I am very picky on finance books. I love that this book made me a friend and not just a reader. It was fun and relaxing. If you are starting out with a financial focus- this is a book to read.

Millennial Chelsea Fagan has some advice for other millennial women: it's not too early to learn to be good with money. Her new book, The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner's Guide to Getting Good With Money, is aimed specifically toward female millennials, but her tips apply just as well to anyone, whatever sex or generation, who needs to get better with money.


Fagan's successful blog The Financial Diet gave her exposure and a platform for educating and inspiring others to get their financial lives in order. The Financial Diet covers familiar territory for personal finance books: create a budget, set aside an emergency fund, start investing for retirement, take advantage of your employer's matching funds, etc. Fagan covers these areas nicely, with plenty of explanations and definitions for the total beginner.


Where Fagan sets herself apart is her chapters on household matters. For millennials, or anyone else setting out on their own or making adjustments to a household budget, Fagan's practical tips on cooking and furnishing a home are welcome. Her step-by-step guide to equipping a kitchen, including shopping guidelines and sample recipes, is great for anyone, especially anyone who frequently asks himself or herself, "What will I fix for dinner?" and ends up answering, "Take out."


Fagan has a bit of an attitude and a mild potty mouth. I guess this appeals to millennials. In spite of that, The Financial Diet is a great, basic resource. Maybe my kids, who will be out on their own sooner than I would like, will follow her advice, because I'm sure they won't listen to me.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

I Have Been Fired From A Dozen Jobs

In THE FINANCIAL DIET, author Chelsea Fagan provides a ton of practical ways to manage your money, as well as ideas on furthering your career. In the beginning pages, the author admits to her many foolish decisions as a kid. In particular, she laments this big mistake: “The day I turned eighteen, I acquired my little card full of free money, and maxed it out within a month and a half of delirious spending.”

I bet a lot of readers can identify with the foolhardy decisions we all made when young.

The book especially focuses on suggestions for readers who are just beginning the journey on sound money management. Thus, Chelsea includes valuable tips such as, “#4. Automate What You Can Card payments, bill payments, and savings transfers should all be automatically made from your checking account. This way, you won’t tempt yourself to not save.”

Here is a tip that I especially liked. “Even if you just dedicate a few hours a month to a side job, even one additional stream of income has a huge impact.” I’ve never really thought seriously about doing that—now I will!

Here’s another gem: Don’t slide into a “CEO lifestyle” where you tell yourself how much you deserve all the money-wasting things you buy.

There is one feature of this book that is especially commendable: Chelsea doesn’t just rely on her OWN ideas—she consults experts whom she respects for their business wisdom. So instead of just getting the perspective from the author, the reader gets advice from lots of different folks. I don’t think I’ve seen that particular format in any other personal finance book.

For example, the author consults with Bridget Casey, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, and asks her, “What are the three most important financial strategies you live by?” The author repeats this “Q&A” approach many times throughout the book. I thought this was a really wise idea.

So all I all, I found THE FINANCIAL DIET to be a surprisingly fun read—as well as a practical book. The author is a witty and funny writer. She turns a pretty dull subject into something a lot more interesting. The illustrations by Eve Mobley also add a nice touch. There is a glossary of business terms appendix.

The end of the book has a few closing exhortations to the reader. She wants the reader to figure out “What you really want out of your life— not just the “big” things, but how you want your average day to look and what you want to be doing with it. “

Good advice!

This book was very helpful. Although it is marketed to those in their twenties, this book could easily be useful to anyone who needs to organize their finances or is starting over financially. I am in my late 40's and I am using this book to make some changes in how I manage my finances. I love the "DYFD'S" and the straight talk from the author. Bravo!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review...and here it is!

This book didn't "click" with me. This book was absolutely written with a Millennial reader in mind.

The first indication that this wasn't the book for me was when I read that the author, Chelsea Fagan, had a "tendency to blow thousands of dollars a month on eating out." My response? "Whoa, who has THOUSANDS of dollars A MONTH to spend on food?!"

The second indication that this wasn't the book for me was the casual use of swear words. Lots of "F-word"s and "S-word"s used for emphasis (?). I do use some coarse language when speaking, myself, but I felt that it was unnecessary, distracting, and superfluous here.

I did come away with a few nuggets of truth here, my favorite being "Money doesn't buy you happiness...it buys you comfort, security and options."

I also liked the idea, from the author's mom, to "keep your spice rack full, and your garlic basket fuller."

I wouldn't necessarily read any of this author's other books, nor would I visit her website. Sorry.

I was delightfully surprised by how comprehensive this book is! This is perfect for college students, work world beginners, and anybody who needs either a crash course or a refresher on how to get a grip on their finances.

The most refreshing part of this book is that it also discusses money in the context of food, your home, your career, and personal relationships. It emphasizes that money is a tool to use to live your best life, not an end to itself.

As a junior in college, I now know the steps I need to take to get my finances together now and post-graduation. The checklists transform the advice given into direct action readers can take to immediately improve their finances. I've already created a new budget based on this book, and researched more money-making opportunities. And the design is gorgeous and makes it easy to follow along. This is one you'll want to buy a physical copy of: I know I will.

This offered some great tips on budgeting, saving for the future. Just trying to save money every day.