The Good Life for Less: Giving Your Family Great Meals, Good Times, and a Happy Home on a Budget

by Amy Allen Clark, Jana Murphy

When Amy Clark and her husband found themselves in unexpected financial trouble right before the birth of their first child, they quickly learned the importance of smart budgeting and making a little money go a long way. In this book, Amy offers up a clever lifestyle plan that is long on creativity and short on cost to help you achieve a peaceful, thrifty home and a loving, happy family:
- Set a reasonable budget and stick to it
- Save half price or more on nearly everything
- Cook delicious, frugal meals for any size family, and save money by making your own easy salad dressing, barbecue sauce, and homemade mixes
- Manage an organized, clean house without spending valuable time and money
- Create traditions and family occasions kids will remember forever--without breaking the bank
You'll be inspired by a wealth of smart and creative ideas for families living on a budget and a guide for everyone who finds themselves challenged to juggle all the roles that come with parenting. Amy gives you the tools, the guidance, and the inspiration you need to run your own household with wisdom, wit, love, and style.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Parenting, Food, Lifestyle, Money, Self Help

227 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2012

About the author

Are you looking for your next book recommendation? The Book Gang podcast celebrates debuts, backlist, and under-the-radar book selections.

You can expand your book stack with these recommendations and look at the book industry behind the scenes with Amy Allen Clark (MomAdvice.com). She shares the microphone with her favorite writers and bookstagrammers to help you have your best reading year ever.

Amy Allen Clark has been the driving force behind MomAdvice.com since 2004.

In addition to running a successful community for women and running after her kids, she has served as spokesperson for Minute Maid, Walmart, Cascade, Glade, Cheer and is currently the home management "genius" for Kenmore.

Amy also has appeared in various media outlets such as The Early Show, Parents Magazine, Redbook, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, MSN Money, and the New York Times.

Amy's first book, "The Good Life for Less," is now available.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, I am biased on this review, but I am awfully proud of this book! Thank you all for your love and support over the years for our family!

[Laura DeLuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very first thing I liked about this book, was the look. Horribly, I do judge a book by it's cover, and this cover already had me sold and excited to read it. This book covers everything from budgets, to family time, crafts, meals, and holidays.

The budgeting and food budget areas weren't really applicable to my family, as I already do a budget and we eat differently, but the crafts, decorating and gifting ideas were very useful. I always struggle with finding new ways to celebrate the holidays in a fun manner. I'm used to big families and doing what I did growing up, but having moved, I have to create traditions just for my own two little girls and husband.

We're past Thanksgiving already, but I can't wait for next year to try out the Thanksgiving tree centerpiece. I'm also always changing up the decor in my home, so the interchangeable pictures on a focal frame is excellent for me! There are many more ideas I have bookmarked but I don't want to give away all of her secrets, you'll just have to read for yourself!

A great read, a lot of great ideas and it was very fun to read!

Reviewed by Jackie for New Age Mama Blog

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book, but alas, it didn't really come through. I did come away with a few good ideas but overall it was not very helpful. It turns out I am much more frugal than I thought, since I already do a majority of the things suggested in this book. If I were your average eat-out-all-the-time, sit-and-watch-cable, meat eating American this probably would have been great. But I am your less than average frugal, home cooked meals, no TV type of American. I definitely like the ideas behind the book and appreciate the few ideas I did come away with.

[Kristen Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting finances and household management under control takes time and effort. Amy's book gives readers simple and practical advice for how to make a happy, organized, debt free home. Her tips for frugal living with a focus on building family traditions are something every family can gleam insight from.
I will keep Amy's book handy and will refer to it often!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of practical tips and recipes that I'm sure I will refer to many times in the future. My favorite takeaways were all the ideas of ways to make holidays special without breaking the bank. Highly recommend this book for all moms!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tips and recipes especially for families with younger children. Not as relevant to those with teens and preteens. But would highly recommend for those with younger kids or someone looking for some household basics.

I loved the recipe section and used the homemade bbq sauce right away to rave reviews. I will definitely try more of her make yourself seasonings and sauces. I also look forward to trying some of the homemade cleaning solutions.

I hope Amy continues to share her homemaking tips as her practicality and true love for her home and family is inspiring.

[Carolyn Di Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a few good ideas in it, but quite honestly the main theme is pretty common sense stuff; don't eat out, make budgets. As a person who tries to lives within my means, I think the author could have included a few recipes for homemade stocks, and basic rib sticking food or more ideas for leftovers. I, personally, consider myself the Queen of leftovers! Times are tough, I think that no frugal living book is complete without a few such recipes. I really did like the slick appearance of the book. This was not a book you felt ashamed to be carrying through the library.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really wishing this book had been around when I was a new wife, when I didn't have a CLUE how to keep house, cook, or manage our finances! I love that Amy makes living on a budget sound glamorous! And who says it isn't? ;) I especially loved the chapter on holidays. It really motivated me to start some new family traditions. I think this book would make a great gift to any young woman, newlywed, college student, etc!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read that touches lightly on many areas of household budgeting but wasn't as in-depth as I would have liked. This could be a good introduction for someone who is brand new to managing a household and needs starting ideas to save money, but for many moms a lot of this info is nothing new. For me, the recipes are the most useful part of the book, both for the food and homemade cleaners. Some cute birthday party ideas too but I would have liked more. Three and a half stars.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely readable, full of practical tips for all moms, this book is both instructive and full of charm. And did I mention the recipes sound superb?!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and informative read that is equal parts cookbook, lifestyle manual, and financial advice/hacks-- I took down a lot of notes in the household cleaner section, which is basically an ode to the power of vinegar.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really thought that this book was great! It is filled with realistic ideas about how to enjoy life on a budget. But regardless of your means, Amy's ideas emphasize that time spent simplifying and organizing your home, your life and your budget brings a quality and enjoyment of family time that is often lost while we are busy racing the rats. The traditions that she has made for her family, once a necessity (i.e. Friday pizza nights, board game nights) are ones that anyone can implement on any budget, and most importantly, will provide lovely memories for the family for years to come. I also love her recipes--her waffle recipes are the only ones that we make at home. If you love the ones in the book, take a look at her blog--she has so many more!

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing huge and new on the frugality front, but a good over view of the basics, along with some fun family and party ideas, and 74 pages of recipes.

First chapter or so, I was thinking this book would be great for families who've never really budgeted, but that it'd end up all review for me. I don't mind review, especially since our culture argues so hard against the frugal approach, so that was fine for a library book.

In the end, there were some ideas that were new to me or that I'd forgotten, mostly ideas for family celebrations rather than living cheap, and a reminder that I was going to get serious about getting rid of the land line and hadn't yet. But if you've read much on the frugality front, more inspiration than information here.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Amy's blog for years and love her style. I enjoyed reading this book and reading about how it came to be on the blog. The book flowed well and was packed full of good tips (things I wish I would have known 7 years ago before becoming a Mom and wife). Many of the things mentioned in the book I knew, but I enjoyed the recipe and cleaning sections. It would have been nice to have the option to tear the recipes out of the book and I would have liked pictures. Check out Amy's blog at www.momadvice.com/blog and I'm sure that You'll love it!

I'm hoping that there will be a follow up.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book by a great local "mom blogger!" How fun to pick up a book at the library with some familiar faces on the cover :)
Loved the recipes and the great ideas for creating frugal yet memorable times with your kids and family. There are useful tips for streamlining your household chores, cooking, etc so that you can have time to enjoy doing things that you love. I liked the general theme of being thankful for what you have.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would have had this book years ago! Although, I still got a lot of great ideas and recipes I think new mothers would gain a lot from this book! I will be giving it as gifts to my friends and family members! This book is easy reading and reads in a way that you feel your best friend is talking to you.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. The copy I read is from the library, but I think I may have to buy myself a copy. She has a lot of good tips and ideas in there, some I wish I had known when my kids were small. Everything makes sense and makes me want to be more frugal with things that I buy. There are also a lot of recipes using basic things that sound very good. I will definitely be trying some out.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be an excellent book for a newlywed to read. It has tons of advice for how to live frugally, yet well. She has great recipes for making mixes from scratch instead of relying on convenience foods. It was well-written and concise.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick to read and stuffed full of valuable information for families who are seeking to live a healthier lifestyle. Clark shares recipes, helpful suggestions and testimonies to give you a good start in living more frugally, more organically, and more healthely. I learned a great deal.

[Bernice Deng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful, very honest lots of great ideas... even though alot of info does not apply to me as i have no children and live in China i still found useful tips and ideas to save money and create meaningful memories on a budget!

[Melanie Mauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

so often this genre can be filled with ideas that don't really inspire me but this book was truly helpful - and i appreciated that it was filled with recipes as well.

there were tiny tweaks that i was happy to learn and it spurred some brainstorming on implementation.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for books on ways to do things better, whether it is organizing or saving money. This one had some nice recipes (although it was interesting to note that some of them called for store-bought mixes rather than home-made ones) and some good ideas to help you live within your means.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good book to help live a frugal life. I enjoyed the recipes as well.

[Renee Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas and tips. Practical and inexpensive. I can't wait to try some of the recipes and other tips.

[Meagan Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of great tips for simple, frugal living. Packed full of tips, recipes and cleaning solutions, it is full of useful information that I will definitely be putting to good use.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great tips and recipes! She's really helped me to finally conquer meal planning!

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I have been following Amy's website for a couple years now. So happy she wrote a book full of tips, ideas, and recipes. As a mom and wife this book will be a great resource.

[Audrey Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially loved the collection of fun and frugal recipes. I've tried 3 or 4 and they've been a hit!

[Denise Cochran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I have read a lot of 'frugal home' books but this one offered some 'new' ideas and approaches. I loved the book as much as her blog. Hope she keeps them coming.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great money saving advice and some basic recipes for make your own mixes and other simple recipes.