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I'm not sure if I can be as controlled with my spending as the book wants me to be but it provided lots of helpful tips to get me close. I really appreciated the questions at the end of each chapter and will be using them going forward.
This is more of a 2.5 star book. I liked the first two chapters and was intrigued—I too make weird rationalizations to buy things so her self-descriptions of her own thinking and behavior were relatable—but things went downhill from there. Jones’ budgeting style stressed me out just reading about it: she chose to save nothing and zeroed out her bank account every paycheck. WHO DOES THIS? The idea is ludicrous to me as one of my own spending triggers is having no money to fall back on. (The more stable I feel, the less impulsive spending I engage in.) I guess it’s a good thing luck was on her side and no actual emergencies came up during her year of “fasting”... or perhaps her husband would have been stuck with that bill too? It would be interesting to read his perspective on how she actually did on her fast; she danced around the subject, but part of what got her through wasn’t contentment with less but rather leaning on him for treats and extras she wanted until it became An Issue which she glossed over and never delved into. I was disappointed to see fewer actual helpful bits and suggestions the farther into the book I read. Part of my own negative review of this book and method is I really dislike any media that tells you to avoid doing certain things—ie)paying for the convenience of having someone else do work for you—but then a chapter later suggests you do those exact things so other “suckers” will pay to benefit you. It rubs me the wrong way.
This isn’t a bad read (it does have an enjoyable, light conversational format and the illustrations are delightful), just do not expect to find much information beyond super basic concepts like understanding a want vs a need.
This isn’t a bad read (it does have an enjoyable, light conversational format and the illustrations are delightful), just do not expect to find much information beyond super basic concepts like understanding a want vs a need.
What I really enjoyed about this book was Jones' approach to her method. She isn't one to tell you that her method is the end-all-your-problems solution and she won't tell you that her method is for all financial problems, but she says that anyone can try it no matter how much money you make and how much money you owe. The overall feel is of inclusion and support. The tone of the book feels like a conversation with a friend where she tells her side of her success and tries to help you find your best self in the mean time. I felt really inspired to give her method a try, but I felt that I could accomplish it on my own terms.
I liked the introspection and some of the ideas in this book. The manual “reverse budgeting” mentioned in this book can be easily done with apps like YNAB, making it simple to keep track of your account balances. The many references will be quickly dated, and in 10 years the social and web addresses won’t be relevant anymore, but the concept is a good one.
I liked her sound advice and her ability to talk about both her successes and failures.
This book is good in that reality tv, i-lost-half-my-body-weight diet specials way. This extreme no spend plan for saving money is inspiring but I'm guessing most people will be unable to keep it up for the same reason people fall off diets. It did make for a good read. The author's chatty tone made the book feel like the print version of a fun talk show.
Good ideas! Worth a listen even if for nothing else than encouragement to put away the wallet and know that it's ok to NOT buy everything.
For everyone else, I think this book could easily be a 4 or 5 star rating. Because I am from a big family, the tips she mentioned I am already doing, so I would rate this book about a 3.5. I did enjoy reading about her story, and I think her concept of a spending fast is great! We do not have debt like she does, but I do have some large purchases for our house in the future, so I would like to be able to save for those. I won't be doing her whole year spending fast, but I will be writing out my needs and wants, and doing monthly spending fasts. Great book for the beginner!