Every once in a while I get an e-mail from someone asking me to check out their latest book.
And it’s been so crazy-busy lately, that I haven’t always had the time to take a look at them.
But Dina Bachman shot me an e-mail and wanted to know what I thought of her new book, Brokenomics: 50 Ways To Live The Dream On A Dime, and this one, I had to pick up and read.
I love reading about finance-related stuff because even though I’m only 25, I care a lot about my finances.
Like, I don’t have enough money to go the clubs and make it rain, but I think I’m doing alright for someone my age, and I very much intend on keeping it that way.
Since the very first day that I played with my Barbie Shop With Me Cash Register, I knew money was important.
I knew that I needed to have money if I wanted to have things, so my basic understanding was that I needed to go out there and get the money!! Right?? Shouldn’t be that hard.
Uhhh, yea… not so much.
My poor little 9 year old self was so mistaken.
It’s freaking hard work making money! And what’s even harder?? Having some of it left over after paying all your bills!!
That’s the life we live, especially in our twenties.
We’re creating spending habits…
Hopefully creating savings habits…
And we’re figuring out how we can save a few bucks here and there.
So I picked up Brokenomics, and I LOVED IT SO MUCH!
First of all, it’s hilarious.
You know I’m all about non-textbook like books and blogs, so I was extremely happy with Dina’s writing style.
I legit was laughing out loud reading some of this stuff.
But I mean, with chapters like, “You May Be Desperate For Work, But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Join a Cult,” “Share With Your Friends, Especially The Ones With Better Clothes,” and “Always Tip, Or You’re Going To Hell,” how could you not find it entertaining?
And she knows her stuff!
As she says, “I have fixed my car with Velcro and hemmed my pants with a stapler. I’ve faced my student loans head-on, even though there’ve been many moments when I considered changing my identity and moving into a nondescript hut on the outskirts of Guadalajara to escape the clutches of that demon succubus Sallie Mae. I’ve also learned that screaming at the Sallie Mae customer service petiole will not make your loans go away. Please see chapter 40 for more juicy details on that one.”
Here are 5 of my favorite take-aways from the book, along with Dina’s quotes that I just NEEDED to share with you!
More money isn’t always as awesome as it sounds:
“We all love Lady Gaga, but the woman got rich and then bought a ghost-detecting machine. At least, that’s what the tabloids said. Whether she did or not, it’s important to realize that it is OK that you’re not a multimillionaire because, like the late, great Biggie Smalls warned us: more money sometimes means more problems. Mental problems.”
We really need to stop comparing ourselves to other people or we’re going to starve and die because we buy stuff we don’t need:
“Who doesn’t want beautiful clothes, a great home, and fabulous bath products from France? Sign me up. The problem is that this phenomenon known as keeping up with the Joneses is no longer just about envying your neighbor’s awesome butter churn or badass weathervane. Thanks to tabloid news, the Internet, and social media, we can peer into the fifteen-bedroom homes of celebs or see a $16,000 bar tab on Rich Kids of Instagram.”
Before you have a child, you should consider buying yourself a nice potted plant:
“An August 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that, for a middle-income family, a child adds between $12,800 and $14,970 in yearly expenses. Let’s contrast that with the cost of a nice little potted plant, which will set you back about fifteen bucks, give or take a few dollars. Plants bring you joy, life (oxygen and whatnot), and lots of laughs. Ok, maybe they won’t bring you lots of laughs unless you’re living a vivid, peyote-laced life, but they’re nice enough. They don’t talk back, they don’t tell you they hate you six times a day from the ages of twelve to fourteen, and they don’t require college tuition.”
Don’t get sucked into buying expensive beauty products when there’s a perfectly good less-pricey alternative to wrinkle-free skin:
“The fact that beauty is big business isn’t exactly breaking news, and we all buy into the promise of clear, wrinkle-free skin with diminished pores to one degree or another. If I weren’t careful, beauty products would be my downfall, financially speaking. Give me vanilla-fig lotion and a candle that smells like rhubarb, rain, and Moroccan amber, and I’m in heaven. I’d be bankrupted by things like brown-sugar-and-black-orchid-scented bath salts or whipped-coconut-and-almond body oil if I wasn’t careful. I con’t care about fancy cars or a house with fifteen bathrooms, but I do care about agave-plum lip masks and face mists made of cucumber essence and snow algae. Maybe that’s why I Love free samples so much.”
Avoid impulse-shopping like the plague:
“If you’re able to waltz into Neiman Marcus (or Barneys or Saks or Bergdorf’s), snap your fingers, and have your personal shopper, Fredo, suddenly appear with a rack of couture gowns, then good for you and please enjoy it. If not, and if charging a bunch of stuff at Neiman’s is financially irresponsible, you need to think of the marshmallow test, and you need to exercise some willpower. Step away from the soft leather boxy jacket and the La Perla Maharani Lace Embellished Bodysuit for $904. Give it a day or two. Maybe in the morning you won’t even remember lusting after those things.”
So yea, it’s a super-awesome book that I highly recommend. Haven’t read something this entertaining AND educational in a long time. Head on over to Amazon to get yourself a copy!
Books to help you deal with your twenties:
- 101 Secrets For Your Twenties
- Life After College
- The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter & How To Make The Most of Them
- Adulting: How To Become A Grown Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
- All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and A Freaking Job!
Books on blogging to help you take your blog to the next level:
- Building A Framework
- Blog, Inc.
- Creative, Inc.
- How To Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul
- 365 Blog Topic Ideas: For The Lifestyle Blogger Who Has Nothing To Write About
- #GirlBoss
- Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job, Kill It In Your Career, Rock Social Media
- Crush It
- Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
- Thrive
Other stuff you might like:
- Generation Y Redefines Success
- How To Be Rich in Your Twenties
- The 5 Most Valuable Lessons Grad School Taught Me
- Pursue a Lifestyle, Not a Job
- Why It’s Okay to Be Excited About the Awesome Stuff You’re Doing
- Why We Need to Get Over Our Fear of Rejection
- Don’t Wait, Be Happy Now
- The 5 Best Investments You Can Make in College
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Okay, that looks AWESOME. I seriously need this book. While I’ve mostly got it together financially, I do struggle with impulse buys a little bit too much (thank you, Target). This sounds like a good reminder, and like it has some great advice in it for those of us who are living a little more… well… broke.
Oh my,I loved this post. So much of time we get caught up with what others have and loose sight of the awesome priceless things that we have going on.
This sounds like a great book. As a woman in my 30’s I’ve probably learned most of these lessons the hard way. About kids though – oh my goodness, kids are expensive. Childcare is so expensive it’s almost questionable about having a 2 income household. But they’re still great. Just plan ahead.
This is awesome! I just love your writing style. And I’m always interested in learning new money tips and tricks. I follow Financial Peace and have since early college, which made a tremendous difference in my life. Have you heard of it? If you can, I would suggest getting the audio–it makes it so fun and it’s funny as well as touching. I’m 24, my husband and I are debt free (except for our house) and we’re able to save and enjoy the things we love like a trip to Europe every few years! Also, the YNAB app is a lifesaver!
Oh, I do like when people can bring some humor into rather dry, serious topics (and I say that as a bookkeeper–we’re not exactly known for mirth on the job!). Since you enjoyed this, you might want to look into Poorcraft by Spike Trotman–a comic book-style manual on living smart and frugal on not very much.
Thank you so much for sharing this book. I’m always looking for new ways to save money. These are some good tips I”m going to try as soon as possible.
The suggestion about the potted plant over a child cracks me up! I love humor with topics like this – otherwise sometimes they are a bit too hard to read.
I especially agree with #2. I’m really trying to keep things simple and get rid of material possessions that are not essential – and not adding in more things!
These are really great tips!!! Thank you!
xo Adriana – Daily Dose of Design
A hilarious economics book? I’ll have to try it! Also, I can’t even keep a potted plant alive, so….
Hahaha! I’m right there in that same boat with ya! xoxox, Kayla
This book sounds awesome, and right up my alley. I’m working with a super tight budget so any book that can make me laugh and teach me something has my attention.
Sounds like something I’d enjoy! We decided not to have kids and apparently saved at least $12 a year there! Yay! Maybe that’s one reason we’re off to Hawaii next month 😉 And have no debt.
Love the lists too, thanks for the resources!
Great tips! Guess I should have listened more on the potted plant one though…I had a child and I killed all of the potted plants I have, forgot to water them.
One thing that would help is putting 20% of your paycheck away in savings too. I wrote a post on saving money too.
liz jo @ sundays with sophie.
This sounds amazing! Sounds like what I need in my life right now!
this is a great list of tips. This is one area I am constantly striving to achieve a better balance – it’s just so hard!
I love to read but I would honestly have never picked up a book about money until now. This sounds so funny and chalk full of great advice.
Sounds like something I would need to keep my spending on track I have a problem with that!
This looks like a great book! I’ve been around the money block a few times now being 35 and have learned many of these lessons the hard way, but if you are smart now, it will make a huge difference later!
I’ll have to check this out. As a budget travel blogger, I am always looking for ways to pinch every penny to save for that next trip! http://www.economicalexcursionists.com/save-for-a-vacation/
You totally sold me on this book! Everything is better with humor, especially serious topics that tell me I shouldn’t answer Target’s mating call. 🙂
Oh gosh, now i have to read this book! (And i already have about one hundred books on my desk and bed side table and under the bed and everywhere). It’s a great view!
I meant review!
I’ll admit, I’m 23 and still learning all of this haha luckily I have my husband who keeps me in line most of the time. He handles the finances.
This looks like a great read! I’m adding it to my list to read.