Disclosure: I received books to review. This post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase through them, I will receive a small commission.  I use the commission to sponsor giveaways like this one.

When I was about 13 years old, a neighbor asked me to babysit her children. It was the first time I had ever been paid to babysit (before, I had only watched my brother or my mom’s friend’s children.) Their family eventually grew to include 4 kids and I babysat them for several years. Earning my own money was really exciting, plus I could do my homework at night while the kids slept. It was a great job and I appreciated having the chance to do it. Unfortunately I completely wasted the money I earned! I’m sure I spent it on NKOTB t-shirts and stamps to mail letters to pen-pals or something completely cheesy like that. No one really talked with me about saving, budgeting, or planning for the future. Would I have listened at that time? I’m not sure. Still, it’s worth noting that money DOES grow over time.  My husband worked 20-30 hours per week from the time he was a teenager all the way through college.  We’re still in massive debt from student loans, car payments, and a mortgage.  Isn’t it amazing that all this can be avoided simply by investing at a young age? 

In The Minimum Wage Millionaire, author Bill Edgar spells out the way that money works and how teenagers can accumulate wealth.  The interesting thing about this book is that it presents the information in kid-friendly language.  Kids as young as 12 or 13 will understand what Edgar explains.  Also, the premise is that wealth can be built in as little as 6 years.  By investing the money earned from part-time jobs (or even summer jobs), kids can have about a million dollars by the time they are 65!  The side effect of this saving is also learning about delayed gratification.  Rather than spending the money on something that’s short-term and consumable, teens learn that they don’t really need to spend their money right away.  Anyone who earns money should read this book, even if just to gain an understanding of how investments work.  I highly recommend this book to parents, grandparents, and even employers!   If you have Kindle Unlimited, you could read this book (and others!) free.

For those of us who aren’t teenagers and have already succumbed to the debt cycle, check out Debt-Proof Living.  Author Mary Hunt sets forth clearly defined guidelines for paying off consumer debt.  I like the idea of debt calculator that gives you a firm deadline for paying off debt.  By applying Hunt’s action steps, it’s reasonable to think that people really can knock out their bills in this lifetime.  Hunt uses placating language to make this experience seem a bit more comfortable.  For example, a budget is called a “spending plan.”   The pretty verbiage plays on the Pinterest-worthy mindset, really.   The heavy hitting message for me was the reminder that interest is wasted money.  Applying that $15 in interest to another bill really does make an impact!   Common sense tactics are outlined but really, if you’re in debt, you know these tactics.  The whole deal is applying the solution and making a lifestyle change.  Hunt presents this as a challenge and I like it!  Debt-Proof Living comes with a super cool website that  has a lot of perks which, unfortunately, cost extra.  For example, you can access the bonus features like the debt calculator but (surprise) you need a subscription.   I won’t be subscribing, but I do plan to incorporate some of Hunt’s ideas to remedy our debt situation.