Buffy McDonald, Reference Librarian, recommends You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham.

As the holiday season draws near, it is a good time to take stock and think of the things you are grateful for: relationships you have, goals you’ve accomplished, etc. Maybe a personal financial plan or savings goals aren’t at the top of your list, but they could be. Developing a financial plan that helps you to live the life you want could be one of the most wonderful things you do for yourself and something you will be grateful for all year long. If I have piqued your interest, consider reading You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham.

Are your money decisions in line with the life you want to be living? What do you want your money to do for you? Thinking of budgeting in this way is a lot different than how we normally think about it. A budget is actually a way to help you plan for the things you really want – a way of letting your priorities drive your financial choices. Start now funding the life you really want by reading this book and applying its four rules.

Are your money decisions in line with the life you want to be living? 

The magic in the four rules this book describes: The first rule is to give every dollar a job.  Meaning, as soon as any money comes into your life, whether it is a paycheck or a gift, you decide where you want it to go. It could be to help pay for your mortgage or rent, food, emergency savings, or something else. So, for every dollar that you have right now, “give it a job”. Earmark it for whatever it is you want to spend it on or save it for later. 

The second rule is to embrace your true expenses. Prepare a little bit at a time. This rule includes acknowledging that the holiday season comes every year. And, if you save in monthly installments for the amount you want to spend on gifts, the money will be there when you need it. This is also true for auto maintenance and repairs, post office box rentals, clothes, athletic gear, home improvements, etc. The trick is to save money every month to cover all of your expenses – your “true expenses”.

Next comes “roll with the punches”. This is a reminder that life does not always go as planned. Maybe inflation has increased how much you spend on food and gas. Having a budget will help you see clearly how much money you have and how much you need. If you need to spend more on food and gas, then take money from lower-priority categories in your budget or consider other alternatives. This rule gives you flexibility in your spending. As long as you keep moving toward your goals, you are succeeding.

…this is also the moment you have stopped living paycheck to paycheck

Finally, the fourth rule is to age your money. (The first three rules help you to accomplish this fourth one.)  This fourth rule is the essence of saving for the unknown. Aging your money simply means that when you have money coming in, you are not spending it as quickly as maybe you once did. You are “aging it”. You are increasing the time that passes between receiving your money and spending it. And by doing so, you are increasing your financial security and flexibility. An example: you are halfway through the current month, and you have already saved all the money you will need (including true expenses) to pay next month’s bills by the first of the month. In this case, you have aged your money at least 30 days. And happily, this is also the moment you have stopped living paycheck to paycheck. Congratulations!

I hope this book will help ease some of your financial stress.  I know it has for me.

Happy reading!

Find You Need a Budget in eBook Here.

Regional History Museum Librarian, Olivia Terry, recommends The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker.

The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker tells the fictional story of Sylvia Wren, one of America’s most iconic artists of the twentieth century. Her vast talent has made her a household name, but Sylvia herself is an extremely private person, careful not to reveal any details from her past. But when a reporter starts aggressively digging into her life, Sylvia quickly unravels, unable to suppress the secrets of who she once was.

Sylvia isn’t actually Sylvia. She is Iris Chapel, the second youngest of the six Chapel sisters and the only surviving sibling. Growing up in the 1950s, Aster, Rosalind, Calla, Daphne, Iris, and Hazel, are essentially trapped in their giant Victorian family home, living with their uninvolved father and eccentric mother. The six Chapel sisters are heiresses to the Chapel rifle fortune, but this seems to cause more harm than good. Shortly into the book, it becomes clear that a few members of the family are haunted by the past in more ways than one.

When Astor, the oldest sister, becomes engaged, it seems that the way out of their monotonous lives has finally been found. But when she dies unexpectedly the very next day, and the same fate falls on the next sister to get married, it seems like something much more tragic faces the sisters than their confined lives. As Iris’s mother forebodes, something terrible is about to happen.

…it straddles the fine line between exploring the value of an independent life, and the pivotal question of the whole tale: What is a life without love?

If you are looking for a coming of age story mixed with a ghost story, complemented with  dreamy flashbacks, this book is for you. The Cherry Robbers is an absolute page-turner and offers an interesting perspective on the power dynamics in male and female relationships. It prompts readers to think deeply, while it straddles the fine line between exploring the value of an independent life, and the pivotal question of the whole tale: What is a life without love? This is a book that I couldn’t put down.

Find in in FICTION Walker here.