I was very excited to recently receive a pre-release copy of the book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine to review here on ecoMomical Me. Now first I must say that Crystal is one of my absolute favorite bloggers (moneysavingmom.com), not just because of her content but because of her spirit and it shows thru in the book as well!

This book is not your average dry, boring book telling you all the ways to cut your spending. Instead this book inspires you and motivates you! Not only is the advice that Crystal gives practical, but it is also personal. She has been there and done just about everything in this book! If she can find a way to “squeeze a dollar out of a dime“, she let’s you know how she did it.

Now I am about the most frugal person I know and my friends tell me the same thing, so I didn’t expect to learn any new tricks in this book… boy was I wrong! I have read many personal finance books such as Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half and The Total Money Makeover and I figured there wasn’t much more to learn, but Crystal has some new ideas to help you get your finances under control. And I am so glad that she covered the most important part first, getting organized!

In The Money Saving Mom’s Budget Crystal shares exactly how to get organized, and it’s not rocket science but she tells you exactly what you need to here. I always struggle with not getting all my ‘To-Do’ list accomplished and well she helps you to realize what is a realistic goal, and to not set yourself up for failure. My friends will also tell you that I am extremely organized (or so it seems) but I truly needed to hear many of the suggestions Crystal mentions in her book, and I can’t wait to put them all into practice!

Now being a former coupon and store match-up blogger, I figured I would know all the resources for cutting your expenses, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn several new resources. Crystal even has a chapter on “Going Out On The Town Without Going Broke” with some fun and creative ideas on how to spoil yourself with out splurging!

My absolute favorite part of the book, is well… the very last page. After reading through the Acknowledgements, which I don’t normally do but Crystal inspired me to, you will find the most important paragraph in the entire book. Not only is this book going to help you get your finances under control but, when you purchase The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine you will also be giving to Compassion International! Crystal is donating all the proceeds from the sale of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget to Compassion International!!! When you purchase this book you will be helping women and children in the Dominican Republic through Compassion International! Crystal not only encourages you to give but she allows you to give just by purchasing her book and leading by example. I am truly inspired by Crystal and her hard work and dedication to God, her family and her blog.

Let me finish by telling you:

• “You don’t have to be stuck unless you choose to be. No matter the state of your finances, there is hope!” and this book will help you with simple and straight forward solutions.
• If you think you are the cheapest person on Earth and know all there is to know about saving money, you can always learn something new (I did!)
• If you purchase this book you will help women and children through the proceeds donated to Compassion International… that’s worth the purchase!

Now run don’t walk to your nearest book store or go over to Amazon.com and pick up your copy of  The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine, heck why not pick up a couple extra copies for friends and family too?!

After you purchase the book(s) be sure to check out Crystal’s blog MoneySavingMom.com for some great giveaways this week to go with the launch of her new book, as well as find more wonderful money saving tips!

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