Easy Money

by Gail Vaz-Oxlade

Wish you could find a money book that doesn't make your eyes glaze over? Easy Money is for you. Gail knows you work hard for your money, so in her usual honest and practical style she will show you how to make your money work for you. Budgeting, saving, and getting your debt paid off have never been so easy to understand or to do. Follow Gail's plan and take control of your money. This book is a quick and easy read for people on the go.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Self Help, Canada

96 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

"Hello! I'm Gail Vaz-Oxlade. I'm a mother, step-mother, grand-mama, friend, confessor, writer, TV host, money maven, teacher, artist, and ex-wife. I'm loud, large and laugh a lot. I'm passionate about learning, committed to sharing and hell-bent on getting people to take control of their money and their lives.

I've written 13 books on personal finance, hundreds of articles for the financial media, published a financial magazine for women, hosted three prime-time television shows and worked with Canada’s leading financial services companies to help educate employees and clients. (I've been busy, eh?)

My corporate projects have ranged from the design of a product knowledge and sales curriculum to cover every product sold through the branch network, to the writing of several consumer-oriented brochures, the development of web content, the on-camera hosting of consumer-oriented videos, and myriad public presentations. I can make the most complex financial topic accessible to everyone, even kids.

For those of you who have detected an accent, go ahead and guess! I immigrated to Canada in 1977, lived in The Big City for a long time and then moved to the country. I have dozens of houseplants, read or listen to about 150 books a year and I'm a fabulous cook. I’m learning to knit and dying to get a new puppy… but the time’s not quite right yet so I’m practicing what I preach and being patient.

I’m all about change, and I believe that we can have anything we want in life…anything. It’s all a matter of what’s important to us and how hard we’re prepared to bust our butts. I also believe that a well-balanced life is one of the keys to happiness, and so I strive to achieve a sense of balance.

I’m happy with my life. I am determined to do interesting work and to be useful. I love to learn new things. And I’m practicing living in The Now. I am a work in progress."

Reviews

[Amanda]

Not the most interesting book for those who have read many before (including her other ones), but for the target audience (people who are either ESL or have never read a PG book), it's a nice start. I would encourage chasing it with Debt-Free Forever.

[Née]

A very short, but very useful book about how to budget and how to manage your money. Many of these lessons I had already learned (some the hard way), but i love Vaz-Oxlade's approach to money. Very simple, and very seamless. If everyone thought about money the way she did...we'd all be a lot better off. Encouraged me to pick up her retirement savings book which I am now reading.

[Ashley]

I like Gail's straight-forward, no-nonsense approach to money. It's a really great starter read for anyone looking to work on improving their financial situation at home. Reader be warned: she may call you a dope once or twice. :)

[Sammiejo]

Absolutely loved it! Fan of hers, so probably biased. Believe what she says worked because I was Debt-Free years ago because of her Magic Jars. Honestly recommend adding to your reading list. Quick and easy to read. Direct and to the point. Will help you get out of debt. Encourages you to educate yourself and learn more!

[Sabrina]

I watched her in TV in Canada and I miss her show. This was a quick read that went through the basics of budget, money info/loans/cards, and even a handy appendix with a list if categories that people have put in their budget.

[Josie]

I borrowed this from my local library, but I will be acquiring it for my own collection 😉

Yet another wonderful book by Ms. Vaz-Oxlade!! 😊 Love her books!!

[Bina Artiste]

A basic version of debt-free forever, but made me think about things I already do

[Amanda Morrison]

A good place to start if you are at the beginning of your financial journey.

[Ruth]

I used to love watching the show Til Debt Do Us Part and enjoyed reading Gail Vaz-Oxlade's book Easy Money, which offers a quick and easy guide to managing your money. By no means exhaustive, the book is more of a crash course to help people understand the basics of budgeting and saving without getting overwhelmed.

[Erin]

This was the absolute perfect beginners guide about money/budgeting. If you’re a dummie like me with personal finance, this will definitely get you started off on the right foot. I will for sure be referencing this book in the near future.

[Kristal]

I read this in one sitting. Now that I'm married and no longer living with my parents I really want to get a handle on budgeting. This book was straight common sense, most of what I already knew but a great reminder and encouragement. One of the most helpful tips was the 5 reasons why budgets don't work: when I first made a budget a couple of months ago (actually, it was pretty much a list of regular expenses) I didn't include things that don't come up every month like dental, contact lenses, prescriptions, and getting my hair done. Yet, those cost hundreds of dollars and need to be included. Either way, I feel like I'm much better equipped and ready to seriously do some budgeting :).

[A]

I thought this was a good book overall, especially for Canadians. I like her clear and concise writing style. This is a starter book that teaches you how to create a budget and strategies to stick to that budget. One of the more surprising things Gail says (that I haven't seen other personal finance writers mention) is "if you have budgeted and still don't have enough for you basic needs - make more money" (paraphrased). According to her, even if you can figure out how to make $100-200 more per month on the side, you'll be better off if you can't make your budget balance on your current salary. I thought that was kind of bold (and perhaps necessary) to say.

[Rachel Nazareth]

A great book for those getting introduced to budgeting and the pros and cons of credit cards.

If I'd read this book 8 years ago I would have saved myself thousands of dollars and a lot of stress over finances.

Such is life, sometimes we learn the hard way.

I suggest any person in their late teens to early 20's to read this book. Its a straightforward read (I read it first in 1 hour while my little baby was sleeping) and now I'm re-reading it to makes changes to my own budget. Now I'm moving on to Gail's more indepth book.

[Marissa]

If you've never done budgeting or if you're in debt, this is a great starter book. It's extremely basic and an easy read. If what you're looking for is in depth information about investing or saving, this book is far too simplistic for those needs. I'd give this book to a graduating student that may have little to no experience with financial management.

[Dee]

This book was incredibly easy to understand with great advice to start turning your finances around immediately. It gives you a lot to think about, a lot to work with, and some insight into other ideas you may want to incorporate once you've got the basics down and your finances in control.

[Terri]

VERY quick read but super educational. She gets straight to the point and gives you frank, honest and easy to understand advice on how to manage your personal finances. I love her tell it like it is style and the easy to understand terminology. Now all I need to do is start taking her advice lol!

[pianogal]

This is an excellent place - to start. Good, quick overview that will help point you in the direction you need/ want to go. Not comprehensive, but still helpful. Give yourself an hour to peruse this one.

[Melanie]

Longer version is better.

[Kim]

This was a fast book to read that nicely reinforced the basics of money management.

[Laura]

This book was a great overview on money management, but it did not really supply me with anything I hadn't heard of before.

[Amy]

Short and sweet. If you've read her other books (like I have), you won't learn anything new. If you're a budget beginner, I'd highly recommend this as a primer.

[lindaleegrange]

Lindaleegrange@gmail.com

Its a good book I've learned a lot from reading this book.I will be able to save more money.and balance my budget.

[beentsy]

Good, basic starter book for getting your financial poop in a group.

[Janelle]

Gail is my hero!

[Victoria Lee]

A very easy read, even if you hate reading, about money management. It has Gail's no-nonsense approach to handling money.

[Andrew]

Mostly how to handle your personal financial situation and how to avoid bad debt but living within your means.
Good Book !!

[Trish]

Gail made everything clear and simple.

[Shannon]

No fluff. Clear talk about money.

[Mary Ann]

Easy to read. Good for those starting out on how to budget.

[Abdalazeem]

Great book taught how I should deal with my money and start saving , and it conveyed to me the reality about how life actually is and how we should push our selves to get a better life.