The way I first heard about this book is, I’m assuming, the same way that everyone else has. One day I was at Barnes and Noble with my wife looking at baby books (You know, books about names and what not) and when I turned around, I saw the section which contained this book. I picked it up, flipped through and fell in love. Luckily for me, my wife had just received a B&N gift card (Long story) so we were able to purchase this book without really paying for it (And in no way do I mean or condone stealing)
I feel like, after reading this book and thinking about it as well, the best way to describe this book and what it means to me is by telling you a story about a pair of sneakers. (And, no, I am not joking)
I frequently visit Target stores. It is both a burden and a curse. One day, some time ago, while at Target I saw these sneakers that I liked. They were brand-named by Shaun White, who is a snowboarder for those unaware, and they were at the full price of $34.99. To me, this seemed like a lot of money. Maybe it wasn’t a lot of money for sneakers that, say, had Godzilla designs on them, but for these particular shoes it was a lot of money. They were in basic colors with white laces and really had no distinguishing qualities. The ones that I liked I only liked because they were a very nice looking bright blue. But was it worth $35 for basically plain looking sneakers? No, not to me it wasn’t.
I kid you not, no less than a year later, Target started putting these sneakers on clearance to make way for new products. The first Target I found them at had them reduced to 80% off. I’ll let you do the math on that one, but for me, that was definitely a price I could buy them at. This story could have had two other possible endings. One would involve me buying them for $35 when I first saw, and then kicking myself later when I saw them on clearance for under $10. The other would have me not being able to find them that cheap ever, or worse find them for that cheap but not in my size. (Something that is kind of relevant but not really: I wear a size 13 mens shoe, so finding anything in my size at stores like Target is usually tough enough to begin with—they tend to cut off around 12—but to actually find something not only that marked down but also a pair in my size let me know that those sneakers were there for me. Okay, back to my other story now.) Had I not ever been able to buy those sneakers except for at full price wouldn’t have been a bad scenario either because, well, it’d be $35 more that I’d have and also I so rarely get to wear socks and sneakers in Houston. But any way, there is a point to all of this.
In Young, Broke and Beautiful, Broke-Ass Stuart basically teaches you how to live off of little to no money. It’s a great resource for people who are, well, broke but wish to still maintain a certain lifestyle (like eating). It is not the type of book that I typically read from the library that is fiction and after one read through I send it back and never read it again. I also don’t really tend to read much non-fiction, though it is not for a lack of trying. This book, basically, serves as a guide for me the way a textbook would for an advanced student, only this is about the universal class known as life. It might sound cheesy, but believe me, this is like that time Homer Simpson got a coupon book somehow and eventually ended up at the Superbowl. Well, maybe without the “me ending up at the Superbowl” part (Though meeting Dolly Parton would be cool)
Aside from being a straight up guide, this book also serves as a reference to other places (mostly on the internet) where you can learn about basically anything when it comes to being broke. Funny thing is, there is a part which refers you to cheap eyeglasses. A week or less before I bought this book, my glasses broke in half and are currently being held together by super glue. Even if I only got this book to get some cheap eyeglasses, this would all make it worthwhile. But this book is so much more than that. Really, it has a $15 cover price, but you’re going to save so much more money in the long run that it’s definitely worth investing in.
Now my point about the sneakers story is basically this- I’m no millionaire, I’m not even a thousandaire, but if I had money I would still want this book because I would still live this lifestyle. If I were to somehow win the lottery or whatever and gain a large amount of money I would not change my spending habits except for, you know, maybe buying more organic foods and not the bad stuff because it’s less expensive. (Though this is a chapter about farmer’s markets, but I just need to find someone who can get me some organic milk on the cheap) Do you really think that rich people are rich because they spend all of their money on useless things or because they’re smart with how they spend their money? And because they don’t spend more of it than they absolutely have to helps as well. I mean, I would never pay $75 for a t-shirt at the Gap when I know I could get one at Good Will for $2. I feel like I will always be a thrift store junkie and that’s why I love this book so much.
One final point I’d like to touch on before I end what was supposed to be a review for Young, Broke and Beautiful by Broke-Ass Stuart…. Let me just say that this is a general United States guide and books have been written by Broke-Ass Stuart for the cities of San Francisco and New York as well. Living in Houston, I can’t help but think someone needs to write one of these things for here. There is SO MUCH stuff constantly going on in Houston either for free or for free plus food it’s just mind-boggling. We’re like NYC but without all the, you know, New Yawk qualities. But I guess maybe the idea of this book is also to find your own book within your own city. One point made by someone other than Broke-Ass Stuart himself is that you can get a cheaper movie ticket by buying one for a child or senior and ticket takers generally never check them (And for minimum wage plus all the popcorn you can eat why would they care?) But I have a movie theater across from me that shows movies for $1.50. Knowing that, why would I ever pay more than that to see a movie in theaters? So this book is not just about understanding, nurturing and eventually embracing your own broke-ass-ness. It’s about finding that part in you which Stuart has found in him and use it to its fullest potential. I like to think that I was already doing that, but after reading this book I’m doing it even more so.
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