Winner and runner-ups announced below!
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writter Yazmin Cruz.
I asked you to share how the recession has affected your financial situation for a chance to win Lorilee Craker’s “Money Secrets of the Amish” and my review post was flooded with comments. Many of you said you’ve cut down on frivolous things and are trying to save money on groceries. In need of coupons? Check out our Coupon Database to find all grocery and drugstore coupons available.
The first runner-up is Andrea Stempel who said her husband’s salary has been cut and they have been struggling to make ends meet for their family of six. The second runner-up is Christine Judd who recently graduated from college and is having a difficult time finding a job.
It was difficult picking the winner as there were many compelling stories, but I finally declared
Comment today for a chance to win this book!
Today is your last chance to win our review copy of “Money Secrets of the Amish,” by Lorilee Craker. So far 41 readers have entered. The title tickled our curiosity about the Amish way of life. How frugal are they?
Craker wanted to learn more about the Amish after hearing they were thriving during the recession on NPR. Being a Mennonite and a journalist, she wanted to know more as her own financial situation tightened. Craker writes:
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I was really excited to receive “Money Secrets of the Amish,” by Lorilee Craker, who is the author of eleven books including New York Times bestseller “Through the Storm” with Lynne Spears (Britney Spears’ mother). Win my copy below.
The title tickled my curiosity about the Amish way of life. How frugal are they?
Like me, Craker wanted to learn more about the Amish after hearing they were thriving during the recession on NPR. Being a Mennonite and a journalist, she wanted to know more as her own financial situation tightened. Craker writes:
Winner and runner-ups announced below!
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The winner of “The Problem with Money? It’s Not About the Money!” by Jane Honeck is reader Kellee. She admits her rocky relationship with money comes from not being taught to manage money at an early age. She wrote:
I was never taught to prepare for the future. My mom lived from check to check, so do I. I need to get something started because I am already 10k in the hole from previous unemployment.
Kelle, I hope (more…)
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I asked you to share what wealth meant to you for a chance to win “The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in its Place” by New York Times best selling author and CSI: NY actor Hill Harper and the vast majority of readers agreed that wealth is not about living an opulent life. It’s about the richness you find in your faith, family and friends.
With this in mind, Harper wrote his non-traditional finance book that teaches readers how to take control of their money. After reading all your comments, I declared reader
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
New York Times best selling author and CSI: NY actor Hill Harper shares personal anecdotes in his latest book on the real meaning of being wealthy. “The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in its Place,” is not a traditional financial literacy book, but it will help you control your finances.
Harper guides his readers to reevaluate their take on money. Coming from a family full of doctors and having been diagnosed with cancer, Harper writes about money as if it were someone’s health in need of treatment plan:
Our society is addicted to debt, and, exacerbating that problem, we live in a culture that associates material objects — “bling” — with success. Those two factors have led us to overvalue money. So much so that in many ways we “chase paper” just as intently as
Comment to win this book!
Discovering secret credit cards, unpaid bills, and debt is a blow many couples cannot survive. In fact, money is the number one cause of breakups, says the married authors of “First Comes Love, Then Comes Money: A Couple’s Guide to Financial Communication.” Comment below to win my review copy.
Unlike most personal finance books, this one is not going to teach you to balance your budget or live debt free:
Why? Because without healthy financial communication, without a commitment to putting an end to financial infidelity, none of that stuff works. After more than thirty-five years of combined experience as financial advisers, we’ve learned that if you don’t know how to talk about money with your partner, if you don’t know how to keep financial infidelity from destroying your relationship, budgets and plans and payments won’t mean squat.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
From the 60 comments left on my book review of Clark Howard’s “Living Large in Lean Times,” it seems many of you know a lot about living large on budget. That’s great! The person I picked as the winner is enthusiastic and eager to learn more.
Without further ado, the winner of the book is
Comment on the post in this link for a chance to win Yazmin’s review copy of “Living Large in Lean Times,” by radio show host Clark Howard. Just share how you are living large during lean times by Friday, Aug. 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. PST.
So far there are only 30 entries so the odds are good! Winner announced Monday.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
In “Living Large in Lean Times,” author, radio host, and penny pincher Clark Howard says he is frequently asked when the economy is going to come back. To win this book, see below. Clark’s response shocks a lot of people: five to ten years. So what’s a person to do in the meantime?
Learn to live large in lean times, says Howard. He writes:
I can’t predict when the nation will get healthy. But I can help you empower yourself so that you have your personal financial house in order. That way you can survive and ultimately prosper regardless of the country’s progress. You do it one step at a time, fixing your finances and then building the path to independence and ultimately, dare I say, wealth.
The 251-page book, on sale for the first time today, is divided into
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Reader Patricia is the winner of my review copy of The Real Cost of Living by Carmen Wong Ulrich. Patricia said she has a handle on her finances, but her adult children are not there quite yet. She wrote:
At 60, I’ve pretty much figured this stuff out. What kills me, though, is seeing my 4 adult kids (aged 30-40) frittering away money on Starbucks, eating out, etc. If I mention stuff like that to them, it goes in one ear and out the other. But, if I could say, “Hey, I won this book and I’m passing it on to you”. . . . .
Patricia, I am (more…)
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The impact our behavior and motivations have on our financial decisions is the focus of The Real Cost of Living by Carmen Wong Ulrich. Ulrich, who has a degree in psychology and was the former host of CNBC’s On the Money, says she sees money differently because she was not trained in the profession:
Economics has finally recognized that we are not rational creatures; we’re not all about the accounting. Behavioral economics, the study of the neuropsychology behind how we behave with our money, has won Nobel Prizes. But it’s also about time – especially for those of us in personal finance – to realize that there is a lot more going on than money when it comes to making decisions about our money and our lives.
What spoke to me the most was the chapter on the real cost of bad habits. (more…)
Full disclosure: I have never met author Natalie McNeal but I consider her a frugal blog friend.
When I received Natalie McNeal’s The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life
Lucky me, because there are so many funny and true moments in this book that I can share them and you’ll know how much this book deserves your $8.56 (on Amazon.com, anyway). Incidentally, I read the entire 179-page book on a flight from Providence, RI to Phoenix with time to spare. The Frugalista Files is fun.
On changing her life: “Being a spending slut is ruining my life. (more…)
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Reader Jane is the winner of my review copy of How to Shop for Free: Shopping Secrets for Smart Women Who Love to Get Something for Nothing. Jane said she would like to add this to her budget and savings library. She wrote:
This book looks like it contains a wealth of couponing and savings info. I would love to have it in my budget and savings library. I also think it would make a great gift for my college sophomore daughter!
Jane, I hope you enjoy reading the book. But most importantly, please pass this on to your daughter so she can also benefit from the tips. I know money can be tight when you are a college student, but college is a great time to learn to manage your income.
The first runner up is Jennifer Nicholas, who wants to use the book’s tips to score more items for the care packages she sends to deployed soldiers. The second runner up is Tiffani W., who is a Kathy Spencer fan and has become a coupon hound.
If you missed my review, author Kathy Spencer shows you how to get the best deals at popular stores like Rite Aid, CVS and Target. In her 237-page book she also shows you how to lower your cable bill, eat healthy on a budget and get discounts at the mall.
If you didnt win my review copy and would like to read the book, you can order it from Amazon for $10.58.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Reader Nanette is the winner of my review copy of Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In. Nanette made it her goal to declutter her home this year. She writes:
This might really help me. I had as a goal for 2010 to clean and declutter my home. It has been a (almost) yearlong project and I will need to continue into 2011. Not what I had envisioned!! I have made some progress but not enough. I seem to try to get everything done on week-ends and still have fun. Doesnt quite work out that way. I need a fresh idea! (more…)
