked food may have become contaminated by the raw meat.”

-“Many common foods can double as cleaning products. Vinegar, salt, baking soda, lemons, cabbage leaves, potatoes, mayonnaise, olive oil, apple peels, ketchup, and vodka can all be used for cleaning. If it’s safe to eat, it’s certainly safe to clean with!”

June 1, 2009

Book Reviews

Read Rich Dad Poor Dad – It’s A Great Book!

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money -That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki

Want to read the Rich Dad series? I would recommend you start with Rich Dad Poor Dad. It is the true story of Robert Kiyosaki’s experiences with his 2 “fathers”. One is his real father who earned a high salary but didn’t know how to manage his money, and the other is his best friend’s father who didn’t have a “secure job” with a high salary, but had the financial know-how to use OPM (Other People’s Money) to make wise investments that made him into a millionaire. This book will certainly get your attention because it will make you question what you likely had drilled into your head as a child. Most parents encourage their children to find secure jobs and to buy a house and a car, but don’t tell them how to properly manage their money. Robert suggests that there really is no “secure job” and that a house and a car are not really assets. Rather than working for someone else and helping them realize their dreams, he recommends working for yourself and buying assets that produce positive cash flow. This is a great book to read if you want to learn more about making your money work for you

May 18, 2009

Book Reviews

Great Recession Survival Tips Found in the Tightwad Gazette

I recently told a friend of ours about this blog and she recommended that I read The Tightwad Gazette. I had never heard of it before so I decided to check it out. I have to say I am impressed! The author, Amy Dacyczyn, had this fabulous idea to ask others to contribute ideas on how they save money. So, in addition to her own articles, scattered throughout the book there are miniature articles written by various people throughout Canada and the United States offering tips on everything from home decorating to cheap breakfast cereals. There are also a lot of great recipes. If you would like to learn ways to become thriftier, I would highly recommend this book. Believe me, there are ideas in this book that you have never thought of! I can’t think of a better time than now to be reading a book like this. Surviving a recession can be tough, but with a little bit of research, you can find great ways to live frugally and keep afloat during the tough times.

Here are some neat tips introduced in the book to whet your appetite:

*Make your charcoal last longer by pouring water on the coals immediately after you are finished with them. By the time you are ready to barbecue again they will be thoroughly dry and you can reuse them.

*Make your own brown sugar by taking one cup of white sugar and mixing it with two tablespoons of molasses. It works well for baking and is cheaper than buying regular brown sugar.

*Use a dab of nail polish to stop runs in bathing suits.

*Have a “casserole shower” instead of a baby shower about 3 weeks before the baby is due. All of the guests bring a casserole that the mom-to-be will then put in the freezer until her baby is born. The new mom will be grateful for all the ready-made meals.

May 6, 2009

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