The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Living on a Budget

by Jennifer Basye Sander, Peter J. Sander

The book that shows how to make the most of your money—now updated. Living on a budget is essential for the vast majority of Americans. This new edition lays out the basics of budgeting, clearly and inexpensively. Readers will discover how to follow a budget, how to make the necessary big purchases, the financial dangers of leasing a car, and how to get their budget on paper and in workable categories.
-Most new jobs created in recent years are at a much lower salary than those lost in the preceding years
-Especially useful for the recent college grad, the recently divorced, the new parent, and others going through a lifestyle change that requires financial adjustments
-A low-priced pocket edition for the budget-conscious

Genres: Personal Finance, Finance, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 1999

About the author

Jennifer Basye Sander has been an author and book packager for nearly 20 years. Her career has spanned all aspects of the business, from retail sales and book acquisition to editorial and publicity. She and her husband founded the Big City Books Group, which develops book projects and has over 40 successful books in print.

Also known as Jennifer "Gin" Sander

Reviews

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book isn't expensive and it isn't without merit, but I recommend you look elsewhere. With all due respect to the authors, this book is rather gimmicky. The flow of the book is choppy and at several points the authors drop the ball by treating various subject with a degree of shallowness that is disappointing even for such a small pocket book. One example is the treatment of credit cards. They repeat the common mantras about credit cards, but the coverage of situations not to use credits cards is repetitive and there is no discussion whatsoever of point-systems that many credit cards offer--an amazing way for a person on a budget to expand their purchasing power.

I close the cover of this book feeling that I've just hung up the phone with a chatty telemarketer, somewhat impressed with their jovial presentation but feeling hardly educated by the interchange.

[Annalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this in one of those little free library. It’s a primer on how to budget for a long or short term financial goal. The issue I have with this book is its exclusion on the merits of using credit cards (cash back, rewards program, etc) and how it can be beneficial to the budgeting. It discussed the perils of using the credit card often especially if your purchases is not commensurate to your income. And that’s a great lesson to remember given the pandemic we had. This book suggests making a budget and having the “wisdom and discipline” to stick with it. After not being able to work for a long period due to unforeseen circumstances and the lockdown coming right after, I know how it feels to be apprehensive about ones financial future. Having saved some for a rainy day, but also hoping I didn’t have to use money set aside for retirement. All in all, this book should come in handy for the budget conscious, albeit a little dated. The writers suggest using Quicken to help you streamline your budget but never actually used it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read that you can finish in a few days. I read this book before a few years ago but I wanted to review it's principles in an effort to create more effective budgets. I love the idea of F.A.M. (family allowance money) and P.A.M. (personal allowance money) and pocket money. I decided to just combine pocket money with my personal allowance. I really like the idea of budgeting for categories and not being overwhelmed by trying to track every magazine and soda I buy. While I don't agree with the authors view regarding credit cards (they appear to be a little nonchalant.) I still would recommend this book for anyone looking for some practical budgeting tips.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.. if you are looking for a new and fresh way to budget or get some money saving tips.. GET THIS BOOK!

Def. checking out some of the websites they talked about along with new ways to really fine tune my budget <3

[Mmiller400m · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, short read on 12 steps to setting a budget and sticking to it with a few chapters of hints and tips to help you along the way.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, with lots of basic budgeting information, but still a good review.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, really basic.