“The savings habit is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it will be. No one expects you to start with a fifty-pound weight when you first go to the gym. That’s why the one-pound weight exists.”
Today’s Northern Expression comes from The Index Card by Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack. I really enjoyed this book and think it is a perfect book to recommend to financial newbies. It introduces all of the important things in simple, actionable sections. I hope you’re inspired to start small and grow big savings muscles! Happy Friday, friends!
Love, Maggie
Harmony Smith (@CMK_Harmony)
So true! Just like in your post about relexes – I’ve noticed that my spending self-control has increased over time. The best thing to do is remind yourself of the why . . . and practice, practice, practice 🙂
Hope you have a nice weekend Maggie!
MaggieBanks
It’s all about practice! One day, we’ll all be mighty and strong! 🙂
our next life
Thank you for this recommendation! I’ve had a few friends ask where to begin, and I feel like YMOYL and Millionaire Next Door are more 2.0 level books. I will check this one out!
MaggieBanks
I agree. And a lot of beginner books are just drivel.
ambertreeleaves
a very strong quote.
It also make me feel better about my gym performance… There are guys out there that move far more weight than me. I guess – I am sure – they practice more and longer.
MaggieBanks
Oh man. I’ve got no upper body strength at all! 🙂
Dividendsdownunder
Hey Maggie,
Thanks for sharing, sometimes there are people out there that just want to show off with gym muscles (cars/houses) but they don’t have the right muscles for lifting heavy things (actually being wealthy). Looks aren’t everything 🙂
Tristan
MaggieBanks
So true! Happy Weekend!
Mortimer
What a great analogy for beginners. That book keeps popping up on blogs which means it’s time to read it. Thanks for the reminder!
MaggieBanks
It’s definitely a basic intro to PF, but I think it’s a pretty good one.
Mrs Groovy
Maggie, If you don’t mind some shameless self-promotion, I’m leaving a link to Mr. Groovy’s post “How to Start Working Out Your Saving Muscles”. He lays out a simple plan for a young person to begin a saving regiment. http://bit.ly/1OLVNG9.
While some of the books are pure drivel, as you said, it’s hard to find one that gives some concrete steps for a beginner. For instance,when you contribute to an IRA, the money goes into your money market account (or settlement account), From there, you have to tell your money what to do – you have to set up the investment. You’re not investing by just putting money into an IRA. It sounds simple, right? We didn’t know any of this when we started! It would have been nice to have a straight forward guide with simple action steps.
MaggieBanks
Excellent related post! Thanks for sharing. 🙂