The Spender’s Guide to Debt-Free Living audiobook

As a twenty-something with student loan debt and a yes-I've-heard-everything-there-is-to-hear-about-budgets attitude, this book was a refreshing and convicting read.THE GOOD:The plan as a whole, even though most people probably won't go to the extreme of completely needs-only spending as she did. It involves researching one's debts and assets so that the "if I ignore it, it isn't a problem" excuse no longer applies. We then create a debt hit list, prioritizing those with high interest and/or emotional weight.As for spending, we separate expenses into needs and wants. I particularly like how she explains needs as "essential expenses paid each month, as well as expenses that contribute to your functioning as a whole, healthy human". This means that if you have a passion (photography in her case), cutting it out entirely is not realistic as your mental well-being isn't frivolous. The acknowledgement that certain things are necessary for our lives to be fulfilling beyond rent and food was much appreciated.I loved the examples of silly things she'd spent money on. These both made me laugh and gave me pangs of "oh man, I've totally done that". She understands that the urge to spend and to justify spending is real, even though we see it's ridiculous when we read it back (figurines, fans, extra cords...).She makes clear points about how spending is creating needs in the moment instead of letting actual needs arise, that spending to live "easier" (read: conveniently) cost us more in the end, and mostly how little things are the key to both getting into and out of debt.THE BAD:There are points where she mentions how your friends/family will be upset if you turn down invitation after invitation because you aren't spending money. She tries to give a few tips (making gifts instead of buying, bartering), but for the most part she just reiterates that you need to let them know you're committed. That is all well and good, but there will be situations in which spending a little is required to connect and build our relationships. It seemed a little naive to expect all friends/family occasions etc to yield to your no-money demands.In addition, there are a few chapters in the latter half of the book that just weren't very helpful. The idea of a side-hustle got a lot of explanation, although it just isn't feasible for most people - especially if they don't have a creative/artistic talent as the author does. She also went very in-depth on holding yard sales, being minimal, and cutting even spending on necessities to a minimum. While these are interesting, again, the goals of living with less/purging/being frugal are very different than that of reducing spending... and I don't imagine many of us struggling to limit spending find the prospect of further cutbacks motivating.VERDICT: Overall I found this book very helpful and easy to read/understand. It felt like she was speaking to me honestly and not to some aspirational person who wouldn't have spending problems in the first place. I came out of it feeling like there were strategies I could implement and excited to have a new focus on repairing my relationship with spending/money.

I really needed and liked this book, the only reason I took off a star was because quite a few of the websites listed in the book don't exist anymore. It's only a year old and already outdated!

I found the book to be very inspirational. The author provides the reader with a clear and practical approach to saving money and getting out of debt in record time.

I'm doing this in 2023, officially for 6 months, but I'm honestly hoping to do it for the whole year... I can't freakin wait. I'll update this review when I'm done!

I liked her sound advice and her ability to talk about both her successes and failures.

Anna Jones is also a popular blogger on the site andthenwesaved.com , she is not Dave Ramsey though she has read his book nor is she David Bach. She is however a woman who finally realized she had a problem with her spending, she couldn't buy just what she needed she always went overboard or thought spending when something was on sale meant you had a bargain even if you didn't need the item.We follow her on her self imposed spending diet, her trials, mistakes and victories. She offers up some well taken advice, but the dumpster diving or combining everyone elses uneaten food for later may be pushing the limits.She tells her story simply and with humor, this was a fun read, entertaining as well as informative.

What made me most happy about this book is that it reinforced for me a lot of the things I've already been doing while at the same time providing a bit of a surge of encouragement to increase my efforts with a few new ideas. If you've allowed the evil of debt into your life, this is a great place to start pushing it out.

So I'm bad with money. Not in a I'm thousands of dollars in credit card debt kind of way, but in the living pay check to pay check, paying the bare minimum on my student loans and car, zero savings kind of way. I can be impulsive and buy things I don't need but convince myself I do, and then am left feeling awful because I spent money frivolously when I could've saved. Most financial advice books feel stuffy and unpersonalized, like sure, they might work for some, but not for me. Anna Newell Jones? She gets me. She makes the idea of tackling overwhelming student loans and a car loan seem doable, all while balancing a need to spend fruitlessly. I refuse to be paying off my necessary loans into my forties or fifties. This book gives you a plan on how to attack the debt in an attainable way. Sure, a spending fast may seem extreme to some, but you tailor it to your life, and then you get excited for the freedom that is to come with debt-free living.Basically, the title says it all. If you're a spender with debt (credit card, personal loans, car loans, student loans, mortgage, etc.) this book is for you.

I was surprised at a few of the negative reviews here; obviously never even tried this method of getting out of debt. The author is a photographer, writes blogs and wants to help others but has a problem with money. And I'm sure we can all relate to the false info about money out on the web and elsewhere. I picked this one up at the library (yes, free!) and learned quite a few things about this method and I bet it would work for most.It's called the Spend Fast. Rather than fasting on food you're fasting on spending money. it's part finding out what exactly you owe, what you're spending money on every day, and making a Needs (rent, food) and Wants (latest iPhone!) and only spending on the Needs for, in the author's case, a full year! In this journey she found out a lot about herself, her friends and her money habits. But you can't argue with success; she actually paid off a lot of her debt. Easy to read book and she has a free Facebook group for support. I'm giving it a shot. Recommended.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of fun tips and I loved how she emphasized gratitude and making time to do things and be present in life over consumerism. Some parts I didn't relate with as much, and her husband and her had separate finances and two jobs, so some of her methods are a bit harder to utilize if you are a one paycheck, one bank account family, but I definitely resonated with her all or nothing personality, as I usually find myself in that camp as well. So, her method may seem extreme to some, however, for those of us who suck at moderation, it is necessary and actually quite effective. I love that she took the time to write this book and help others with what she learned through the process. One of my favorite parts was at the end of the book, where she has a list of 151 things to do instead of spend money. Most of them actually look fun and make great, cheaper and more useful, substitutes to spending money.

Really enjoyed this take. I'm not capable of completely committing to a spending fast at this time but the reverse budget and need hierarchy this book led me through were extremely insightful. It's hard to look that closely at your finances, and can be shaming to realize how much you spend on little purchases that become habits (cough, iced coffee). This book has really allowed me to reevaluate what is important and what is just spending for the sake of spending. Downside, gets a little cult-y. The author has a web series and online club she's always peddling. I don't want to be in a Facebook group, I don't want to purchase a membership to your club, sorry.Also there are times it's a little extreme. I'm not going to be going around work asking my coworkers to give me their lunch or digging through the trash. My grocery bill isn't that high...All around, OK.

3.5 stars rounded up.Overall I liked the book and thought it had some very helpful information in it. I’m planning to start my own Spend Fast soon so this was a good resource for that. Some of her suggestions on how to limit spending were rather extreme (for instance, rinsing off and reusing dental floss). I understand that financial health often comes down to small purchases and every day decisions, but the idea of rinsing dental floss or taking the bags out of cereal boxes to use as parchment paper seemed excessive.

I think the important thing to keep in mind when reading (listening) to this book is the author is not a finance professional. This book is based off a blog written by a normal person’s experience with debt. She has done the research for you but take it with a grain of salt. Otherwise, I though this was a great listen. I learned new spending mechanisms, I’m inspired to find frugal activities (reading in the park 😍), and I almost, almost, gave into a spending fast.... almost. “Moderation is not my thing”

For everyone else, I think this book could easily be a 4 or 5 star rating. Because I am from a big family, the tips she mentioned I am already doing, so I would rate this book about a 3.5. I did enjoy reading about her story, and I think her concept of a spending fast is great! We do not have debt like she does, but I do have some large purchases for our house in the future, so I would like to be able to save for those. I won't be doing her whole year spending fast, but I will be writing out my needs and wants, and doing monthly spending fasts. Great book for the beginner!