Ausperity: Live the Life You Want for Less by Lucy Tobin
| Ausperity: Live the Life You Want for Less by Lucy Tobin | |
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| Category: Business and Finance | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A very readable an informative look at how to spend less but live well. It could save you a great deal of money. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: January 2013 |
| Publisher: Heron Books | |
| ISBN: 978-1780877686 | |
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Clever title, eh? It's a conflation of austerity, of which we must all be sick to the back teeth and prosperity, which we'd all love. At a time when incomes are standing still (unless you're very lucky) but costs are going up all the time. For most people this means that it's the pleasurable parts of life - the treats - which get squeezed out, leaving a life that's dull and rather unrewarding. Lucy Tobin, personal finance editor of the London Evening Standard thinks differently. She's brought together hundreds of money-saving tips which might make that holiday possible - or suggests cheap or free trips in place of the holiday. There are also lots of ways in which you can raise extra money which don't involve a dodgy loan that will cost you more in interest than you borrowed in the first place. And, yes - there's all the information about credit cards, mortgages and budgeting that you need to set you on the right path.
Some three years ago I was impressed by The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less by India Knight, but that was written from the perspective of someone who had got herself into an unnecessary financial mess. Lucy Tobin realised that she would have to be careful with money when she was at university and since then it's been a way of life and the book is written with an obvious depth of knowledge and the ease of communication of someone who conveys financial information for a living.
I thought it would be a quick read - but it wasn't. You see, I've been finding ways of making money go that little bit further for as long as I can remember and I thought that there would be little that the book could tell me. I was particularly surprised by the information about what could be achieved online - and reading was slow because I kept having a look at interesting websites and the fascinating ways that you can, for instance, eat out at good restaurants without paying a penny. There is a slight downside to this in that the internet doesn't hang around - it's constantly evolving and there were a few occasions when I wanted to point out that a certain company wasn't taking on researchers at the moment or that there are other ways of disposing of books you no longer require than Amazon or Green Metropolis but as with all such ideas, what you're getting is an idea of what can be achieved and it's up to you to take it further if the principle appeals.
The section on finance is worth its weight in gold. Even if you don't find any areas where you need to make changes it's a health check for your money. There's also an excellent directory at the back of the book which gives website addresses and other resources.
Don't think of this as a book which you turn to if you have a problem - it's a sensible and reasonably painless way of making the most of what you have and having a better life for less. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
If money really is no object then you might need What to Do When You Win the Lottery by Cathy Bussey. Whatever the state of your finances it always pays to make certain that your tax affairs are up to date. This might also help.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Ausperity: Live the Life You Want for Less by Lucy Tobin at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Ausperity: Live the Life You Want for Less by Lucy Tobin at Amazon.com.
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