I really enjoyed Matt Bell's practical and down to earth approach to solving personal financial dilemmas. He offers wisdom from God's word, practical advice, good tools and helps online (and also a handy workbook, for an extra cost). I was particularly challenged by his method for handling debt. Also at the end of every chapter the author offers a summary of the content included in the previous chapter along with a couple practical suggestions or action steps for applying the concepts mentioned in the chapter.
The action steps are very do-able. They are based on just one or two easy ideas that can count up to real change. They can be implemented with just a few easy adjustments to lifestyle.
Matt Bell also does an analysis of the type of spending / saving we tend to do that really helps us understand the differences or tensions that can come up in marriages or families. Are you a "Shopper", "Stockpiler" or a "Builder"? The answer to this can help with many family stresses.
Also the book includes several spending guides to give you an idea of how you are doing in conjunction to spending on housing, groceries, giving, saving, eating out etc. These are inline with healthy lifestyles. I found them encouraging to my values and reasonable to make changes.
In the age when there are so many "Success Stories" in relation to Money Management (Dave Ramsey, Crown, Generous Giving, etc) it was encouraging to read stories of success that have been born out of weakness & struggle.
Check out the Website www.moneypurposejoy.com
