Attacking the Financial Fraidy Cat

Courtesy Mad Penguin Creative

You know fraidy cats are easily overwhelmed. It should come as no surprise to learn I often cower in the shadow of someone who demonstrates finesse.

It's a good thing I met my friend, Tabitha Philen (aka Not Penny), when we were both a bit out of our comfort zones. We were at Dulles waiting on a shuttle to take us to the Titus 2:1 Conference. I was shivering out of fear. She was shivering because a cold wind was cutting us in half. Shivering is a bonding thing, let me tell you.

Thus it was, I felt comfortable in her presence. True confessions: I was so relieved to find a fellow traveler I nearly wrapped myself around her like one dying starfish clinging to another. (How I know they do that is another story for another day.) Had I known she was a tour de force, I would have hidden under the bench and pretended I wasn't there. Ignorance can be beneficial bliss when a blessing arrives in an unassuming package.

Tabitha, as I was to discover, excels at blogging, couponing, and Pinterest inspiration. And, she homeschools. Her blogging roots are in couponing.  What's not to love once I get over fainting? She is who I want to be when I grow up. 

Courtesy D. Scott

I have been a reluctant couponer. Another true confession: I have felt like a loser because I have friends who are far better couponers than I. While none of us add extra rooms on to accommodate excess, by the time I met Tabitha, I felt like an uber-loser because I don't need an extra room to store my stash a la the TLC reality show.

Imagine my surprise when Tabitha asked me to review her ebook, Advanced Penny Pinching. My initial reaction? I was a-skeert! I could see myself awash in a sea of TMI unable to absorb her wisdom as coupon-panic ensued. Much to my delight, she set my fears at ease before I had time to work up to a frenzied sweat much less full blown panic attack. I went from gingerly peeking at the pages to voracious reading within a couple of minutes.

In a refreshing juxtaposition to the un-reality of the TLC reality show, Tabitha takes the readers on her own journey of discovery. She details how she and her husband found themselves deeply in debt and maps out the path they took to financial freedom.

Her pointers are clear, simple, and easy to implement. In thirteen short chapters, covering seventy-nine pages, she outlines:

stock pile in the making

*healthy shopping habits

*basic and not so basic couponing
*wholesale and drug stores strategies

*marketing ploys to watch for

*extra resources like points programs and Upromise

*charts to help you map out your strategies. 

My favorite sections included her information about stockpiling and savings strategies for basic food groups and household supplies.

This book is simply a must have/must read for any young couple or ready-to-launch single who is part of the 'gotta have it now even if I have to charge it' generation! Because it is an ebook available for Kindle and Nook, it will make a great 1^st apartment, graduation, shower, or wedding gift for the younger crowd.

Whether you are new to couponing or couponing with a vengeance, Tabitha offers information that will provide the 'a-ha' moment you are looking for. If you share my coupon-panic, you will find that her easy approach is encouraging as well as informative. If you are deeply in debt and afraid, you will find hope as you implement her ideas.

So . . . fraidy cat, whatcha waitin' for? Click the link and hop on over. Meet my friend, Tabitha, and discover why I call her 'Not Penny'. You'll have to figure out why she calls me Pistachio. Once you read the book, why not leave a review so that others will know about this jam packed, easy to implement how-to book? 

Courtesy J. Schuler

PS..other than providing a free copy so I could review the book, I receive no affiliate compensation for this review. Just so you'll know. :-)