Good with Money: Reprogramme Your Spending Habits and Take Control of Your Money

by Emma Edwards

A game-changing, practical guide to the psychology behind your spending habits, revealing how to manage your money without missing out on the things you love.

Have you ever avoided looking at your banking app after a big night out? Placed an online order during a late-night doomscroll? Or felt helpless when your new budget simply failed to stick, despite your best intentions?

If that sounds familiar, this is the book for you. In the age of smartphones and social media, we're surrounded by an endless stream of stuff we could buy, not to mention social conditioning around what makes us happy, as well as fast fashion, algorithmic advertising and 'where did you get that' culture.

Financial behaviour expert Emma Edwards will help you unpack the reasons you're so emotionally tangled with your money ( it's absolutely not your fault) and look at what might be keeping you stuck. She'll teach you to reclaim your decision-making, deep-dive into your beliefs, identity and habits, and come out the other side feeling 'Good With Money'.

With a step-by-step guide to creating a money management system that actually works, Good With Money will change the way you think about budgeting, consumption and yourself, and put you back in the driver's seat of your own financial future.

'A practical, funny and relatable guide that won't make you feel bad about your finances.' Sal & Al from Two Broke Chicks

'Emma Edwards is redefining financial wellbeing for a whole generation of women . . . Realistic, inclusive and tangible money advice—with heart.' Maggie Zhou

'This book will not just tell you HOW to improve your financial situation, but help you understand WHY it's always been so damn hard.' Ash London

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Self Help, Money, Audiobook, Personal Finance, Business

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2024

Reviews

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already feel better than I was before, after reading this book. Not just from a financial mindset, but an awareness in general. As a bookworm, the only money problem I can relate to is funds to buy- books, bookshelves, library cards and an occasional splurge on sales book fairs, and coffee.

Silliness aside, the book is a guided path that's divided into 5 major parts and further broken into practical tasks that help you understand, evaluate and implement where you really want to spend money. Because the key is not to spend less, but to spend consciously on things we value in life. I feel this is something that every person who is earning needs to read, right at the very beginning.

My favourite quotes:
"Where our focus goes, money flows"
"Our exposure to everything we can have, spiralling out of control"
"You don't need to stop buying things you want, you need to stop buying things you don't want"

Thank you @netgalley @wfhowes and @the.brokegeneration for the Audiobook ARC. It's been a wake-up call.

Genre: #nonfiction #selfhelp #finance
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️

#GoodWithMoney #NetGalley

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best money management books I've read as it really speaks to the millenial/Gen Z generations and in particularly women and how our world is set up to keep us consuming, in most instance to validate our existence. Whilst giving really practical tips on how to budget better for the longer term rather than pushing fads like no spend year ideas. Brilliant read for women!

Narrated by the author on audio, I flew through the audiobook in about 24hr!

{AD: thanks to NetGalley for copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review}

[Carolina Tenorio-Espinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super helpful guide on getting on top of your finances. Explained in a way that doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed nor stupid for your past mistakes. Filled with tips and ideas on how to manage your money (that I will definitely be using!) Can’t wait to use the only guides also provided. Really useful book!

[Sydney Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and realistic for a 20 something that likes to shop

[Viv JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very helpful book and the audio was well narrated by the author.

[Kylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Think this chick woke up one day & said to herself... "oooh let's write a book!" .

She's just regurgitating what qualified economists have been stating for decades but she convinces ignorant, like-minded morons its "new" & something undiscovered.

[Bookstrider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most books in this genre I do not feel that it necessarily gave me some groundbreaking advice, but what it did do for me was actually speak to me in a way that resonated way more than any of the other books on personal finance. There are elements that are repetitive, that you probably have heard a million times before, and there are elements here that to me made me see my own relationship with money in a new way.
There are many things in here that I will take with me moving forward, and I will probably come back to this book several times as I navigate adjusting my own spending habits (hello bookshops!) and relationship with money.
I like the tone of the book, how it feels more like a conversation than a talk, has some good examples and I found myself recognising Emmas patterns which also made this book sink in deeper.
I read the kindle edition, and while that works fine, I do wish I had gone for the physical copy!

[Claire Leidinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

would recommend to everyone !!!!!!

[Jordan Oppert · Rating 4 out of 5]

lol.. reading this two months out from a wedding 😂😂 BUUUT, this is what you should be given/taught in school! Super fascinating. And as a big journal-er, I loved the tasks/prompts.

[Syan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this going to teach you about investing in stocks shares; or what tf a premium bond is or how to create and juggle multiple streams of income? No.

Will it meet you where you are at for financial introspection (which should probably be a beginner and identify as a woman for how the text is written)? Yes, yes it will. But be warned, this is conveyed in heavily millennial pop culture references and slang.

It provides an accessible and digestible examination of your relationship with money, how to reframe that relationship and practical steps to get you _thinking_ about meeting your financial goals and _empowering_ you to do so.

I feel better for reading this!

[Kate Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Listened to the audiobook**

This was just great! Emma Edwards narrates the audiobook and her personality just shines through. There is so much personality in this book, it has so much joy.
It's informative and personal. Its clever and eye-opening.

The balance between informative content, and personal stories about Edwards was perfect.

Really recommend - and in particular the audiobook so you can hear Emma Edwards read it how it should be told!

[Katie Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t that useful. Very basic advice. The early parts on psychology towards money bored me.
The author is very young and her tone and language sounded like a teenager/early 20s. I think the book would suit emerging adults looking for basic advice on budgeting.

[Sarah Wakeford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the Audiobook while I was on my runs and I thought this book would give me more tips and tricks to be good with money. However I felt that most of the things that she suggested I was already doing. So turns out I might actually already be good with money

[Hayley R · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up but only cuz I feel bad LOL. I simply was not the target audience for this book and therefore it felt boring and flat … HOWEVER, I think if you genuinely had no idea what to do with money then it would be a great intro to it but I fear I skimmed thru a decent amount of this oops!

[Tash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a refreshing and wonderfully written book, I HIGHLY recommend that everyone reads this.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better personal finance books out there

[Sumayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and such useful practical tips. Follow Emma Edwards on IG and read this now!

[Anisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just wasn’t for me. While the book appears to be marketed toward women in their 20s and 30s, it would have been better suited for college students, shopaholics, or complete beginners in money management. I’d estimate that about 80% of what I read I already knew - and for context, this is the very first personal finance book I’ve ever picked up. I’m not even in my mid-twenties yet, I don’t earn a salary, and still, most of the content felt like common sense or information I’ve already absorbed through social media.

I kept waiting for something fresh or eye-opening. There were moments when the author shared new insights or clever tips, but each time, the book quickly circled back to the same basic principles - how to budget, how to save, how social media fuels consumerism. After a while, it became repetitive and predictable.

For a book that warns against wasting money on things you don’t need, I couldn’t help but feel I’d just done just that. I probably could’ve learned the same lessons, for free, by scrolling Youtube or TikTok.

[Ella Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this away feeling so good about my finances. I have mostly lived on a fluctuating income and I thought I would never be able to mange my money but Emma has paved the way in a way that doesn’t make you feel like shit for still wanting to spend on the fun things in life. Emma I love you!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The language and framework of this book is so accessible! I enjoyed that there were no hard and fast rules but instead it addresses what keeps us from being ‘good with money’ and what we can do to influence that.

[Alexis Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Very information while being personable!! The booked showed how women have been disadvantaged when it comes to finances, how to change your habits, and actual tools/frameworks to improve finical wellbeing. All women should read this!

[Lisa Glanville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not the target demographic, but I think this book would be very useful for someone genuinely struggling to get a handle on their money.
I felt that parts 3 and 4 were particularly well-handled.

[Lily R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This spoke to me

[Marley Rollins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this quite boring, but of course, I did. I am not good with money, and I find it stressful and boring, which is why I wanted to force myself to read a book on it. But, this was okay. Like a 2.5. It felt very much like a whistle-stop tour, and quite basic.

It touches a lot on the psychology of money, but I wish it went a bit more into the socioeconomic factors behind who gets to be 'good with money'. It also sort of vaguely blames capitalism, but again, it doesn't really explain much about the systems in place other than that they just like selling us stuff.

I also found that some recommendations were really out of touch, e.g. when it recommends saving £200 a week so you can have a £50,000 house deposit in 5 years- who can afford to put £800 into savings every single month? Also, I have a personal gripe with these money books that recommend setting up side hustles or moving to cheaper areas to save money, when we shouldn't have to have 2 full-time jobs and leave all our friends and family to survive.

To be fair, as I'm writing this review, I'm realising I just really despise this neoliberal bullshit mindset that being bad with money is solely someone's fault, and they can wave a wand and just fix this when the system is deeply broken and set up to put poorer people at a massive disadvantage.

And on top of this, it recommended having SO many different savings pots and sinking funds, which would be lovely, but surely isn't realistic for most people. It also really didn't cover debt very much, which seems a bit short-sighted when the reality is that the majority of people at this point have some kind of consumer debt, often with quite crippling interest rates. It just made me wonder who this book is for- apparently, it's speaking to people with a ton of disposable income to put away that they're frivolously spending. But in reality, most rich people tend to become rich because they're good with money, or at least they grew up in an environment surrounded by people who were good with money.

I dunno, it just felt a bit basic and baffling. I also have to admit I was torn on the tone of voice. On the one hand, I get that it was trying to appeal to millennial women who might not pick up a v boring, serious money book (like me). But also, there were times when it felt really pandering and like the author really believes that all women spend money on is clothes, skincare and makeup. There were SO many examples that were about buying blazers and jumpsuits and Dyson Air Wraps that it started to grate on me, to be honest. Women can have other hobbies and interests.

Also for a book on money, it just chucks investing in at the end, without giving any real details on how to do it, and then just recommends some other people to follow who know about investing, but if you're purporting to be a money expert, shouldn't you know about this? There's actually very little info in this book about the author's financial credentials tbh which is just concerning and in retrospect I probably should have looked at this before I bought it.

I feel like the audience of this book was just very confused- it seems like it's written for young women with zero interest or idea in how to manage their finances, in which case, why would they ever even pick up a book? The reality is that if someone is reading a financial literacy book, they probably have at least had a go at setting up a rudimentary budget and creating some savings, and so a book this simplistic isn't going to give them enough information. I certainly don't really feel like I learned anything.

Also, the end of the book is a rushed mess where it just quickly skims over building wealth- a concept I find annoying anyway because I don't believe anyone should be hoarding wealth or have more than they need tbh! So maybe I'm just too much of a socialist leftie for this book lol. My bad.

[Hayley (meet_me_at_the_library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars

[Carlyn (The Bookworm Mum) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, really accessible. One I will come back to again and again I imagine!

[Talicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to read coming up to the start of a new year, not my favourite financial book tho

[Lyndsie Plowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful and approachable! I feel inspired and ready to adjust my mindset with regards to my money journey!

[Melissa Stephenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to finish listening to this audiobook but I just couldn't stay focused on what was being said. I did take away a couple of things.