Bible Money Matters

Christian personal finance

Menu
    • About
    • Archives
    • Contact
    • Close
  • Making Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Ways To Make Money: Maximizing, Creating And Increasing Your Income
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Make Money
        • Making Money With A Blog (e-Book)
        • 10 Places To Sell Or Trade Your Unused (Or Broken) Electronics
        • Ways To Make Extra Money Series: 20 More Income Generating Ideas From Our Readers
        • Making Side Income Can Help Blunt The Impact Of Becoming A One Income Family
        • Earn Cash Back With Discover it® Credit Card
      • Recent Articles – Making Money

        • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
        • 13 Of The Best Independent Contractor Jobs
        • 25 Of The Best Gig Economy Jobs
        • How To Make Money Blogging: Turn A Blog Into A Business
      • Categories

        • Making Money
        • Investing
        • Retirement
        • Jobs & Work LIfe
        • Money
        • Income
    • Close
  • Saving Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Easy Ways To Save Money Every Month
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Save Money
        • 10 Practical Ways To Save Money And Increase Your Net Worth
        • How To Save Money On Just About All Of Your Regular Monthly Bills
        • Ways To Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable TV
        • Save Money On Your Hospital Bill - Just By Asking
      • Recent Articles – Saving Money

        • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
        • Stairs App Review: Save And Invest To Earn 4-6% Interest
        • Honey Review: Save Money Automatically When You Shop Online
        • 9 Convincing Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Fund
      • Categories

        • Saving Money
        • Frugality
        • Planning
        • Finance
        • Saving For Retirement
        • Savings Accounts
    • Close
  • Banking
      • Best Rates For 2019

        • Best Credit Cards
        • Best Savings Accounts
        • Best Mortgage Rates
        • Best CD Rates
        • Best Brokerages
        • Free Credit Scores
      • Recent Reviews

        • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
        • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
        • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
        • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
      • Categories

        • Bank & Software Reviews
        • Investing
        • Credit
        • Banking
        • Mortgage
        • Insurance
        • Family Budget
    • Close
  • Recommended
  • Video
    • Close

You Need A Budget By Jesse Mecham Book Review

By Melissa Leave a Comment - The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 14, 2018.

Share26
Pin41
Tweet2
Share
69 Shares

I’ve been using You Need a Budget (YNAB) budgeting software for about a year now, and it’s helped me have a much firmer grasp of our money.

At the same time, however, I was still craving a financial discipline I could follow.  I used to follow Dave Ramsey, but I found that we couldn’t stick to his protocol indefinitely.  It was a bit too black and white for us.

When I heard that the founder of YNAB, Jesse Mecham, had written a book, You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want, I immediately went to our library’s site and requested it.

If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it.

Quick Navigation

  • The Basics
  • Looking At Life Priorities
  • Other Pertinent Information
  • Final Thoughts
  • Resources

The Basics

In this book, Mecham takes the principles that helped him create his YNAB budgeting software and expands on them.

The chapters included in the book are:

Chapter 1: A New Way to Look at Your Money
You Need A Budget by Jesse Mecham review
Chapter 2: Rule One—Give Every Dollar a Job

Chapter 3: Rule Two—Embrace Your True Expenses

Chapter 4: Rule Three—Roll with the Punches

Chapter 5: Rule Four—Age Your Money

Chapter 6: Budgeting as a Couple

Chapter 7: Slaying Debt, Whatever Your Situation

Chapter 8: Teaching Your Kids to Budget

Chapter 9: When You Feel Like Quitting

Parting Words: You’ve Got This

Looking At Life Priorities

Mecham’s way to budget may be different from other budgeting and money management systems that you’ve previously learned.  When setting up a budget, Mecham asks you to look at your life priorities.

What do you ideally want your money to do? 

Oh, you want to travel to Italy?  Great!

You want to save enough money to become a stay-at-home mom?  Great.

There is no right or wrong answer.  Decide on your priorities, and then create a budget this is in line with those priorities.

Second, budget for your true expenses.  If you always overspend in December, take a look at how much you spend for the Christmas holidays—giving gifts, attending parties, etc.—and then either decide how to curb that expense, or budget for how much you realistically spend so you don’t go into debt and dread opening the credit card bills in January.

Likewise, your car insurance is likely due every six months, but if you don’t save money for it, you may be left scrambling to pay.  Instead, divide the car insurance by six (for six months), and set aside that amount every month.  When the insurance comes due, you’ll have the money waiting for you.

Other Pertinent Information

What I love about this book is that Mecham not only explains how to make a realistic budget that will help you achieve your financial priorities and take away the stress that comes with poor money management, but he also considers other special, potentially thorny issues when it comes to budgeting.

He has an entire chapter on debt.  While he despises debt, not because of the interest you pay every month but because of the way debt impedes your cash flow, he doesn’t insist that you pay as much as you can every month to pay off the debt quickly.  Sure, he wants you to be debt free, but a much more important priority for him is that you have a realistic budget so you don’t have to go into debt anymore.

Mecham also considers family members.  There is a chapter on budgeting with your spouse, which can sometimes be a tricky issue.

Finally, there is a chapter on teaching your kids to budget, which is so important!

Mecham gives a great example of a woman whose mother helped her open and use a checking account at the age of 15.  The mother later let her daughter open a credit card account and taught her that the account had to be paid off each month.  (It didn’t, of course, but the daughter didn’t know that.  By the time she learned that, she was already in the routine of paying off her credit card each month.)

Final Thoughts

I loved this book and highly recommend it.  If you’re looking for a more personalized way to budget that considers your aspirations and dreams and offers a more moderate way to pay down debt, this is the book for you.

Have you read this book?  If so, what are your thoughts?

Resources

  • You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want
  • (YNAB) budgeting software
  • You Need A Budget software review
  • The Best Personal Finance Books To Read

Related Posts

  • Book Review: The Budget Kit By Judy Lawrence

    Judy Lawrence, in her book, The Budget Kit, seeks to demystify the budget process and help readers make a budget that works. So is this…

  • The Money Saving Mom’s Budget Book - A Review

    Crystal Paine and her husband Jesse share their strategies for saving money in her new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget Book. Win a copy.

  • The Top 20 Personal Finance Books To Help You Improve Your Finances Today

    These 20 personal finance books are my favorites, and the ones that I believe could have an immediate impact on your life, if you take…

Share26
Pin41
Tweet2
Share
69 Shares
Last Edited: 14th November 2018 The content of biblemoneymatters.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to biblemoneymatters.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

This article is about: Books, Budget

About Melissa

Melissa, a mom to three (ages 15, 10, and 9), blogs at Mom's Plans where she writes about homeschooling, health eating, frugal living, and paying down debt. She works as a freelance writer and virtual assistant.

Share Your Thoughts: Cancel reply

Previous Post: 6 Summer Jobs And Volunteer Opportunities For Early Teens
Next Post: Having A Baby Can Be A Good Excuse To Simplify And Declutter
Discover Investment Platforms

Popular Posts

  • 21 Easy Ways To Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
  • 10 Best Free Tax Filing Services And Software Online
  • 21 Apps That Pay You Real Money Fast
  • 17 TV Apps And Live TV Streaming Services To Watch TV Free
  • 30 Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well
  • 37 Easy Ways To Get Free Gift Cards
  • How To Get Free Stock
  • 40 Easy Ways To Get Free Money Fast
  • 21 Places To Read Free Books Online
  • 24 Legit Online Jobs
  • 17 Best Work From Home Jobs: A List Of Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well

Recent Posts

  • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
  • How to Save Money When Remodeling A Home
  • How To Hire A Contractor For Your Remodeling Project
  • Remembering 9/11 Years Later: Where Were You On That Fateful Day?
  • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
  • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
  • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
  • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
  • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
  • 30 Quotes About Easter And Resurrection: He Is Risen!

Disclaimer

The information contained in BibleMoneyMatters.com is for general information or entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice. Please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your specific situation.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that we have a financial relationship with some of the companies mentioned in this website. This may include receiving access to free products and services for product and service reviews and giveaways.

Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. We do our best to maintain current information, but due to the rapidly changing environment, some information may have changed since it was published. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

We respect your privacy: Privacy Policy.

Thanks for visiting!

Bible Money Matters - Seen On These Sites and more..
Bible Money Matters is a personal finance, entrepreneurship and investing community. Give more, save more and live more.

Copyright © 2023 · Bible Money Matters | Sitemap | Advertise | Privacy Policy