Ebook Review- Living Frugally Without Sacrificing Your Style
My lovely friend Vanessa of NessBow.com just released her latest ebook and she sent me a copy to review! I was really excited because it’s topic is “Living Frugally Without Sacrificing Your Style”. Why yes, that is completely up my alley.
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From her Etsy listing:
Of course Vanessa knows I don’t play favorites in my reviews so here are my honest thoughts on it step by step. Value:The book is $5 and 42 pages long. Considering that’s all text and no images I think that’s fantastic value. The fact that it was completely text was both good and bad because it was *a lot* of information but I also felt that being a visual learner I may have absorbed more of it had there been some break with images. Every single page is filled with tips and tricks for budgeting and making the most of your money for your lifestyle. I’ve read way too many books on this topic and to be honest they do all tend to blur together because they use the same general ideas, this book actually had some I hadn’t heard (like keeping muesli bars in your handbag to avoid impulse expensive snacking) so I was quite surprised and will be incorporating them into my lifestyle. Style of writing:Vanessa writes with the voice of someone who has experience in the topic of being on a strict budget. I know that voice well because I’ve been in the same boat as her since moving out of home at 17. She writes very positively and gives real ideas that are actually realistic for young people who are for whatever reason strapped for cash. The book tries to lift the negative image of being “frugal” which I think is really positive. I know I’ve been teased for not having money to splash around so it was very easy to relate to. She includes anecdotes from her time growing up as a student too which were really cute. Topics covered:All of the basic money topics were covered (budgeting, cutting down expenses, shopping tips etc) but there were also chapters dealing with lifestyle issues such as fitness, treating yourself and saving up. I liked that approach because it while style was a big focus I felt like it didn’t leave behind other aspects of life. It was a good round list of topics. I liked that she suggested cost effective ways to pamper yourself rather than just cutting out luxuries. Obviously being a book about living stylishly on a budget there were lots of suggestions for that including shopping advice and ways to save up for dream items. There is definitely a big emphasis on financial responsibility with advice on saving money for a rainy day as well as being able to save and shop for the present. Honestly it always astounds me how little many people of my generation save money even when they are on good incomes. I’ve always been the kind of girl who would put away money just in case and that’s saved me many times! Giving gifts was another topic that I thought she covered very well, I know I’ve been in the situation when there are several birthdays around the same time and I panic trying to find things within my budget and this is a topic often forgotten in these kind of guides. Overall:While some of the topics covered are basic tips the book goes into detail for many other topics and as someone who has been living on a small income for many years I still found things new to me. I think it’s good value for $5 as I could see the tips inside it saving far more in the long run if you’re unfamiliar with budgeting or living on small means. Definitely worth checking out if you’re on a small budget and looking for ideas on how to stay stylish. I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to Vanessa’s next book.
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