The authors were kind enough to get a complimentary copy of Living the Savvy Life into my hands a while back. Subtitled “The Savvy Woman's Guide to Smart Spending and Rich Living,” Melissa Tosetti and Kevin Gibbons have a lot to say in this 219-page book. The book's primary audience is indeed as advertised in the subtitle, but there is still good advice for both genders in the book.
Personal finance authors have it pretty tough these days. With so many personal finance books on the market, it's always a challenge to present a unique view on the topic. Some of the (small number of) critical reviews (one- and two-star reviews) of this on Amazon mentioned that the advice given in parts of the book was nothing new. But I don't hold that against any personal finance author, because good personal finance advice truly is “nothing new.” Spending less than you make will always be good financial advice, and it always has been. Of course.
Approach a new finance book looking for that one good idea
Given that some of the stuff will be things that you've heard before — like “live within your means,” “pay off your debts,” “embrace the magic of compound interest,” etc. — treat the book as a treasure hunt. Look for new spins on parts of the topic. Look for that One Good Idea that will more than make up the cost of the book — maybe pay you back hundreds of times.
The book has eighteen chapters:
- The Savvy Life Philosophy
- The Golden Rule
- Savvy Habits
- You Can Afford It
- Where We Spend Our Money
- Home
- Entertainment
- Wardrobe
- Beauty
- Food
- Money
- What is Important to You?
- Savvy Shopping
- Celebrity Savvy Life Role Models
- The Core of the Savvy Life
- Tricks to Stay Motivated
- Your Savvy Life
- Favorite Resources
(I'll let you in on a confession. I didn't spend a whole lot of time on the Beauty chapter. Now that that's out of the way …)
Different people will resonate with different chapters of the book. For me, it was the chapter on food. What hit me right between the eyes was this statement on page 138:
There is no longer an excuse of not knowing how to cook.
That knocked me back a couple of feet, because I really don't know how to cook, and I know how easy it is to grab a sub at Sheetz, or grab Chinese at my favorite takeout place. But knowing how to cook really does make a big difference. My parents know how to cook — both of them. And they both happen to be quite well off now. I know there's a connection between how much you eat in and what your net worth is. So this chapter gave me several good ideas on tackling the problem of eating out too much.
The other “good idea treasure trove” was the chapter on Home. One example related directly to the chapter on Food:
Keeping a clean home also helps save you money. When the kitchen is clean and there are no dirty dishes in the sink, it's much more inviting to cook.
So after reading this I try a little more to stay on top of the dishes — and the kitchen in general — to make it more inviting. And it also brings a small improved sense of control, which feeds positively on other areas.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It doesn't take a whole lot of new stuff in a book for it to be worth my while. If I get a good idea out of the book — and I got several out of this book — then it's worth my time.
And I think that Living the Savvy Life will be worth yours as well.
Thanks for the review! I totally agree with you that there is not new financial advice introduced in personal finance books, but you can usually find great nuggets in each that you can hold on to. It is great that you were able to find that in this book, and that alone would makes it worth the read!
I’ve been wanting to read this book! I love the line about cooking, and I learned the point about keeping a clean kitchen a few years ago. Thanks for the review.
With so many restaurents around, I’m really surprised when I find people that do cook and eat at home (I mean besides us)!
Even if you cook just some of your meals at home you will be ahead. Most meals you cook are healthier too. Get a beginner’s cookbook or one with quick & easy recipes & go for it!
I read this post to my wife and she said “Absolutely! A clean kitchen DOES lead to saving money.” She’s is fastidious about keeping a clean kitchen and fridge because if it’s organized and clean, you know what you have and you are likely to cook what you have already. And, cooking at home (if you use quality ingredients) is not only insurance for your health and it’s good for your budget.
Oh man that is so true about having a clean kitchen and cooking at home more! I am so bad at both but I definitely make meals at home when the sink is empty and I have a clean pan! -Sydney
It never hurts to learn a new trick! I agree with you on personal finance advice… nothing is new news and it’s pretty much just common sense. You can always walk away with a golden nugget though with every book you pick up …mostly!
This book looks really good, I know just the person to buy this for!
The link to book isn’t working for me.
Cooking at home is so much healthier.
“Keeping a clean home also helps save you money.”
I love that. I think having a clean home also makes me more productive. I work from home and whenever the house is a mess I tend to get a lot less done and make a lot less money. 🙂