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The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good with Money
How to get good with money, even if you have no idea where to start.
The Financial Diet is the personal finance book for people who don’t care about personal finance. Whether you’re in need of an overspending detox, buried under student debt, or just trying to figure out how to live on an entry-level salary, The Financial Diet gives you tools to make a budget, understand investments, and deal with your credit. Chelsea Fagan has tapped a range of experts to help you make the best choices for you, but she also knows that being smarter with money isn’t just about what you put in the bank. It’s about everything—from the clothes you put in your closet, to your financial relationship habits, to the food you put in your kitchen (instead of ordering in again). So The Financial Diet gives you the tools to negotiate a raise and the perfect cocktail recipe to celebrate your new salary.
The Financial Diet will teach you:
• how to get good with money in a year.
• the ingredients everyone needs to have a budget-friendly kitchen.
• how to talk about awkward money stuff with your friends.
• the best way to make (and stick to!) a budget.
• how to take care of your house like a grown-up.
• what the hell it means to invest (and how you can do it).
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2018
663 people are currently reading
7094 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Fagan
12 books921 followersChelsea Fagan is the co-founder and CEO of The Financial Diet. She is the author of many books, including THE HIGH DIVE, coming May 27, 2025.
Chelsea is an avid home cook, and lives in Manhattan with her husband and dog.
Chelsea is an avid home cook, and lives in Manhattan with her husband and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 760 reviews
November 26, 2017
I want to start this out by saying that I'm a big fan of the Financial Diet on YouTube. In the YouTube context, I find Chelsea and Lauren's voices to be relatable and refreshing. They create listicle-style videos on a variety of financial and lifestyle topics such as "12 side hustles you can do in bed." So I really wanted to like this book and was looking forward to reading this book.
However, I'm not sure that that this listicle-style approach translates well to a book, particularly a book that is subtitled "A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good with Money". This is not a book that would help a 20- or 30-something gain financial literacy. It's a lifestyle book, focused on how to get the lifestyle you aspire to on a budget, how to cope with the fact that some aspirational lifestyles will remain out of reach, and how to feel as though you're doing a good job with your finances.
The book is structured in the following way - author Chelsea Fagan relates an example from her life, such as being bad with money in her teens. That is followed by some tips on a particular topic often presented in a graphic format by TFD co-founder Lauren Ver Hage. Each chapter then features interviews with other "experts", such as financial bloggers, design bloggers, fashion bloggers, entrepreneurs, or Chelsea's Mom. People who have successfully attained a certain lifestyle.
This book does a good job at talking about the **feelings** associated with not being good at managing a budget, and it has some quick tips, presented in an infographic-format. But it does not define basic or complex financial terms such as diversified portfolios in context. There's a glossary in the back, but that's not enough. This could easily leave a younger / novice reader adrift.
The book is not structured in a way to help someone learn in a logical manner. It presents complex financial formulas like calculating what you need to save for a down payment in an overly-breezy way that left me confused.
And in some many cases it actually gives bad advice. For example, in an interview with a fashion blogger, the blogger recommends buying an upscale work bag, for example a "3.1 Phillip Lim" bag. (Those bags start at $500+). Or even more disastrously, in an interview with a VP at a bank, "you can buy a house with only 3.5% down". That's a TERRIBLE idea.
At one point the book recommends finding a financial sherpa, perhaps not realizing that some people are turning to the book itself to get financial advice. Unlike some of the good personal finance books I've read, the book doesn't direct you to good resources for learning more on particular topics, which would be one way of dealing with topics at a more superficial level in the interest of covering a lot of ground.
It should be noted that this book is written specifically for Millennials. While written in a tone of "I was a hot mess" that is relatable, it leans a little bit too heavily on swearing and hot mess stories. At it's best, the book offers a critique of Instagram and Pinterest-lifestyle aspirations, or why we shouldn't all be working 80-hours a week.
But at it's worst it leans too heavily on the feeling a young person might have of not being a grown-up, not having one's shit together, relying on Mom for advice. The reason I call this out is because I think that Chelsea is giving other 20-somethings short shrift. I think that 20-somethings are capable of gaining an in-depth knowledge of their personal finances and achieving their personal goals.
I think that the author believes this too, but she doesn't serve them by writing this book that lives in the layer of fixing up thrift store furniture so that it's Pinterest-worthy, rather than really digging into the nuts and bolts of how to negotiate the confusing experience of being a first-time homebuyer, or by explaining the mechanics of compound interest rather than just mentioning it in passing.
I would strongly recommend Beth Kobliner's book "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties" as a good alternative to this book for 20-somethings that want to get a strong foothold on their finances early.
DISCLOSURE: I was given a free advanced reader's edition to review.
However, I'm not sure that that this listicle-style approach translates well to a book, particularly a book that is subtitled "A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good with Money". This is not a book that would help a 20- or 30-something gain financial literacy. It's a lifestyle book, focused on how to get the lifestyle you aspire to on a budget, how to cope with the fact that some aspirational lifestyles will remain out of reach, and how to feel as though you're doing a good job with your finances.
The book is structured in the following way - author Chelsea Fagan relates an example from her life, such as being bad with money in her teens. That is followed by some tips on a particular topic often presented in a graphic format by TFD co-founder Lauren Ver Hage. Each chapter then features interviews with other "experts", such as financial bloggers, design bloggers, fashion bloggers, entrepreneurs, or Chelsea's Mom. People who have successfully attained a certain lifestyle.
This book does a good job at talking about the **feelings** associated with not being good at managing a budget, and it has some quick tips, presented in an infographic-format. But it does not define basic or complex financial terms such as diversified portfolios in context. There's a glossary in the back, but that's not enough. This could easily leave a younger / novice reader adrift.
The book is not structured in a way to help someone learn in a logical manner. It presents complex financial formulas like calculating what you need to save for a down payment in an overly-breezy way that left me confused.
And in some many cases it actually gives bad advice. For example, in an interview with a fashion blogger, the blogger recommends buying an upscale work bag, for example a "3.1 Phillip Lim" bag. (Those bags start at $500+). Or even more disastrously, in an interview with a VP at a bank, "you can buy a house with only 3.5% down". That's a TERRIBLE idea.
At one point the book recommends finding a financial sherpa, perhaps not realizing that some people are turning to the book itself to get financial advice. Unlike some of the good personal finance books I've read, the book doesn't direct you to good resources for learning more on particular topics, which would be one way of dealing with topics at a more superficial level in the interest of covering a lot of ground.
It should be noted that this book is written specifically for Millennials. While written in a tone of "I was a hot mess" that is relatable, it leans a little bit too heavily on swearing and hot mess stories. At it's best, the book offers a critique of Instagram and Pinterest-lifestyle aspirations, or why we shouldn't all be working 80-hours a week.
But at it's worst it leans too heavily on the feeling a young person might have of not being a grown-up, not having one's shit together, relying on Mom for advice. The reason I call this out is because I think that Chelsea is giving other 20-somethings short shrift. I think that 20-somethings are capable of gaining an in-depth knowledge of their personal finances and achieving their personal goals.
I think that the author believes this too, but she doesn't serve them by writing this book that lives in the layer of fixing up thrift store furniture so that it's Pinterest-worthy, rather than really digging into the nuts and bolts of how to negotiate the confusing experience of being a first-time homebuyer, or by explaining the mechanics of compound interest rather than just mentioning it in passing.
I would strongly recommend Beth Kobliner's book "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties" as a good alternative to this book for 20-somethings that want to get a strong foothold on their finances early.
DISCLOSURE: I was given a free advanced reader's edition to review.
January 12, 2018
I've been a longtime TFD reader and normally I'm actually a fan of Chelsea's writing. That being said, I was very disappointed in this book, and the positive reviews it has been getting in the media. One of my biggest frustrations as a woman who cares about personal finance is how difficult it is to find content that's geared towards women without being infantilizing. All too frequently, personal finance for women is dumbed down to books with pink covers, pretty fonts, and the most basic information, rather than information that actually addresses things like how women should be investing differently considering we generally outlive men but take bigger hits to our lifetime net worth with parenting. The TFD book represents the worst of personal finance for women, right down to the millennial-pink cover. There's a lot of aspirational quotes and sad feelz about mismanaging (or lacking) a budget and why we should talk about money (which, to be clear, we should), but the actual useful financial information in the book could be pared down to about a paragraph. The majority of the book's investment advice is pretty ridiculous, considering it's geared at young investors-- low-yield CDs and bonds are extremely conservative, low-return options and the majority of millennials would be seeing far greater returns with slightly more aggressive (but still safe!) options like ETFs. It also barely defines financial terms, is vague on what things like "long-term investments" actually mean, and often provides financial advice that probably works for the Carrie Bradshaws of the world (like buying expensive designer bags for your first job) but not for the average millennial on a budget. In all, this book is less about personal finance for young women and more about how to become the sort of young woman I imagine Chelsea and her social circle generally are-- largely white, largely affluent, largely living in expensive cities, and taking pride in the fact that they have a "budget" but with no desire to actually take charge of their finances by say, learning the difference between Vanguard and Betterment as investing options. There's also something to be said for the lack of diversity in the book's contributors. The majority seem to be Chelsea's former Thought Catalog colleages like Ella Ceron and Stephanie Georgopulos, or Chelsea's mom. Entertaining, readable women, but not who I'd consider experts on personal finance.
The vast majority of positive coverage in the media appears to be limited to the fact that this book is uniquely geared towards women, when most financial books are not. Unfortunately, personal finance for women isn't as simple as pink covers and flowery aphorisms-- at least, not for intelligent women. If you're looking for actual financial advice geared towards women, look elsewhere. If all you want to know about money is that budgets are good and savings are nice, this book is for you (but also, consider raising your standards)
The vast majority of positive coverage in the media appears to be limited to the fact that this book is uniquely geared towards women, when most financial books are not. Unfortunately, personal finance for women isn't as simple as pink covers and flowery aphorisms-- at least, not for intelligent women. If you're looking for actual financial advice geared towards women, look elsewhere. If all you want to know about money is that budgets are good and savings are nice, this book is for you (but also, consider raising your standards)
October 24, 2018
If this book were simply useless to me, I could have given it two stars. I know it's marketed towards young women who don't know much about money. And that's fine, because there are people who don't know much and everyone's got to start somewhere. I get that.
What made me give this book one star (i.e. the lowest rating allowed—I'd give it negative stars if I could!) was how some of the information was just plain wrong. Like criminally wrong. So wrong that if you followed it, other poor fellow unfortunate readers, you'd find yourself in deep trouble.
The first major error I'm going to talk about comes in chapter 5. Do not, do not, DO NOT ever buy a house with a down payment of less than 20%. One of the so-called "experts" "interviewed" (I use both those terms, experts and interviewed, loosely) says you can put 3.5% down for your house. NO. Do not ever do that. PMI (private mortgage insurance) will eat you alive. Your finances will be so messed up it isn't even funny. I will note that other reviewers pointed this out, too, so it makes me feel a bit better that this mistake did not go unnoticed.
The next, and in some ways more egregious error (because you probably start investing before buying a house) occurs in chapter 2, the chapter about investing. This quote is so misguided that it's obvious the author, Chelsea Fagan, has zero idea what she's talking about:
Just so everyone knows, I do have investments in the market. They are all in mutual funds, some of which happen to be index funds. But let's get one thing clear here: mutual funds are diversified investments because the fund invests in a multitude of assets (usually stocks, bonds, or some combination of the two). They are not low-risk investments! Let's say that again for all the Chelsea fans out there who might just descend upon me for attacking their idol.
MUTUAL FUNDS ARE NOT LOW-RISK INVESTMENTS!
Sure, some of them are. But diversification does NOT equal low risk. One of the funds I'm in has lost a ton of money since I invested. It's also known for its volatility, so I'm holding on to it. You probably wouldn't know this from this book, but mutual funds are intended to be long-term investments.
How do I know all of this? I work in the finance industry (like in an actual financial institution—I'm not some random "personal finance blogger," a field I will point out has zero barriers to entry and no credentials required*) and I have a masters degree in finance. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Chelsea Fagan does not.
That one little sentence I quoted above frustrates me so much because someone who doesn't know much about investing could read that, go out and buy a mutual fund, then lose money they couldn't afford to lose because they assumed it was a "low-risk investment" that they couldn't lose money on. It should be criminal to make statements like that, especially in a book that is allegedly, you know, a personal finance book.
I'm all for women learning more about money, finance, investing, etc. but ladies, with all due respect, we're better than this! This book, and the blog Chelsea writes (I have read my fair share of posts on that website), are so dumbed down as to be useless. I'm not saying we ought to be learning how to apply Taylor series to derivatives (I briefly learned that in grad school, then promptly forgot it all because I literally never need to use that knowledge). But we are better than this. There are a plethora of personal finance blogs and books out there that are way more deserving of your time than this rubbish. If you're a total beginner, Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You to Be Rich is a good start (disregard everything he says about scholarships, though, as it's completely unrealistic and wrong). If you really want to up your game and learn a ton, The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy is amazing. It can be a bit dry at times, but if you read it and understand it, you'll be better off than 99% of American adults today.
This review is getting long, so I'll have to stop ranting. And I haven't event touched on the level of profanity in this book—was there really a need for multiple f-bombs EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER?? I also question whether a personal finance book needs chapters on home decor, cooking, and romance, not to mention references to that insipid TV show Sex and the City. Seriously, people, that show is over and done with and sucked anyway. Let's just move on.
*Note: There's nothing wrong with being a personal finance blogger per se, as long as you actually know what you're talking about!
What made me give this book one star (i.e. the lowest rating allowed—I'd give it negative stars if I could!) was how some of the information was just plain wrong. Like criminally wrong. So wrong that if you followed it, other poor fellow unfortunate readers, you'd find yourself in deep trouble.
The first major error I'm going to talk about comes in chapter 5. Do not, do not, DO NOT ever buy a house with a down payment of less than 20%. One of the so-called "experts" "interviewed" (I use both those terms, experts and interviewed, loosely) says you can put 3.5% down for your house. NO. Do not ever do that. PMI (private mortgage insurance) will eat you alive. Your finances will be so messed up it isn't even funny. I will note that other reviewers pointed this out, too, so it makes me feel a bit better that this mistake did not go unnoticed.
The next, and in some ways more egregious error (because you probably start investing before buying a house) occurs in chapter 2, the chapter about investing. This quote is so misguided that it's obvious the author, Chelsea Fagan, has zero idea what she's talking about:
Explore other low-risk investment options, such as mutual funds and index funds.
Just so everyone knows, I do have investments in the market. They are all in mutual funds, some of which happen to be index funds. But let's get one thing clear here: mutual funds are diversified investments because the fund invests in a multitude of assets (usually stocks, bonds, or some combination of the two). They are not low-risk investments! Let's say that again for all the Chelsea fans out there who might just descend upon me for attacking their idol.
MUTUAL FUNDS ARE NOT LOW-RISK INVESTMENTS!
Sure, some of them are. But diversification does NOT equal low risk. One of the funds I'm in has lost a ton of money since I invested. It's also known for its volatility, so I'm holding on to it. You probably wouldn't know this from this book, but mutual funds are intended to be long-term investments.
How do I know all of this? I work in the finance industry (like in an actual financial institution—I'm not some random "personal finance blogger," a field I will point out has zero barriers to entry and no credentials required*) and I have a masters degree in finance. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Chelsea Fagan does not.
That one little sentence I quoted above frustrates me so much because someone who doesn't know much about investing could read that, go out and buy a mutual fund, then lose money they couldn't afford to lose because they assumed it was a "low-risk investment" that they couldn't lose money on. It should be criminal to make statements like that, especially in a book that is allegedly, you know, a personal finance book.
I'm all for women learning more about money, finance, investing, etc. but ladies, with all due respect, we're better than this! This book, and the blog Chelsea writes (I have read my fair share of posts on that website), are so dumbed down as to be useless. I'm not saying we ought to be learning how to apply Taylor series to derivatives (I briefly learned that in grad school, then promptly forgot it all because I literally never need to use that knowledge). But we are better than this. There are a plethora of personal finance blogs and books out there that are way more deserving of your time than this rubbish. If you're a total beginner, Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You to Be Rich is a good start (disregard everything he says about scholarships, though, as it's completely unrealistic and wrong). If you really want to up your game and learn a ton, The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy is amazing. It can be a bit dry at times, but if you read it and understand it, you'll be better off than 99% of American adults today.
This review is getting long, so I'll have to stop ranting. And I haven't event touched on the level of profanity in this book—was there really a need for multiple f-bombs EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER?? I also question whether a personal finance book needs chapters on home decor, cooking, and romance, not to mention references to that insipid TV show Sex and the City. Seriously, people, that show is over and done with and sucked anyway. Let's just move on.
*Note: There's nothing wrong with being a personal finance blogger per se, as long as you actually know what you're talking about!
January 13, 2018
This was beautifully designed and it did get me to start thinking about putting a budget together, automating payments, and starting to pay off my student loans. At first it even had me laughing along with the "I don't have my shit together, I'm such a mess" humor, but that style got repetitive and gimmicky after a while. I also thought some parts were more necessary and important than others (do people really need a book to tell them what kitchen supplies to buy? or staples every young woman should have in her wardrobe?) - I would've rather heard more about budgeting, credit, homeownership, investments, and that sort of thing. I would only recommend this to millennials.
February 4, 2018
Worth it just for the discovery of The Woks of Life website for recipes right up my alley. Having already watched all of The Financial Diet’s YouTube videos, and reading Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry, there’s not a whole lot new in this book for me, but it was still really well done, cute, and easy to get through, and I definitely took more notes on things to change or look into for the future.
March 22, 2020
Yikes, okay.
I like some of The Financial Diet's YouTube videos, but this book misses the mark.
To start off, I want to point out that this book has a few lines of good advice in it that are worth pulling out for future reference. However, I wouldn't recommend anyone to read it just for those tidbits, because I think the rest of the book is both useless and full of misinformation. I'll leave a few of my personal recommendations below for books that I feel are better starter personal finance books.
This is a book targeted towards young women who may be starting out in their careers, and only just learning to get a handle on their money, their wardrobe, and their kitchen.
The main issue with this book is that the experts who wrote in for it, or Chelsea's sections herself, don't give enough information on how to actually do the things mentioned. The chapter on budgeting simply tells you to budget, and tells you how to put it in a spreadsheet, but doesn't tell you how to stick to it. The chapter on investing is so empty of practical advice that I don't think it would help anyone who hasn't already begun to invest. I think there is also some misinformation about what low-risk investments are.
The chapter on cooking was contradictory, hilarious, and probably wastes more money than it saves you. Several times Chelsea mentions cutting out or back on meat to save money, but when it gets to the recipe section, about half of the recipes contained meat. I also think the list of essential kitchen tools should have been more... essential. Not everyone needs tongs and a rolling pin.
The chapter on wardrobe had one piece of good advice, to spend a little bit extra on pieces that will last longer, followed by others that made little sense and don't fit into a financial "diet". For example "tons of black, and basic designer items." Why are we talking about buying designer clothes as a way of saving money? Or shelling out for a flashy pair of flats, or a bag that conveys "just the right amount of personality". The parts of the book that make this specifically for women are also the parts that I couldn't stand.
The chapter about home buying was one of the ones I was most interested in reading, but there wasn't a lot to latch onto. A 3.5% down payment also sounds both improbable and illogical to me, but maybe I'm just not that familiar with mortgages and home-buying.
I had no idea what the chapter on relationships and money was trying to communicate, besides "talk about money". The message got a bit lost on the page dedicated to Sex and the City. I haven't seen it, so I didn't understand what point was being made in relation to it.
One of the things I liked that Chelsea mentioned was the idea of using less than 30% of your available credit. I haven't heard that mentioned enough in other places, and it's an easy way to keep your credit score healthy. She also gives advice on how to check your credit score without damaging it.
I also very strongly agreed with this thought: "I used to follow the standard advice offered by most personal finance experts, which is to save a percentage of your income first and then spend the rest. But the big problem with that is it gives you permission to spend a lot of money you could probably be saving." I think having auto-savings is a good idea, combined with still trying to spend as little as possible and putting the leftovers into savings, rather than spending the leftovers.
The section on dreams costing money and how you always deserve to try at something, be it a new career of hobby, was very well-written and encouraging.
For a better starting place to personal finance, I recommend Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School. This is the book that actually led me to to start investing and saving my money.
I like some of The Financial Diet's YouTube videos, but this book misses the mark.
To start off, I want to point out that this book has a few lines of good advice in it that are worth pulling out for future reference. However, I wouldn't recommend anyone to read it just for those tidbits, because I think the rest of the book is both useless and full of misinformation. I'll leave a few of my personal recommendations below for books that I feel are better starter personal finance books.
This is a book targeted towards young women who may be starting out in their careers, and only just learning to get a handle on their money, their wardrobe, and their kitchen.
The main issue with this book is that the experts who wrote in for it, or Chelsea's sections herself, don't give enough information on how to actually do the things mentioned. The chapter on budgeting simply tells you to budget, and tells you how to put it in a spreadsheet, but doesn't tell you how to stick to it. The chapter on investing is so empty of practical advice that I don't think it would help anyone who hasn't already begun to invest. I think there is also some misinformation about what low-risk investments are.
The chapter on cooking was contradictory, hilarious, and probably wastes more money than it saves you. Several times Chelsea mentions cutting out or back on meat to save money, but when it gets to the recipe section, about half of the recipes contained meat. I also think the list of essential kitchen tools should have been more... essential. Not everyone needs tongs and a rolling pin.
The chapter on wardrobe had one piece of good advice, to spend a little bit extra on pieces that will last longer, followed by others that made little sense and don't fit into a financial "diet". For example "tons of black, and basic designer items." Why are we talking about buying designer clothes as a way of saving money? Or shelling out for a flashy pair of flats, or a bag that conveys "just the right amount of personality". The parts of the book that make this specifically for women are also the parts that I couldn't stand.
The chapter about home buying was one of the ones I was most interested in reading, but there wasn't a lot to latch onto. A 3.5% down payment also sounds both improbable and illogical to me, but maybe I'm just not that familiar with mortgages and home-buying.
I had no idea what the chapter on relationships and money was trying to communicate, besides "talk about money". The message got a bit lost on the page dedicated to Sex and the City. I haven't seen it, so I didn't understand what point was being made in relation to it.
One of the things I liked that Chelsea mentioned was the idea of using less than 30% of your available credit. I haven't heard that mentioned enough in other places, and it's an easy way to keep your credit score healthy. She also gives advice on how to check your credit score without damaging it.
I also very strongly agreed with this thought: "I used to follow the standard advice offered by most personal finance experts, which is to save a percentage of your income first and then spend the rest. But the big problem with that is it gives you permission to spend a lot of money you could probably be saving." I think having auto-savings is a good idea, combined with still trying to spend as little as possible and putting the leftovers into savings, rather than spending the leftovers.
The section on dreams costing money and how you always deserve to try at something, be it a new career of hobby, was very well-written and encouraging.
For a better starting place to personal finance, I recommend Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School. This is the book that actually led me to to start investing and saving my money.
June 15, 2018
Eh.
I enjoyed the pictures more than the content. It's geared towards millennial women so it is very Instagram and Pinterest worthy in regards to layout/color/pictures. It has a few good tips in it (for example Chelsea says to save in 3 different accounts - one emergency fund you can easily access, one investment fund that can be liquidated if needed and then a long investment fund all of which I personally agree with) but overall it talks down to the reader. And yes I understand this is a beginner's finance book but still. I do not think a financial book needs a chapter on How to Be Your Own Italian Grandmother (food) or a chapter on decorating tips for your apartment/house (though the chapter on how to talk to your significant other/friends about money is good).
I enjoyed the pictures more than the content. It's geared towards millennial women so it is very Instagram and Pinterest worthy in regards to layout/color/pictures. It has a few good tips in it (for example Chelsea says to save in 3 different accounts - one emergency fund you can easily access, one investment fund that can be liquidated if needed and then a long investment fund all of which I personally agree with) but overall it talks down to the reader. And yes I understand this is a beginner's finance book but still. I do not think a financial book needs a chapter on How to Be Your Own Italian Grandmother (food) or a chapter on decorating tips for your apartment/house (though the chapter on how to talk to your significant other/friends about money is good).
January 9, 2021
As a fan of the Financial Diet Youtube videos this books was hugely disappointing to me.
I read the description and was saw what it was about. It's marketed as a finance book geared towards Millennial/20 something women. As someone who falls into the target audience this book missed the mark for me. I still can't figure out who exactly this book is for, it started out good and seemed to be talking to women who are starting their careers. They talked about paying down debt, building an emergency fund, retirement savings and investing. I expected the rest of the book to go more into depth about these topics but instead it took on topics that would be better suited to women who are just moving out of their parent's house. It talked about how to find and decorate an apartment and gave recipes because we should be cooking instead of ordering food delivery. These are not things I need help with and I assume any woman starting a career has already figured them out as well. I don't need a list of things to have in my kitchen or to be told I should actually put effort into my job to build my career. I was hoping for greater details on different types of investments and how to manage one's finances. This is for someone who has no clue how to be an adult and I feel this would've been something I should've read when I was 18 and starting university. Not in my mid 20s as I start building a career.
The second half of the book felt like it didn't match with the first half. If this was marketed as a book for those who are just starting out then it would make sense but it's not and this really wasn't helpful. Also, most of the book is just short interviews with "experts" they've chosen to feature. I found myself skimming through many sections and completely skipping others that were far too basic to be of any value to me. There were also some questionable tips in the book, such as investing in designer workwear pieces. Someone just starting out can't afford Kate Spade dresses and this was a ridiculous suggestion.
I think I'll stick to the Youtube videos, like many things marketed to woman it was slightly infantilizing and I didn't like this book at all. At least it was short
I read the description and was saw what it was about. It's marketed as a finance book geared towards Millennial/20 something women. As someone who falls into the target audience this book missed the mark for me. I still can't figure out who exactly this book is for, it started out good and seemed to be talking to women who are starting their careers. They talked about paying down debt, building an emergency fund, retirement savings and investing. I expected the rest of the book to go more into depth about these topics but instead it took on topics that would be better suited to women who are just moving out of their parent's house. It talked about how to find and decorate an apartment and gave recipes because we should be cooking instead of ordering food delivery. These are not things I need help with and I assume any woman starting a career has already figured them out as well. I don't need a list of things to have in my kitchen or to be told I should actually put effort into my job to build my career. I was hoping for greater details on different types of investments and how to manage one's finances. This is for someone who has no clue how to be an adult and I feel this would've been something I should've read when I was 18 and starting university. Not in my mid 20s as I start building a career.
The second half of the book felt like it didn't match with the first half. If this was marketed as a book for those who are just starting out then it would make sense but it's not and this really wasn't helpful. Also, most of the book is just short interviews with "experts" they've chosen to feature. I found myself skimming through many sections and completely skipping others that were far too basic to be of any value to me. There were also some questionable tips in the book, such as investing in designer workwear pieces. Someone just starting out can't afford Kate Spade dresses and this was a ridiculous suggestion.
I think I'll stick to the Youtube videos, like many things marketed to woman it was slightly infantilizing and I didn't like this book at all. At least it was short
January 1, 2018
Before reading this, I had expected to finish this book being a lot more knowledgeable about finance and stuff. It didn't quite live up my expectations though. The quotes are cheesy and I feel like i'm reading a blog, not a book. I don't think this book was meant for college students like me, more for young adults out of school. Nonetheless, this book did a decent job of introducing me to some financial terms and things to keep in mind for the future. Also, back to the "this book is basically a blog printed" thing, it's not super informative. It has snippets of information like you would find from clicking on internet links here and there, but nothing really entirely in-depth. There was a section about cooking and I totally get that, cooking saves money. But, around 10 pages were taken for recipes. Maybe I don't like Italian food, or like... basically, if I wanted to learn to cook, i'd look at a cookbook.
January 11, 2019
Челси Фаган се опитва да е модерна и да говори езика на милениалите и по-специално младите жени, които за пръв път се сблъскват със самостоятелния финансов живот. В тия опити минават повечето страници на книгата, докато същинската информация е доста малко и важни части от нея са само споменати.
Например, десетки пъти повтаря за фонда за извънредни ситуации, който всеки трябва да има и подробно обяснява за него, въпреки, че какво толкова има да му се обяснява на това да имаш настрани пари колко да преживееш 3-6 месеца за всеки случай? В същото време, инвестициите са споменати като "после инвестирайте в това и това" без каквито и да е обяснения какви са тия неща (взаимни и индексирани фондове, акции, облигации и т.н.) и как точно се инвестира в тях, ако си незапознат младеж, току що получил първата си заплата.
Интересна част от книгата, може да се каже, е само главата "ЛЮБОВ", която всъщност се занимава с финансите на жената във връзка и брак, нуждата от самостоятелност и подготовка за евентуална раздяла - един вид да не допускаш тотално да си зависим от партньора си в този аспект.
Например, десетки пъти повтаря за фонда за извънредни ситуации, който всеки трябва да има и подробно обяснява за него, въпреки, че какво толкова има да му се обяснява на това да имаш настрани пари колко да преживееш 3-6 месеца за всеки случай? В същото време, инвестициите са споменати като "после инвестирайте в това и това" без каквито и да е обяснения какви са тия неща (взаимни и индексирани фондове, акции, облигации и т.н.) и как точно се инвестира в тях, ако си незапознат младеж, току що получил първата си заплата.
Интересна част от книгата, може да се каже, е само главата "ЛЮБОВ", която всъщност се занимава с финансите на жената във връзка и брак, нуждата от самостоятелност и подготовка за евентуална раздяла - един вид да не допускаш тотално да си зависим от партньора си в този аспект.
January 6, 2024
Great beginners guide to navigating money basics. I didn’t learn much that I didn’t already know, but it’s always good to have a read like this as a refresher
January 4, 2022
Very simple finance book for people like me who don't know shiz about budgeting and investing. If you're a total beginner to this stuff, don't listen to reviews from finance nerds. This book is great for newcomers. It did leave me with some questions, but I'm happy to get them answered by other books and the TFD YouTube channel.
January 23, 2023
I really enjoyed the authors writing style with this book. It felt like having a semi informative but still fun convo with a friend. I felt that the advice about money, how to use it, where to start building with retirement funds etc. to be helpful and informative. I found out you can get your child a ROTH IRA once they start earning an income, even from babysitting, and that you can match it so long as whatever you put in is no more than what your child earns. Planning for my children's future retirement because I'll be working the day of my funeral. 😅🥲
I do think this is definitely geared for younger ladies than I bc the book does talk about having a good physical, mental, professional outlook for yourself and shares skills on how to build that. For me, I was looking for just the money aspect of the book so it's fine that it was in there just not what I need right now. Highly recommend though for my younger friends, even if you just want a couple of ideas for building your future retirement.
I do think this is definitely geared for younger ladies than I bc the book does talk about having a good physical, mental, professional outlook for yourself and shares skills on how to build that. For me, I was looking for just the money aspect of the book so it's fine that it was in there just not what I need right now. Highly recommend though for my younger friends, even if you just want a couple of ideas for building your future retirement.
January 10, 2018
Informative, but I wish some of the chapters had gone more in depth. Clearly geared at someone who has no idea what to do with money (i.e. first step: open a 401k) and not as much someone who has the initial bases covered and is looking to go to the next level (like investing).
BUT I really loved the chapters on careers and relationships, both had great advice. And I also appreciated their stance that being good with money isn't about depriving yourself, but about knowing where your money is going and spending it with intention. So you CAN have your avocado toast and eat it too...
BUT I really loved the chapters on careers and relationships, both had great advice. And I also appreciated their stance that being good with money isn't about depriving yourself, but about knowing where your money is going and spending it with intention. So you CAN have your avocado toast and eat it too...
January 2, 2019
I liked the first part of this book, about making a budget and investing for retirement. I assumed the rest of the book would offer a deeper dive into those useful topics, but instead it gave pretty surface advice from a privileged standpoint. I skipped the part about Sex and the City, which seemed irrelevant. Overall, not a complete waste of time, but I skimmed most of it.
November 26, 2017
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review...and here it is!
This book didn't "click" with me. This book was absolutely written with a Millennial reader in mind.
The first indication that this wasn't the book for me was when I read that the author, Chelsea Fagan, had a "tendency to blow thousands of dollars a month on eating out." My response? "Whoa, who has THOUSANDS of dollars A MONTH to spend on food?!"
The second indication that this wasn't the book for me was the casual use of swear words. Lots of "F-word"s and "S-word"s used for emphasis (?). I do use some coarse language when speaking, myself, but I felt that it was unnecessary, distracting, and superfluous here.
I did come away with a few nuggets of truth here, my favorite being "Money doesn't buy you happiness...it buys you comfort, security and options."
I also liked the idea, from the author's mom, to "keep your spice rack full, and your garlic basket fuller."
I wouldn't necessarily read any of this author's other books, nor would I visit her website. Sorry.
This book didn't "click" with me. This book was absolutely written with a Millennial reader in mind.
The first indication that this wasn't the book for me was when I read that the author, Chelsea Fagan, had a "tendency to blow thousands of dollars a month on eating out." My response? "Whoa, who has THOUSANDS of dollars A MONTH to spend on food?!"
The second indication that this wasn't the book for me was the casual use of swear words. Lots of "F-word"s and "S-word"s used for emphasis (?). I do use some coarse language when speaking, myself, but I felt that it was unnecessary, distracting, and superfluous here.
I did come away with a few nuggets of truth here, my favorite being "Money doesn't buy you happiness...it buys you comfort, security and options."
I also liked the idea, from the author's mom, to "keep your spice rack full, and your garlic basket fuller."
I wouldn't necessarily read any of this author's other books, nor would I visit her website. Sorry.
December 20, 2017
An extension of the finance blog of the same name, The Financial Diet is a beautifully designed guide to money for millenials. I really appreciate how both on the blog and in the book, there is an understanding that money is the underlying framework of our entire lives and so the book looks at how your relationship with money is connected to your career, personal style, diet, home, and many other aspects of your lifestyle.
September 16, 2019
"Saving money isn't about depriving yourself. It's about deciding you love Future You as much as you love Today You."It's been a few months since I finished reading this book and life has been super hectic lately, that's why I'm writing this review 2 months late 😂. I'll try my best to write this review based on what I remember about this book. Since I'm now in my mid-20s, I'm slowly becoming more aware about my finances and wanted to get better at managing my money. To be honest, I used to be really bad at managing my money because back when I was a lot younger, I didn't know the hardship of earning money 😂😂. Now that I've worked for almost 5 years, I'm being a lot more mindful about where I spend my money. Back in my college days, I would buy more than 10 books in a month without any consideration. And now, I didn't even buy a single book in more than 6 months 😂. It was a pretty life-changing decision (a hard one, too), but I was able to save a lot of money because of that.
And so when I discovered this book, I was immediately interested and decided to pick it up. I was hoping to learn a lot of things that will help me to get better with money. For the most part, I really enjoyed this book and was able to note some of the financial principles that I wanted to implement on my own life. The book also included a lot of adorable illustrations that makes it a lot more interesting. However, there are also some parts that I wasn't able to relate to because they're things that are only applicable in the United States; while on the other hand, I'm living in an entirely different continent where some things work differently 😂. But as I've said, I still really enjoyed the majority of this book and just decided to skip some parts that seems irrelevant for me.
"The way we live today dictates everything about the kind of life we will have tomorrow, and even though this cliché was a painful one for me to accept, a dollar not wasted is just as good as a dollar earned."
"You can't be on a financial diet unless you force yourself to confront the nutrition facts of your spending habits, no matter how gruesome they might be that first time you take a look around your transaction history."In this review, I'll share parts of this book that I find interesting. The first one, is the tips on How to Get Good with Money in a Year; the tips consists of creating a budget, building an emergency fund, doing a credit card checkup, adding another source of extra income, etc. This book also reminded us about the importance of having a budget tracker—which is something that I've done since March 2015 and have definitely felt the benefit of using it (that's why I kept doing it for years). Budgeting tracker is used to track all source of income, expenses, and the amount of leftover money that remains. There's also an additional resource for this book that includes budgeting questions that helps us reflect on our purchases and look back on how we've spent our money. This part definitely made me rethink my mindset about spending money and how I'm able to manage it better in the future. Cait Flanders also offered some good financial strategies; one of them is pausing before making any purchase (which I've tried to do for several years and has saved me from a lot of impulsive buying).
There's also food category that talks about home cooking—a few recipes are included in the book, but I decided to skip this part since I don't really cook 😂. But the interesting part for me was the list of Essential Kitchen Tools that we might need and also the necessary herbs, seasonings, and pastes, to have at home. I also learnt about this in a book on minimalism and I think this list will be so useful for me in the future when I have my own home. 😊 On that note, there's also a chapter on home; which included a list of Essential Tool Kits you need to have in a house. I really like the mindset shared in this chapter; it teaches me not to be too focused on things looking nice so that it'll suits the ideal home in our head. That was quite a hard pill to swallow for me because I do have my own imagination about how my home should look like. But now after reading this book, I'm trying to compromise and focus more on fitting into the budget so that I can reach a bigger financial goal in the future.
"I'd like to own property someday, so sacrificing on rent now and not paying for things I can't afford is a fair exchange. Being smart about when and where I invest in furniture or decor, and accepting that I can't have everything nice all at once, is just part of the mentality I have to adopt, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy where I am at the present moment."Another really interesting chapter is about the issue of money in relationships. I was especially excited to read this one because I know that money is a sensitive issue in any kinds of relationships—a romantic one, in friendship, and even in families. Over the past thirty years, money has also been either number one/tow cause of divorce. This book also offered some helpful tips for working out a money issue in any relationship, which I obviously highlighted and saved for future needs 😂. The last topic that I'll mention in this review is about having realistic dreams. This book went a little bit against the idea of 'follow your dreams', because sometimes doing so requires a lot of resources—which includes money. I really like how the author suggests that we should dream medium; which means that we should strive for a dream within our means and gradually grow from there.
Overall, as you can see from the length of my review, I enjoyed many parts of this book. The writing was fun to read and I really like the mindset and principles that are shared by the author and other experts involved. For those of you who are just starting to learn about managing your finances, this book is a pretty light read that can get you started. I wish an Indonesian writer would publish a book similar to this so that everything will be more relatable for me personally. (Maybe it has been published and I just didn't know it yet 😂). I'm really eager to look for other books that touches on financial topics such as this one because I feel like I still have a lot to learn! 😆
"Pop culture may have led us to believe that life should be a series of champagne brunches, Prince Charmings with black cards, and occasional money problems that magically sort themselves out in a neat two-episode arc, but real life is nothing like that. The point is, the only way we're going to have not just the relationships that satisfy us and evolve with us but the freedom to live that rich, fulfilling adult life is to be honest. We owe it to ourselves, and the people around us, to be open about our needs and our differences, and to not allow a little thing like money take a relationship down because we refuse to look it in the eye."
Read the full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2019/0...
January 13, 2018
My dad recommended this book to me after hearing it was a finance book aimed at millennial women and hearing an interview of Chelsea Fagan, probably on NPR.
Since working on my finances is a goal for me this year, i was eager to have a good beginners guide that was accessible and informative. I would say this delivered on inspiring me to learn more about finances, but it didn’t really have a lot of the information a handbook should have.
There were a few tips and tidbits that stood out to me, like a career checklist and Chelsea’s recommendation to have multiple streams of income or “side hustles.” I also liked that it consulted a lot of different people to give a rounded perspective.
However as far as practicality, I think it would have been more helpful to spend more pages explaining 401(k)s and IRAs than sharing budget friendly recipes. The guidelines for how to budget effectively basically could be summarized by saying you need to experiment to find what’s right for you (duh) and the sample budgets were not detailed enough to be helpful.
For me, this book reinforced what I already knew about the importance budgeting and saving (with a few extra tips that I will keep in mind), but it didn’t give me very much practical advice on how to do so. I do feel more confident that I can afford to save and invest, but again the “how” of it will still need more research.
I would recommend this book as a decent intro to managing money with a lot of inspo, but not as any kind of practical guidebook.
Since working on my finances is a goal for me this year, i was eager to have a good beginners guide that was accessible and informative. I would say this delivered on inspiring me to learn more about finances, but it didn’t really have a lot of the information a handbook should have.
There were a few tips and tidbits that stood out to me, like a career checklist and Chelsea’s recommendation to have multiple streams of income or “side hustles.” I also liked that it consulted a lot of different people to give a rounded perspective.
However as far as practicality, I think it would have been more helpful to spend more pages explaining 401(k)s and IRAs than sharing budget friendly recipes. The guidelines for how to budget effectively basically could be summarized by saying you need to experiment to find what’s right for you (duh) and the sample budgets were not detailed enough to be helpful.
For me, this book reinforced what I already knew about the importance budgeting and saving (with a few extra tips that I will keep in mind), but it didn’t give me very much practical advice on how to do so. I do feel more confident that I can afford to save and invest, but again the “how” of it will still need more research.
I would recommend this book as a decent intro to managing money with a lot of inspo, but not as any kind of practical guidebook.
December 22, 2017
I Have Been Fired From A Dozen Jobs
In THE FINANCIAL DIET, author Chelsea Fagan provides a ton of practical ways to manage your money, as well as ideas on furthering your career. In the beginning pages, the author admits to her many foolish decisions as a kid. In particular, she laments this big mistake: “The day I turned eighteen, I acquired my little card full of free money, and maxed it out within a month and a half of delirious spending.”
I bet a lot of readers can identify with the foolhardy decisions we all made when young.
The book especially focuses on suggestions for readers who are just beginning the journey on sound money management. Thus, Chelsea includes valuable tips such as, “#4. Automate What You Can Card payments, bill payments, and savings transfers should all be automatically made from your checking account. This way, you won’t tempt yourself to not save.”
Here is a tip that I especially liked. “Even if you just dedicate a few hours a month to a side job, even one additional stream of income has a huge impact.” I’ve never really thought seriously about doing that—now I will!
Here’s another gem: Don’t slide into a “CEO lifestyle” where you tell yourself how much you deserve all the money-wasting things you buy.
There is one feature of this book that is especially commendable: Chelsea doesn’t just rely on her OWN ideas—she consults experts whom she respects for their business wisdom. So instead of just getting the perspective from the author, the reader gets advice from lots of different folks. I don’t think I’ve seen that particular format in any other personal finance book.
For example, the author consults with Bridget Casey, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, and asks her, “What are the three most important financial strategies you live by?” The author repeats this “Q&A” approach many times throughout the book. I thought this was a really wise idea.
So all I all, I found THE FINANCIAL DIET to be a surprisingly fun read—as well as a practical book. The author is a witty and funny writer. She turns a pretty dull subject into something a lot more interesting. The illustrations by Eve Mobley also add a nice touch. There is a glossary of business terms appendix.
The end of the book has a few closing exhortations to the reader. She wants the reader to figure out “What you really want out of your life— not just the “big” things, but how you want your average day to look and what you want to be doing with it. “
Good advice!
Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.
In THE FINANCIAL DIET, author Chelsea Fagan provides a ton of practical ways to manage your money, as well as ideas on furthering your career. In the beginning pages, the author admits to her many foolish decisions as a kid. In particular, she laments this big mistake: “The day I turned eighteen, I acquired my little card full of free money, and maxed it out within a month and a half of delirious spending.”
I bet a lot of readers can identify with the foolhardy decisions we all made when young.
The book especially focuses on suggestions for readers who are just beginning the journey on sound money management. Thus, Chelsea includes valuable tips such as, “#4. Automate What You Can Card payments, bill payments, and savings transfers should all be automatically made from your checking account. This way, you won’t tempt yourself to not save.”
Here is a tip that I especially liked. “Even if you just dedicate a few hours a month to a side job, even one additional stream of income has a huge impact.” I’ve never really thought seriously about doing that—now I will!
Here’s another gem: Don’t slide into a “CEO lifestyle” where you tell yourself how much you deserve all the money-wasting things you buy.
There is one feature of this book that is especially commendable: Chelsea doesn’t just rely on her OWN ideas—she consults experts whom she respects for their business wisdom. So instead of just getting the perspective from the author, the reader gets advice from lots of different folks. I don’t think I’ve seen that particular format in any other personal finance book.
For example, the author consults with Bridget Casey, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, and asks her, “What are the three most important financial strategies you live by?” The author repeats this “Q&A” approach many times throughout the book. I thought this was a really wise idea.
So all I all, I found THE FINANCIAL DIET to be a surprisingly fun read—as well as a practical book. The author is a witty and funny writer. She turns a pretty dull subject into something a lot more interesting. The illustrations by Eve Mobley also add a nice touch. There is a glossary of business terms appendix.
The end of the book has a few closing exhortations to the reader. She wants the reader to figure out “What you really want out of your life— not just the “big” things, but how you want your average day to look and what you want to be doing with it. “
Good advice!
Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.
September 29, 2019
I appreciated the accessibility of the book to a complete novice in the financial field. Explanations were very well phrased and the numerous anecdotes and interviews provided a wide range of viewpoints and catered to the specific areas I was curious about while giving me an overview of financial aspects I had never considered.
As a millennial/ gen-z this book was a wonderful jumping off point for me and I would highly recommend it to other people with financial dreams but no concrete understanding of what that looks like in our quickly changing world.
As a millennial/ gen-z this book was a wonderful jumping off point for me and I would highly recommend it to other people with financial dreams but no concrete understanding of what that looks like in our quickly changing world.
June 25, 2024
basic without a lot of depth, and doesn’t offer a lot of really actual useful knowledge about finances, but i was inspired by the arc of the book being “this is how you control your finances” and “this is why you want to be in control of your finances” because sometimes i think we lose sight of what it means to be rich
January 7, 2022
This book looked so appealing!
Beautifully formatted and glossy and fun!
While a lot of people hated on the format, you gotta appeal to some ladies. Cosmo is popular for a reason and so are certain chick-lit covers and magazines- it’s appealing and cute and stylish ! And not always stereotypically so.
So I have no beef with the format-
In the end I enjoyed it, but it was more like adulting that personal finance. Still a cute addition to my personal finance book collection.
Beautifully formatted and glossy and fun!
While a lot of people hated on the format, you gotta appeal to some ladies. Cosmo is popular for a reason and so are certain chick-lit covers and magazines- it’s appealing and cute and stylish ! And not always stereotypically so.
So I have no beef with the format-
In the end I enjoyed it, but it was more like adulting that personal finance. Still a cute addition to my personal finance book collection.
February 21, 2018
This is definitely helpful since I will be moving out of my Mom's house and into my first adult house soon.
March 27, 2019
This would have been great to find when I was a teenager or in college. Pretty basic, but I liked how they did not present one universal plan for financial planning, it’s a personal thing.
July 8, 2025
pretty basic advice for a lot of topics. very millennial
July 27, 2022
Санхүүгийн ярвигтай, сүрдмээр нэр томъёонууд ашиглаагүй, ойлгоход амар, энгийн ном байна. 20-иод насандаа уншсан бол гэж бодогдлоо
August 17, 2023
I really liked this book- I love Chelsea’s YouTube channel, so I was excited to read everything she talks about in one spot! Highly recommend for young professional women.
July 16, 2018
I heard about this book after discovering Chelsea on YouTube and watching some of her videos on finance. I had just finished reading "You are a Badass at Making Money" by Jen Sincero and I was looking for a more practical approach at managing my finances while I still had the positive energy flowing. What I wanted was a book with very specific resources for beginner's, budget examples and suggestions on how to begin changing spending habits. What I got was a cookbook, advice from wealthy "celebrity" contributors, and Pinterest worthy pull quotes in a souped up coffee table book.
The book was a casual enough read that I gave it a two-star rating instead of a one-star because it wasn't a total waste of time. In fact, I was at least inspired to start a budget (not like I actually know how to put one together no thanks to this book). I was even enjoying this book for the most part until I stumbled upon the chapter that discussed money in relationships and I had to sit through a whole chapter of Sex and the City references. I kid you not the author debates whether she is a Samantha or a Charlotte for a paragraph in terms of her spending and saving money. I can't believe we are in 2018 and we still have to make Sex and the City analogies to make a point to women. It's like other women don't know how to relate to other women if they're not putting in terms of an early 2000's sitcom. I don't get it at all. I couldn't even focus on the advice being given in this chapter because of it's cringe worthy opening. Not to mention I'm single and I'm not trying to navigate anyone else's financials except my own right now.
Not only did I skip past the romance chapter, but I flipped through the recipes too. I know better than anyone that spending money out on food is expensive and we should all eat at home to save but the recipes were of no interest to me. I'm a vegetarian and most of the meals contained meat so I lost interest pretty fast. I also didn't care for the fashion advice or a lot of the other gendered advice in this book. I guess I'm on the look out for something more fact-based and tangible and not so much an urban outfitters coffee table book.
I've also decided in a way, to break-up with Chelsea and TFD on YouTube. I've just decided I have much different outlooks on money and the life I'd like to live. It's nothing personal, I just think after reading this I'd be better to find people who inspire me. I loved hearing about Chelsea's background having been fired in countless positions in her early 20's and working minimum wage jobs until she found her passion and I think she's easy to relate to for the most part. However, towards the end of the book she kind of shit on some ideals that made me not like her as much. After reading Sincero's work I'm very much a believer in making your life what you want it to be and not having limited beliefs about your life. That being said, I kind of turned on Chelsea when she called bullshit on inspirational sayings such as, "Follow your dreams".
"Empty inspirational sayings are one of the most dangerous things a young ambitious woman can encounter because they don't just make you feel like you're failing to live up to your truest potential, they make you feel like your'e an asshole for failing."
Also this....
"I dream medium with my money because I know what goals are realistic for me and what behaviors are realistic for a flawed human like myself."
The second quote is so full of negative, limiting thoughts it made me sad just reading it. My point is, maybe I'm naive and still believe in the power of thought and positive thinking. But me? I don't dream medium with anything and I don't think of myself as a flawed human. I don't feel like I'm failing when I hear people say "follow your dreams". I feel like an empowered young woman who has the power to change my life and others and so after reading the last couple of chapters of this book I decided that I will look elsewhere for advice because it's not a great fit for me and Chels.
The book was a casual enough read that I gave it a two-star rating instead of a one-star because it wasn't a total waste of time. In fact, I was at least inspired to start a budget (not like I actually know how to put one together no thanks to this book). I was even enjoying this book for the most part until I stumbled upon the chapter that discussed money in relationships and I had to sit through a whole chapter of Sex and the City references. I kid you not the author debates whether she is a Samantha or a Charlotte for a paragraph in terms of her spending and saving money. I can't believe we are in 2018 and we still have to make Sex and the City analogies to make a point to women. It's like other women don't know how to relate to other women if they're not putting in terms of an early 2000's sitcom. I don't get it at all. I couldn't even focus on the advice being given in this chapter because of it's cringe worthy opening. Not to mention I'm single and I'm not trying to navigate anyone else's financials except my own right now.
Not only did I skip past the romance chapter, but I flipped through the recipes too. I know better than anyone that spending money out on food is expensive and we should all eat at home to save but the recipes were of no interest to me. I'm a vegetarian and most of the meals contained meat so I lost interest pretty fast. I also didn't care for the fashion advice or a lot of the other gendered advice in this book. I guess I'm on the look out for something more fact-based and tangible and not so much an urban outfitters coffee table book.
I've also decided in a way, to break-up with Chelsea and TFD on YouTube. I've just decided I have much different outlooks on money and the life I'd like to live. It's nothing personal, I just think after reading this I'd be better to find people who inspire me. I loved hearing about Chelsea's background having been fired in countless positions in her early 20's and working minimum wage jobs until she found her passion and I think she's easy to relate to for the most part. However, towards the end of the book she kind of shit on some ideals that made me not like her as much. After reading Sincero's work I'm very much a believer in making your life what you want it to be and not having limited beliefs about your life. That being said, I kind of turned on Chelsea when she called bullshit on inspirational sayings such as, "Follow your dreams".
"Empty inspirational sayings are one of the most dangerous things a young ambitious woman can encounter because they don't just make you feel like you're failing to live up to your truest potential, they make you feel like your'e an asshole for failing."
Also this....
"I dream medium with my money because I know what goals are realistic for me and what behaviors are realistic for a flawed human like myself."
The second quote is so full of negative, limiting thoughts it made me sad just reading it. My point is, maybe I'm naive and still believe in the power of thought and positive thinking. But me? I don't dream medium with anything and I don't think of myself as a flawed human. I don't feel like I'm failing when I hear people say "follow your dreams". I feel like an empowered young woman who has the power to change my life and others and so after reading the last couple of chapters of this book I decided that I will look elsewhere for advice because it's not a great fit for me and Chels.
September 16, 2018
Three stars for the beneficial points, however, most of it is actually irrelevant if you are not from US
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