This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Reader Lauren Y. wins the review copy of The Cheap Diva’s Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living for her comment that reveals she’s lived paycheck to paycheck but hadn’t learned her lesson until she got laid off for the second time:

For most of my working life I’ve lived pretty much (or barely) paycheck to paycheck. I’ve been a waitress, office assistant, temp and receptionist.

Despite all those short-lived, low-paying jobs, I didn’t really learn my lesson in frugality until I was laid off for the second time. As I said before, I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck (or was “underfinanced”, as I like to say when I’m feeling fancy) but I’d never been broke. After that second layoff, I was BROKE. I had to figure out how to pay for rent, utilities, food, gas and medicine. Since I was laid off from another low-paying job, my unemployment check wasn’t going to cut it. I took as many temp jobs as I could to cover rent and utilities. To save gas, I combined errands and limited my driving to necessary errands and work. I found a state-funded pharmacy to help pay for my medicine. Finally, I started using coupons (which i got from my mom’s newspaper), only shopped at stores that doubled coupons and learned how to stretch meals.

Fortunately, I eventually got a decent paying job but that unemployment-broke spell put the Fear of Brokedom in me. The first thing I did after getting the job was pay off all my consumer debt. It took a lot of major changes but I managed to do it in a little over a year. Now I’m trying to learn how to go from survivor mode to healthy savings mode. To me, “healthy savings mode” is where I can be frugal while still enjoying life. I’m not there yet but I’m working my way towards it.

Lauren, I hope this book continues to help you learn to live a frugal life but also helps you enjoy every minute of it.  If you missed the book review, author Stephanie Ann writes about her tips and tricks to getting good deals and shows you how to make some cash by selling your clutter or by creating your own job.

In the book, Ann shares her story and shares she was living paycheck to paycheck after a series of low paying jobs and long periods of unemployment. It can be difficult to get laid off especially when you have credit card debt from trying to make ends meet but it is important to take care of yourself to look fabulous and once again conquer the world.

If you didn’t win my review copy you can purchase it on Amazon for $13.45.

Tagged: Book reviews, books, Contests, free book, Frugal Living, money saving tips on Friday, July 9, 2010 · 3 Comments »