Spend well, live rich - Michelle Singletary

The best financial planner Michelle Singletary ever knew was Big Mama, her grandmother.
Big Mama raised Michelle and her four brothers and sisters on a salary that never
reached more than $13,000 a year. Yet at her death, Big Mama owned her own home,
had paid off a car loan, and had a beautiful collection of Sunday-go-to-meeting church
hats and a savings account that supplemented her Social Security check and small
pension. Most important, she had taught Michelle "7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life."
Those mantras serve as the inspiration for this straight-talking book of practical
personal financial advice that really works.

The 7 Money Mantras are:

1. If it' s on your ass, it's not an asset!
2. Is this a need or is it a want?
3. Sweat the
small stuff.
4. Cash is better than credit.
5. Keep it simple.
6. Priorities lead
to prosperity.
7. Enough is enough.

Michelle Singletary is a syndicated columnist
for The Washington Post whose popular personal finance column appears in more than
120 newspapers. She's also a mother of three children who understands what it's like
to live on a budget. In a plainspoken, sassy,
no-nonsense voice, Michelle provides
answers to the financial issues that confront almost every household: how to teach
children the value of money; how to address money issues in a relationship or marriage;
household saving tips; getting the best loans; and much more.
"This book is
about saving enough money to have choices," she writes. "It's about feeling free
to
be cheap if you can't afford to buy a ton of gifts at Christmas. It's about
eliminating wasteful spend-ing so you can begin to save and invest. It's full of
uncommon commonsense lessons and guidance on the way people should use their money."

With humor and down-home financial wisdom, Michelle Singletary offers practical
and realistic advice that will help you live well with the money you have.

Michelle
Singletary on . . .

Romance and Money
"It's okay to say: 'Honey, I love you and
everything, but if you need money, ask your mama.'"

Credit Cards
"We are minimizing
our financial potential by making minimum credit-card payments."

Car Buying
"If
you want to save money, keep your car until you're on a first-name basis with the
local tow-truck drivers."

Leasing a Car
"You, too, can drive a car you can't afford
and then have to give it back. It's crazy."

Gift Giving
"Generosity isn't about
how much you spend. It's about how much thought you put into the gift."

Penny Pinching
"I once bought a stick-shift car because it was $1,000 cheaper than the automatic
in the same model. There was just one little problem. I couldn't drive a stick-shift.
But at least I saved $1,000!"