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Finances are someone everyone has to deal with, but few people actually take the time to understand. Sure, you can skate through life just spending what you make and keeping up with the masses. Don’t you want more than that though? Don’t you want to learn how to actually be in control of your money?
When I want to learn something, the first thing I do is pick up a book. I’ve read plenty on money since I decided I wanted to make changes to our spending habits. When we moved into our first home, we had a lot of BIG unexpected expenses come up and seeing that money leave our account was maddening. I wanted control back of our finances, so I started reading.
It took me awhile, and a few rereads, to apply what I read. There are plenty of financial books out there, but the ones I’ve listed are the ones I got the most out of. Snag a few on your next Amazon order!
1. The Automatic Millionaire
I saw this book recommended a few times and decided to purchase one day. I can honestly tell you that it changed my life financially. I love the practicality of this book and tips on managing your money without much effort. I also love the dropped pressure of sticking to a budget dollar for dollar. Budgets are helpful and necessary to understand your financial abilities, but some people don’t operate well with having to account for every dollar at the beginning of each month. I like the author’s take on the concept of budgeting for this reason as it certainly isn’t effective for everyone.
Instead of budgeting, the author gears towards making your saving/investing as automated as possible. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “passive income,” but do you think about passive saving? The amount of people that admit to not actually saving any of their income each month is astounding. If you need a kick in the rear to understand why you need to be investing in your future, this is the book.
2. Total Money Makeover
Would this be recommendations of “take back your life” books without Dave Ramsey’s total money makeover book? I don’t think so. This was the book that got me into truly managing our finances. Anyone that has dipped their toe in taking control of their money has heard of Dave Ramsey. He has a radio show that people call in tears because he’s helped them pay off their debt and change their lives. In this book, Dave gives you a 7 step plan on how to (hopefully) make yourself a millionaire by the time you retire. This books explains those steps in great detail and how to get through the tough beginning steps as fast as possible.
I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t LOVE Dave, but I think it would be a major disservice to not tell you to read this book. I find some of his recommendations to be pretty extreme. It takes a lot of sacrifice to get out of debt, but I think there’s a line where it is too much. The reality is, anyone could get hit by a bus tomorrow. So yes, work hard to pay off debt as quickly as possible, but don’t sacrifice the today you have for the tomorrow you might not.
3. The Recovering Spender: How to live a Happy, Fullfiled, Debt-Free Life
Out of all the books on this list, this one spoke to me the most. The author felt very relatable in my season of life and her previous views on money were similar to what I grew up knowing.
I’ve always had this thought that your belongings are your status symbol and were well deserved things your worked for. Getting married and having our son I decided this wasn’t an ideal I wanted our family to be centered around. I wanted the opposite. I don’t want my son thinking the type of vehicles we own or the size of our home dictates his seat at any table. If it does, I want him to know that table probably isn’t worth sitting at anyway. I want him to surround himself with good people, not people who look good.
I loved following along with her story and how she learned giving up material things helped her feel more fulfilled mentally and emotionally. This book is a little deeper than “just stop spending money” and a great read to uncover your shortcomings in your spending habits.
4. Know Yourself, Know Your Money
If the thought of going deeper into why you spend the way you do is intriguing (it should be), you have to snag this book. Written by Dave Ramsey’s daughter, Rachel Cruze, this read will help you uncover the why in your spending and use it to your advantage. If you’re constantly coming up short every month and don’t understand why you’re not on that budget you spent time preparing, you’re needing some boundaries. I think a lot of people lack self control when it comes to money and it’s a learned habit to just impulsively spend. Cruze challenges you to get honest with yourself on these habits and really dig down to the beliefs behind them.
You’re never too old to stop learning, and learning to manage your finances is essential. I love reading and getting to learn something in the process is so satisfying. I hope you get the opportunity to pick up a few of these books, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts on them in the comments!
