Be Centsable: A Smart Book for Women Writers

I recently read this book: Be CentsAble: How to Cut Your Household Budget in Half by Chrissy Pate and Kristin McKee, and I thought it had so many useful tips that I wanted to share it with everyone! As writers, I feel like we are always trying to a. make money b. save money. And in this book, the authors have actually tried each and every one of their money saving tips. So in other words, they are practicing what they preach.

Now I know what you are thinking. These authors are going to tell me to cut out coupons, plan my shopping, and register for all sorts of online deals and store programs. I barely have time for writing. How will I have time to do all that?

And I agree with you. I was thinking the same thing when I opened the book, and both moms are stay-at-home (of course, they are obviously writers, too). They also maintain a website and offer workshops. So, they are busy, too! As I was reading, I could actually see myself doing some of their tips in spite of the fact that I am a busy writer, mom, wife, friend, daughter, volunteer, and so on.

For example, they have the best ideas for organizing coupons EVER! One of the ideas is to do a virtual coupon filing system. According to Pate and McKee, all you need to do each Sunday with coupon inserts is file them in a 3-ring binder, fully intact, labeled with that Sunday’s date. Then you can use the free website, www.hotcouponworld.com (a coupon database), just before you go shopping to find which coupons you need for that particular grocery trip. For example, if you need to buy spaghetti sauce, use the database to search for a sauce coupon. The site will tell you which Sunday insert has a coupon for sauce or if you need to look at a manufacturer’s website instead. This system saves time on the often dreaded weekly clipping and filing of coupons.

Do you like a certain brand of paper for your computer? What about printer ribbon? Look online to see if there are any deals or coupons before you venture out to buy some more, and check store ads to see which store has your favorites on sale that week. A little planning can save a lot of money! This savings might mean more time for your creative work on your novel instead of taking on another business writing job.

I highly recommend Be CentsAble. While you're reading, I suggest doing three things:

1. Try their ideas that you know will work for you, your time schedule, and your family.
2. Think about how you can save money as a writer while reading this book.
3. Brainstorm something you're doing in your life that you could turn into a nonfiction book as these two smart ladies did. Start working on your book proposal!

Happy savings!
Margo

This post was written by Margo L. Dill. To read more, check out: http://margodill.com/blog/

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