Money for Life: Budgeting Success and Financial Fitness in Just 12 Weeks

by Steven B. Smith

Ryan cringed and turned to Christine. ""What happened to our peaceful lifestyle? Financial things were so simple and easy in the past."" "I don't know, Ryan, but we can't continue to live like this much longer."" The memory of her credit card rejection at the checkout line was still fresh. ""All I know is, our relationship has changed, and I don't like where it's going."" Understanding the perilous direction they were headed by spending more money than they made, Ryan and Christine Richardson decided to change their financial course. Join them as they implement a 12 week back to the basics budgetingapproach based on the timeless ""envelopes"" method of budgeting. After reading Money for Life , you will be equipped and empowered * Stop spending more than you make. * Plan for unexpected expenses, including emergencies. * Set money aside in advance of spending requirements. * Implement a household budgeting system that makes communicating easy and fun. * Put in place a plan for debt elimination. * Use credit cards without increasing debt. * Successfully manage your money in today's ""cashless"" electronic society. The starter CD for Mvelopes™ Personal , an online budgeting system, is included with the book.

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Steven B. Smith is the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science and Master of Branford College at Yale. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1981. At Yale he has served as the Director of Graduate Studies in Political Science, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Humanities, and Acting Chair of Judaic Studies. His research has been focused on the history of political philosophy and the role of statecraft in constitutional government. His recent publications include Spinoza, Liberalism, and Jewish Identity, Spinoza's Book of Life, and Reading Leo Strauss.

Reviews

[xnera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money for Life tells the story of several fictional families as they learn how to use traditional envelope budgeting to manage their spending and finances. At times it can be a little heavy on advertisements for [http://www.mvelopes.com], but the advice is solid, and I learned a LOT from this book.

I've been following its principles for nearly three months now (and yes, I use Mvelopes and love it; that didn't stop me from being annoyed at the advertisements in the book). It's made a drastic change in my finances. I know now exactly how much money I really have, and I'm managing it much better.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

He has some really good ideas for budgeting your money - uses the old envelopes system. Don't sign up for the online thing - didn't work out too well for me. :)