I am a voracious reader—it has always been that way. From devouring an entire series of books in elementary school to spending my junior high spring break on the beach reading the Diary of Anne Frank & Flowers for Algernon, books have always been a part of my life. Our oldest daughter is quite a book worm herself, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. It will serve her well through the years. There is just so much you can learn from books!

It’s time to start making my summer reading list, so I was inspired again to share this one with you! This list includes the 10 books that have made the biggest impact on our budget. What’s on your reading list this summer?

Personal Finance Books for Your Summer Reading Lists

Enjoy Your Money!: How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It

If you read my review last week, you know why this is at the top of the list! It is by far the most enjoyable non-fiction book I’ve ever read. While it is a non-fiction, personal finance book, it’s set up as a story, with characters who meet in an effort to achieve the financial peace their parents lack. J. Steve Miller teaches valuable lessons on earning, saving, investing and being charitable through the stories & lives of the Counter Culture Club—4 high school students who learn from their financially savvy teacher, Mrs. Kramer. I wish I had started my life with the lessons in this book. I can only hope to start my own children out with the strong background these characters received.


The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

If you’ve spent anytime in the world of personal finance blogs, you know we’re big fans of Dave Ramsey! His no nonsense approach to debt management has helped countless families dig their way out from under a mountain of creditors. His zero budget envelope system will change the way you think about your paycheck. The hubby & I each read this book, and, while we’ve had some setbacks along the way, I’d like to think we’re making good progress. We’ve only recently taken his full advice and switched to a cash budget system—it’s already making a difference in our spending habits.


The Courage to be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance

This was the first personal finance book we ever read. I have to admit it’s been awhile, but I do know it was Suze Orman who really got the hubby & I talking about money. In our case, she is spot on with her belief that fear, shame & anger keep people from properly managing their finances. Bringing it out in the open not only allowed us to manage finances & create a budget together, but it gave me the courage to talk openly about finances & money saving online, making this website possible at all!

Frugal Living Books

It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

On the surface, this is a book about clutter & organization. However, Peter Walsh talks a lot about what clutter is costing you. How much are you paying for each cluttered square foot in your house? Are you spending extra money on a storage unit? Is your expensive car in the driveway because your garage is full of junk? While I don’t have the clutter & organization completely under control just yet, it has forced me to carefully consider every purchase, preventing new clutter & unnecessary expenses.


Shop, Save and Share

This is the book that started it all! While, I was pretty frugal & piddled with coupons for years, Ellie Kay kicked off my extreme frugality and gave me my start in the art of couponing. Her commitment to sharing from her abundance really spoke to me and has always been a part of this site. From the charity section on each grocery list to Giving Inexpensively, I’ll always honor the lessons she taught me by helping others to share from their excess as well. Sadly, the book is out of print but I am thrilled to discover an entire Ellie Kay arsenal—I clearly have more reading to do!


Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More

You probably already know about my love of vinegar. And, it should come as no surprise that the hubby is a duct tape fan. After all, he is a guy. A guy who carries around a duct tape wallet. Seriously. This book on 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Repair, Restore, Revive, or Replace Just about Everything is perfect for us! It includes tips & tricks for reusing ordinary items around the house. From cat litter to toothpaste to hair spray, this book has great ideas to double the use of things you’ve probably already purchased!

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

When we first moved into our home, I knew I wanted a vegetable garden—but my thumb is pretty much the opposite of green. (What is that? Red? It’s been awhile since art class.) Our first summer we got a few tomatoes & green beans, but at least we had a good plot established (not by me—I bartered with our buddy who’s a master gardener). A few years ago, I found this book and my garden & budget have thanked me ever since. Mel Bartholomew’s square foot garden concept grows a lot of veggies in just a little space! The soil mix & plans he recommends have resulted in richer dirt each year. This is the first year we have added nothing to our garden bed—it was full of dark, rich, organic soil already. The worms are loving it, and I can’t wait to see the vegetables we produce this summer!

Lessons on Food (But Not Really Cookbooks)

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Once we start harvesting the veggies from our backyard, we can’t use them up fast enough! That’s where canning & freezing comes in. And, of course, Ball is the expert on home preservation. This book taught me everything I know about canning. Okay, so that isn’t much but I like having the reference when it’s time to experiment with preserving something new. Last year, my mom & I froze 16 dozen ears of corn. That was definitely a new experience, and the corn lasted all the way to the next season (or, would have, if my daughter hadn’t left our garage freezer open for 2 days last month).

Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children

Long before Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I read this book by Ann Cooper & Lisa Holmes. Similarly based on the tragic state of our school lunch, the book offers practical, how-to advice for packing a suitable alternative. While I’ve ready (and considered reading) numerous books on nutrition that are filled with depressing stats & frighten me away from the grocery store altogether, this one skips the scare tactics in favor of real, solid help. It reads like a how-to manual, with specific ideas & recipes children love to find in their lunchbox.

Make-A-Mix

Okay, so this one’s a cookbook! But, not really. Instead of making muffins, cake and bread, the book includes recipes for making muffin mix, cake mix and bread mix. The idea is you can store a giant tub of homemade muffin mix in the pantry, then measure & add wet ingredients as needed. The concept is pretty similar to once-a-month cooking. It is especially helpful for those who require or desire a specialized diet, whether that is sugar free, gluten free or organic. I can easily modify the recipes for use with gluten free flour, providing easy access to mixes that would otherwise be too expensive to store.


Read any good books lately? I’m always looking for recommendations!

A version of this post originally appeared on May 24, 2010.

Photo Credit: Flickr user:JonnyKeelty
A version of this post was originally published on June 12, 2012.

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Between New Year’s resolutions and a fresh tax year, it’s time for all new financial goals. Since we started a new business last year, our goals are primarily related to new contracts, products and increasing revenue. Which all sounds well and good, but we’re going to have be smart about it.

Really SMART. As in, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and within a Time Limit.

Open-ended goals just weren’t working for us. We need to have a timeline and a plan for measuring success. It’s like that for all goals or resolutions, really.

Are you setting goals for your budget this year?

Whether you’re setting resolutions to save more money, take a vacation or paying off debt, here’s a smart way to reach your goals:

Specific: Be very specific about what you want. If you’re setting finance goals for your own family, be sure they are well defined. Set a dollar amount to save or pay off. Choose a specific item to cut out of your budget. Saying we wanted to “increase business” wasn’t cutting it for us. We had to be more specific about it — making a detailed list of projects we wanted to work on, for starters.

Measurable: The goals have to be something you can define and know when you get there. With financial goals, measurement is pretty easy. Just set a dollar amount to save, pay off or cut from your budget.

Achievable: Goals must be realistically achievable. If you’re not saving anything right now, setting a goal to save $1000 per month is only setting yourself up for failure. Start small; you can adjust your goals later in the year as you begin to achieve them.

Relevant: Take care to set goals that are relevant to you and your life. If you only want to save up for something because you think you should want it, you won’t be motivated to truly make it happen. Choose appropriate goals that are on task to get your finances where you want them this year.

Time Limit: Attach a time limit to your plans. When ideas are just loose and unplanned, they’ll stay that way. You can even break it up a bit — set a small goal for the month, larger goals for the season, and work up to your overall goal for the year.

Whatever your goals are for your own family’s budget, we’re here to help you get there! With money saving ideas, frugal living advice and — thanks to Women & Co! — a little boost from Thank You Points. Citi’s Thank You points can be used on a variety of rewards to lower your expenses. Fill your gas tank, dine out or plan a family fun night on us.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Christine and Courtney, winners of 10K Thank You points towards gift certificates or rewards.

Two Inexpensively readers will receive a code worth 10,000 points — redeemable for rewards and gift cards valued at $100 or more! To be entered to win, simply leave a comment here and share one of your goals or resolutions for the new year. You can also earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Inexpensively and Women & Co on Twitter
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Start your New Year off right with SMART goals and $200 from @Inexpensively! http://bit.ly/13gp1aT
• Sharing this giveaway (Pinterest, blog, forum, public Facebook note)

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until 1/15/13 at 11:59pm est. Two winners will be notified by email on 1/16/13 and each receive a code worth 10,000 Thank You points. Codes must be entered into a Thank You account by 3/1/13, but you will have up to 3 years to redeem your reward.

I was provided with Thank You points for my family and this giveaway by Women & Co to facilitate this post, but all opinions are 100% mine.

There are only 364 days until Christmas—it’s time to stockup on wrapping paper, greeting cards and stocking stuffers. Of course, I’m only partly kidding. Holiday clearance deals begin now, and the prices will continue to drop all week. This is when I purchase my wrapping paper, gift tags and holiday trinkets to use in next year’s stockings. Most stores are at 50% off for all Christmas products. This includes not just decorations, wrapping supplies and other obviously Christmas items but great deals on products you can use all year long.

Christmas is the best time to stockup on linens—if you use tablecloths, napkins and decorative table runners all year as we do, you’ll find awesome prices on “holiday” packages. Most of them are not Christmas specific so keep an eye out for your favorite sizes. This is also a great time to buy items that are designed as gifts—watch for gift-boxed items such as gloves, electronics and toys. You’ll also notice a lot of “stocking stuffers” that can be used for Easter baskets, party favors and chore rewards. Look for toys, beauty products and trinkets free of snowflakes, holly and Christmas designs.

Beyond the holiday aisles, markdowns are also happening throughout the stores. Retailers keep overstock of electronics and toys for the holiday shopping season. At Target, there is already an entire aisle of 30% off toys, every end cap is stocked with clearance and you’ll find more toy markdowns up every aisle. My oldest has a birthday in just over a week so I used to do all my shopping for her during the first week of January. Of course, she has moved beyond toys as she turns 14 but winter clothing is being clearanced already as well!

If you venture out, I’d love to hear about your bargains. For the last few years, I’ve set about to increase our Christmas music collection, but I think we’re finally set there. This year, I’m seriously considering a new, taller Christmas tree — we’re already running out of room for the girls’ ornaments and adding another child is only going add to it.

What are you on the hunt for this season?

Originally published 12/29/09

I’m not a fan of Cyber Monday. At all. It’s basically a made-up thing, designed to capitalize on the Black Friday frenzy and keep you shopping. The problem is, the deals aren’t really there.

You will find a few good Amazon Lightening Deals (Kindle Fire for just $129 with coupon code FIREDEAL today!) and a handful of small business deals (40% off Flirty Aprons with coupon code CYBERFLIRTY today!), but the major retailers exhausted their bargains on Black Friday.

When shopping for deals today, keep these tips in mind:

• Compare regular prices. The above photo is actually a Cyber Monday deal that sold out, even though the price is marked up from regular retail. Check the regular price, compare stores, and be sure you aren’t paying more, just to order online today.
• Check reviews. Be cautious with amazing deals on electronics. Know the brand, read reviews, and take care to buy quality that will last past the holiday season.
• Know what you need. Do not buy a great deal just because the price is right. If it isn’t something you would buy anyway or you don’t have a specific person in mind for the gift, it isn’t a good deal. (Check out our holiday gift planning guide, too!)
• Include shipping in price comparisons. If the price of shipping would make the item cost more, skip it and find a better deal in stores later.
• See it in person. Don’t be afraid to head to a retail store to try on clothes, get a feel for electronics or compare quality for yourself. Sure, it slightly defeats the purpose of shopping online, but you’ll be sure to know what you’re buying.
• Find out about warranties and returns. If something doesn’t work out, you need to be able to get your money back after the holidays. Most retailers are offering extended returns for the holiday season, but this doesn’t always apply to online purchases.

With Thanksgiving in just two days, Sherman and I are already looking ahead to Black Friday! Today on Fox59 Morning News, we laid out our Black Friday plans to help you brave the cold, crowds and chaos in search of the ultimate deals. I spent the morning with Sherman Live! at McNamara Florist in Carmel, helping you prepare for the biggest shopping day of the year and finding all the hottest deals!

Here are a few of my favorite bargains:

• DVDs, starting at $1 (Best Buy, Kmart, Target, Walmart)
• LaLaLoopsy dolls, $16.99 at Target, 2-pack for $29.99 at Toys R Us
• HexBug Hive, $19.99 at Toys R Us
• iPod Nano, $149 at Target with free $20 gift card
• iPod Touch, $195 with free $40 Target gift card or $50 Best Buy gift card
• Board Games, starting at $3.88 (Meijer, Target, Walmart)
• Video Games, starting at $7.99 (Best Buy, Meijer, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart)

Be sure to check Amazon.com right now for even better prices — they’re matching or beating Black Friday ads every day this week!

For more Black Friday tips, check out:

• Create Your Black Friday Action Plan
• Tech Tools for Black Friday Shopping
• Holiday Gift Planning Guide

And, if you still aren’t ready for Thanksgiving, I’ve got a few last minute tips to help with the big feast! Plus, find more ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner here on Inexpensively:

• Getting Ready for Thanksgiving Dinner
• Budgeting Your Thanksgiving Dinner
• Turkey Centerpieces
• Large Meal Planning

Our team works to save you money on everything else as well! At Inexpensively, we believe it is possible to live the life you want, for less. Check out a few of our favorite basic savings tips:

• Utility Savings at Home
• Menu Planning Basics
• The Art of Couponing

A version of this post originally appeared on November 22, 2010.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season. Sure it’s cold, it’s crowded and it all begins before dawn, but if you’re up to the task, you’ll enjoy deep discounts on your holiday shopping! The key to a successful Black Friday shopping experience is to start right now.

Create your gift list so you know what gifts you’d like to buy on sale. Study the store ads that are already leaking to websites dedicated to Black Friday to find your deals. In short, plan ahead and prepare yourself for a hectic (but fun!) day of holiday shopping.

Plan Ahead

Knowing what sales the stores are planning will help you determine if, and where, you’ll shop. There are literally dozens of sites dedicated to Black Friday deals. GottaDeal has typically been the first to publish a store’s list. BlackFridayAds.com has a great checklist feature so you can print a custom shopping list. If you prefer to see the actual store ads, BlackFriday.info has the ad scans laid out nicely.

You’ll also want to be sure the amazing deals you find are something you actually need to buy. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment—rushing crowds, bright signs, one-day only hype—and blow your budget in a single morning. Make a list of people and/or gifts you plan to buy before you start checking out the sales. Then, compare it to the sale fliers to find your best bargains.

Map Your Route

Even if you already know where the stores are located, take some time to look at a map. Decide where to shop first, based on the store’s opening time and proximity to your next stop. Some store deals begin at midnight, while others begin at 3am. Most stores, however, will open at 5 or 6am. The time will be announced in each store’s Black Friday ad. Most of the deal sites are including this information along with the sale items.

What to Bring

Friends Black Friday shopping is more fun with a friend (or two), but you’ll also have an advantage in scoring the limited deals—one person can grab the hot items in electronics, while another snags the toys. Shopping is a team sport!

Cell Phone Stay connected with your shopping team, and friends shopping in other areas, to be sure you never miss a deal. My brother will often search his location for items I may have missed in my own store (and vice versa). There are several smart phone apps &amp tech tools that can improve your shopping experience.

GPS Use your navigation system to find stores or alternate traffic routes. (If you don’t already have one, you can probably score a really great deal at your first stop!)

Cash Cash is not only easier on the budget, but credit cards have security protection that can affect your shopping day. I once had my credit card shutoff for “excessive use” when I hit 3 stores before 6am.

List & Pen Avoid impulse buys – bring a list (try our holiday shopping guide) and stick to it! Be sure to cross things off the list as you go to keep track of your purchases.

Ads & Coupons It may be helpful to have your store ads in hand, to verify pricing. If you belong to rewards programs or have valid store coupons, don’t forget to bring them with you for even greater savings.

Gloves, Hat, etc It is super cold at 3am – be sure you are dressed weather appropriate and prepared to stand outside until the line moves into the store. Lip balm, hot cocoa or coffee and hand warmers might come in handy as well.

Snacks Black Friday is a long day – be prepared with snacks to get you through a mid-morning slump. I’ll have granola bars & candy with me for a quick energy boost. There’s not stopping until my list is complete!

Black Friday is my favorite way to save on holiday gifts, and these tips will help you tackle it like a pro. Are you planning a Black Friday tip this year?

Originally published on 11/19/2010

Black Friday is only 4 weeks away (yes, I’m counting—this is my Superbowl, yo), and I could not be more excited! It’s important to be prepared so you don’t get caught up in the hype and spend more than you had intended.

It’s time to start checking my lists against the retail ads! Some stores will be releasing their ads in the next couple weeks, but I count on early release sites for the bulk of my planning. They get sneak peaks of Black Friday ads to help you prepare for the biggest shopping day of the year.

Here is list of Black Friday sites so you can find your go-to resource:

Each site has its own unique features and tools. I tend to use a variety to find what I need to be prepared, but you’ll probably land on a favorite if you just poke around a bit. Be sure to check back next month for more Black Friday tips — we’ll be sharing stories, tricks and advice for finding all the best deals if you head out on the biggest shopping day of the year.

Is anyone else as excited as I am?!

A version of this post originally appeared on November 16, 2009.

We’ve got 3 busy girls and only 24 hours in a day. That often isn’t enough time for cooking. Last night, we fixed sandwiches on the way out the door for volleyball game. Tonight, I managed to throw together breakfast for dinner quickly before I took the youngest to Girl Scouts.

A menu is a sanity saver for our busy family, but even the best laid plans fall apart when things get chaotic. Traffic is bad, a meeting runs over, a kid remembers she needs to be somewhere 30 minutes earlier than expected, and the next thing you know there isn’t time to actually cook the meal you had planned.

My solution has been to freeze a few meals to toss in the oven when the day gets away from me. And, by meals, I mostly mean lasagnas. The longest part of making lasagna is boiling down the and sauce. Which means it’s super easy to make 3-4 lasagnas in about the same amount of time as one.

So, I do. The spares go in the freezer and can easily be reheated without a lot of effort. I love having a delicious backup plan ready to go when life gets insane. That’s why I was excited to see Hunt´s cut tomatoes on the Kroger Cart Buster list — I can stockup for my next lasagna-rama!

There are plenty of other deals to keep us fed on busy nights, too. Ragu pasta sauce is the official spaghetti sauce of Mom’s Night Out (kids love pasta, I don’t!) and Wishbone dressing is my go-to favorite for quick, dinner salads. There are deals throughout the store on so many of my favorite brands.

Plus, you can download a digital coupon for a different product each day straight to your shopper card at the Cart Buster site for great deals on your favorite products at the Kroger Co. Family of Stores!

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.