It’s been too long since I’ve written on this blog, and so when I was invited to read Live. Save. Spend. Repeat. The Life You Want with the Money You Have. by Kim Anderson, I thought it’d be a great book to jump back into blogging with. Because who doesn’t need to get better with money? I am sure many of you are like me with debt and secret dreams you don’t even acknowledge or explore because they just seem impossible.

Here are 5 of my favorite things from this book that make it different from any financial book I’ve read:

1. Kim’s God- and grace-centered reminders sprinkled throughout the book. I loved her discussion of the Israelites and the Promised Land and how we can do the same with our current financial situation:

It would be easy for us to do the same. To look at our current situation and hyperfocus on all that we don’t have, all that’s wrong with our finances, or the money fails we’ve made. But we just can’t. You have to keep your eye on the hope that God has good planned for your life.

It takes inner strength and focus to have faith despite how you feel or what your circumstances look like. You can indeed transform that faith into energy that fuels your actions toward significant change (29).

I’ve been struggling lately with shame and regret for financial choices. My bills are sky-high, and I’ve been meaning to really sit down and cut items from my budget, haggle with utility companies, etc. But life happened, and I put these things aside, and while God has provided each month, I could have used this money to pay down debts and maybe even get the dental work or glasses I need, maybe take a trip to see my family. I’ve been battling shame for all the money wasted, and Kim is reminding me that there is grace. That God can redeem even my finances.

2. How she comes right alongside us like a friend and cheerleader and shows us how each step forward is progress. Sometimes we can get paralyzed by fear and feel that our goal is so huge we could never reach it. Kim tells us (and shows us how) we “have the ability to make small, intentional choices that lead to big change” (13). And she gives us tons of step-by-step, practical tools to help us feel empowered to take these steps. I love her line, “What can I do today to move forward?” (86). This applies to so many areas of life.

3. Her focus on our life and dreams. There are tons of exercises and activities in this book to help us bring our dreams and goals (she calls them “momentum milestones”) into focus. For someone who is detail-oriented with a survivalist mentality, the big picture scares me, ya’ll. But Kim is making me want to sit down and dream, putting pen to paper with her guided exercises. She is giving me hope that perhaps I could put some legs on my secret dreams.

4. She helps us figure out what will motivate us to keep on with our goals. Kim provides five different ways we are motivated to achieve the goals we have set (“momentum motivators”): reward driven, competition, intrinsic motivation, mini milestone achievements, and coaching. It’s SO enlightening to read the descriptions of each; we are each created differently, and perhaps we’ve just been using the wrong-fit of motivation to keep on.

5. She is REAL. Kim comes alongside us and gets real about the things we’ve felt in our hearts or struggle with financially and gives us encouragement and realistic perspectives—for example, how to handle the judgment (or our perceived judgment) of others toward us as we make healthy money decisions and how we can make room in our budget for those “Must-Have Happy Habits,” those little things that may seem nonessential to others but bring joy to our lives.

So yes, this is a great money book with tons of budget forms, creative and thrifty tips, and other money-saving guidance, but it’s written by an author who writes like she is a friend sitting across the table with us as we drink a delicious beverage (for me, it’s an iced coffee with toffee-nut syrup—my “Must-Have Happy Habit”) and chat about our finances, fears, and dreams—with hesitation at first but eventually with hope and a plan.

I’m thinking next week’s post will be about money and dating. Stay tuned!!!

It’s so nice to be writing here again! I hope you enjoy Kim’s book! Have a great week!!!

Stayed tuned to my blog and Dating with Jesus Instagram and Twitter for a GIVEAWAY of Live. Save. Spend. Repeat. The Life You Want with the Money You Have.

Also check out Kim’s blog: https://thriftylittlemom.com.

***

P.S. I literally just got a call from my accountant, and my stomach dropped. I’m a freelancer and have to pay my own taxes, and the number is more than I expected. A good amount more. But I’m determined not to step back into shame but to move forward in faith that God and the help of this book will lead me into more and more financial freedom. Thank you, Jesus, for sending me this book before receiving this news. You are my provider and my refuge. You supply my needs, and you will lead me step by step toward freedom in my finances. Amen.