Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: Emma Edwards
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
RRP: $34.99
Release Date: 27 February 2024
“Good With Money is a label we all want to wear.”
Are you in complete control of your finances? Do you struggle to break old and bad financial habits? Emma Edwards, founder of The Broke Generation, wants to help you get control of your finances in her new book, Good With Money.
“The very first step to becoming Good With Money is to give yourself a…break.”
But you are a literary journal! Why are you reviewing a finance book? Yes, we are. But everyone, including writers and students, can benefit from a financial mental tidy. With its bright yellow cover and optimistic claims, I was sceptical that Edwards’ financial self-help book would be able to live up to the author’s claims. So many of these types of books make you feel better when you are reading them, but real, continuing change is rare. After following her practical advice, tips and exercises, I began to notice something interesting. My impulse spending had ceased, my visits to the supermarket decreased, and my bank balance was not depleted within a pay cycle. Was I becoming Good With Money?
“Money leaks represent areas that money is leaking out of your wallet without you even noticing.”
With the cost-of-living crisis impacting everyone, from students through to homeowners, developing better money habits is essential. One of the most interesting chapters in Good With Money is the discussion of money leaks. Now, let me tell you, that when you start tracking these leaks, you may need to immediately sit down. Those convenient, little plastic cards that allow us to tap pay and get on with our day have made it far too easy to lose track of what and how much we spend during the day. For me, the big shock was the number of supermarket trips I counted within a month. Edwards’ systems and advice are not about shaming your spending habits or getting you to change your life in ways that are not sustainable. Rather, she helps readers change their thinking, remove shame, set up actionable systems, and keep track of where their money is going.
“There’s a concept in human behaviour called ‘the pain of paying’ that captures the negative emotions we feel when paying for a product or service.”
Although Edwards’ book does seem to lean towards a female target audience, anyone of any age can benefit from reading her advice. Good With Money is an easy-to-follow and simply laid-out book. While there were times when I felt like I was reading a blog post with brand marketing snuck in, overall, I enjoyed the book and came away feeling like I was on the way to being Good With Money.