Book Review: The smart cookies' Guide to Making More Dough

Student loans, credit cards, rent, bills, gas, new car, new apartment, 401k, all of these money issues can get a bit overwhelming, especially when you’re not prepared to take them head on. Luckily, a group of women, who refer to themselves as The smart cookies, have composed and shared The smart cookies’ Guide to Making More Dough to equip other women with the knowledge and the confidence to take control of their finances.

They start with the challenge of combating the taboo surrounding money. One cannot get to the root of the problem if it is not addressed directly. The smart cookies encourage the reader to have open and honest conversations about her finances with a select few who she truly trusts. What’s important here is choosing those you share a mutually trusting relationship with and those who will make as serious a commitment to their own finances as well as yours.

The recovery process starts with tracking every penny spent to see just where your money is going. Seeing the entire picture really puts everything into perspective. They also tackle the issue of getting to the root of why you spend money. Emotional spending, which most women can admit to being guilty of, is detrimental to financial well being.

In a friendly and encouraging tone, The smart cookies’ Guide empowers the reader to believe that eliminating her debt and taking steps further to improve her financial situation is very doable. They convey the message that it is not about giving things up and sacrificing everything you love to live a frugal life. It is, however, about making wiser choices, including shopping with sales and alternatives to outings. The “I rather” factor is rather intriguing. Friendly reminders like “I rather be in Paris in 90 days that have this cup of coffee today” help one accomplish long term goals as opposed to satisfying compulsive desires. What’s most beautiful about The smart cookies’ testimonials is their genuine support for each other’s progress.

In addition to helping the reader get control of her present finances they share ways to increase her finances by knowing her worth on her job and pursuing a career path that she love as well as investment strategies. In the book they also share a workbook for any reader to start her own money group to create a support team to reach all of her financial goals.

For Extra Credit (literally)

Other recommended readings include Glinda Bridgeforth’s Girl, Get Your Money Straight and Girl Make Your Money Grow, and Suze Orman’s Women and Money, which reinforce some of the same points but may also add some additional knowledge to your mental database.

Book Review: Life After College

We're bringing you a book review each month for an extra bit of motivation:

For those of you counting down your final college days, we want to help you prepare you for your after college life. We understand that the last thing you want to do is pick up another book but we promise that the pleasurable reads we're going to share with you are so much easier to get through than some of the gibberish material your professors make you read.

In this course Real Life: 101, the first assigned reading on the syllabus is Life After College: What Your Parents and Professors Never Taught You.

In this text, life after college expert ChaChanna Simpson shares simply stated advice on various difficult situations that recent graduations face: moving back home versus getting your first apartment; preparing for, obtaining, and doing well at your job. She breaks down finances: budgeting, credit scores, health and life insurance, even preparing for retirement. Not only does this text equip you with the basics to start your adult life, but ChaChanna's website dedicated to twenty-somethings Twentity.com offers even more guidance for day to day motivation.

For extra credit, please review the additional resource, Amy DuBois Barnett's Get Yours! How to Have Everything You Dreamed of and More:

This girlfriends’ guide answers many of the questions we have struggled with: how to grab your dream job; how to turn your house (or apartment, or even room) into a space that makes you feel good; how to become financially independent; how to find your personal style. She promotes getting healthy the happy way, without the taboo and stress of abusive diets; She also challenges the reader to reach beyond her comfort zone and to use fear as a motivator rather than an inhibitor. Yes, ladies she even offers advises on relationships. She also encourages the reader to ground herself with an appreciation of not her existence but also the existence of the life that surrounds her. (read the entire review)

We highly recommend this book! It will give you a boost of motivation to jump start your life in the real world.

ChaChanna was gracious enough to stop by to share some words of wisdom:

"Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible in your approach." --Tony Robbins

My challenge to you today is for you to go back and look at any goals you may have given up on. (You did write them down, right?)

Are there any goals you still would like to reach the light of day?

Revisit what got in the way and ask yourself:

• How else can I accomplish this goal? (Write down all your ideas, no matter how outrageous. Don't restrict yourself. You can go back later and choose the ones that will work.)
• Who can help me get this? (Get someone you trust who will support your ideas.)
• What resources do I need? (You may not have or know everything yet to reach that goal. So find out what you need to know.)

Get those mind juices flowing and get to work on what you want. I'd hate for you to keep depriving the world and yourself of your unique talents. It's really selfish of you.
~ChaChanna

Photo source: Women Reading to Enhance and Enrich Lives

The Unfair Fight: Hit with the Reality of an Unhealthy Relationship

To further promote Domestic Violence Awareness, let's take a look at Robin Givens' book Grace Will Lead Me Home.

We all know Robin Givens as the beautiful actress who has appeared on The Cosby Show, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in Boomerang, and the Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues, just to name a few, but in her book Grace Will Lead Me Home, we are introduced to a young and naïve Robin Givens who falls victim to an abusive marriage to boxing champ Mike Tyson.

Givens guides us through her family tree and reveals the curse of domestic abuse that trickled down through the generations, from her grandmother and mother’s battle to her very own fight. Retelling stories that must have passed from generation to generation, Givens vividly depicts events that occurred before she was even born. She recounts her foremothers’ strength for leaving their abusive lovers with admiration and utter respect. As we are introduced to young Robin, amidst the nostalgic childhood memories she recreates with stories of her family, we witness the recurring cycle of an unfulfilling relationship with a father and the false fulfillment of a dysfunctional relationship.

Givens describes her early days with Michael (as she calls him) with the blissful innocence they shared as a young couple; But the tale quickly turns to terror. With the first blow, your heart stops with shock, and with every blow thereafter, your heart sinks as you imagine the heavyweight champion fighting an unfair fight with his petite and unsuspecting opponent. With each page, you feel anxious and dread for what is to come but you also feel a growing discomfort at the familiarity of her deep-seated desire to just enjoy what you know is not completely right. As she walks us through the roller coaster of her relationship, she elegantly constructs the story to convey the competing danger and innocence of each moment she and Michael spent together.

The moments get progressively worse to the point where she goes numb, and we lose Robin, and it is as if someone else is writing the story for her. Through her story, Givens allows us an outside perspective that one cannot see when lost in the situation. We can see, from a spectator’s perspective, how foolish thoughts and choices can be when clouded by the bliss.

We are witness to Givens reliving some of her lowest points in her life, but we also witness her beautiful restoration, in which she finds her spirit strengthened. While it may be difficult to read at times, Robin Givens shares a victory that will undoubtedly help another young woman conquer an abusive relationship.

Domestic abuse remains a very serious issue, and it is important that we educate ourselves on the matter and prevent it in any way we can. According to helpguide.org domestic abuse “occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person [sometimes using] fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and gain complete power over you.”

Be aware of the warning signs.

Bottom line: I’m not implying that all unhappy situations will result in domestic abuse, but if you are unhappy, you need to reevaluate the relationship. Trust your gut.

There are ample resources for information and support:

helpguide.org; endabuse.org; National Domestic Violence Hotline (800.799.7233)

Motivational Monday: "Get Yours" Girls

What better way to start a Monday than with a bit of motivation? This book has been a huge inspiration to me, and I share with you in hopes that it will guide you further along your own journey as well.

In Get Yours! How to Have Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More, Amy DuBois Barnett addresses just that. She creates the quintessential handbook that steers young women through life’s critical transitions. With personal anecdotes and interviews with some of our favorite celebrities, including Sanaa Lathan, Kelly Rowland, India.Arie, and even Hill Harper, Barnett emphasizes discovering the beautiful woman inside of you and allowing her to shine through every aspect of your life.

Barnett addresses every major aspect of a young woman’s life from attracting positive friends to zealously pursuing your career. The text opens with a chapter dedicated to simply finding happiness, which remains the underlying theme. The author emphasizes the importance of finding what makes you truly happy. In sharing her own path to happiness, Barnett discloses her gripping experience of losing her mother but also reveals how her loss forced her to find herself.

This girlfriends’ guide answers many of the questions we have struggled with: how to grab your dream job; how to turn your house (or apartment, or even room) into a space that makes you feel good; how to become financially independent; how to find your personal style. She promotes getting healthy the happy way, without the taboo and stress of abusive diets; She also challenges the reader to reach beyond her comfort zone and to use fear as a motivator rather than an inhibitor. Yes, ladies she even offers advises on relationships. She concludes the book with a chapter on spirituality. Endorsing no religion in particular, she encourages the reader to ground herself with an appreciation of not her existence but also the existence of the life that surrounds her.

Barnett presents her life as an open book as she candidly shares her less than glamorous moments—her dreadful high school style, countless bad boyfriends, divorce, her bummy New York apartment and awful first job, situations that we all experience but which she conquered to become the woman she is today. The reader can trust Barnett’s wisdom because her success serves as a living testament of the advice she shares. A Brown University alumna, member of well-known Black sorority, former Editor at Essence magazine, former Editor -in-Chief of Honey magazine, the first African American as head of a major consumer publication as Editor of Teen People, and happy wife and mother, her achievements speak for themselves. Sharing her own rags to riches story, her perseverance serves as an even greater inspiration than the tips she shares.

Barnett’s approach to the text makes this not just an informative but also an effortless read. She includes quizzes to personalize the message and promise pages at the end of each chapter to help each reader take active steps in applying the wisdom shared. Barnett also enlists the support of well respected celebrities—Kelis shares her bold approach to her personal style and India.Arie conveys her take on spirituality, just to name a few. This book is well worth your while to read, and you will become a better person because of it. Living as an example that we can all admire, Barnett shares information to help us get there ourselves. Grab a pencil because you will want to take notes, take the quizzes and complete the promise pages in each chapter. By the end of it, you’ll trust her as if she really is one of your girlfriends.

The take home message: It’s about you and what you want. Go get it!

I found comfort in knowing that the warm and sharing personality is consistent with the woman behind the book. After hearing her speak and having the wonderful opportunity to meet her, I was even further encouraged by her sincerity and her words of encouragement.

This post also appears on Miss Journey's blog.