Tightwads and Spendthrifts by Scott Rick

Title: Tightwads and Spendthrifts; Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships

Author: Scott Rick

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: January 9, 2024

Length: 230 Pages

About the Author
Scott Rick is a marketing professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. in Behavioral Decision Research from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. Before joining Michigan Ross, he spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Rick routinely teaches courses on consumer behavior, judgment and decision-making, and marketing management.

Relationships and Money
Dr. Rick defines a tightwad as a person who has difficulty spending money. A spendthrift is a person who has difficulty controlling spending. Research shows that conflict revolving around money is the second leading cause of divorce in the United States, with infidelity being the leading cause.  

This book explains why money should be considered when choosing a partner, how money should be handled within the relationship, and how money should be used in raising children. The ultimate goal is finding a balance between financial and psychological well-being.

My Thoughts
I chose this book because I tend to enjoy spending money and my husband tends to have difficulty spending. I am not an extreme spendthrift and he is not an extreme tightwad, but we definitely have different spending/saving styles.

The author did an excellent job blending the psychological and financial concepts in this book. Financial beliefs are deeply engrained and have often been in place since childhood. Communication and compromise are required to work out a financial plan that is satisfactory to both partners in a marriage. 

I read Chapter 7, "The Secret Language of Gifts", about three weeks before Christmas. It is always hard for me to purchase a gift for my husband. Dr. Rick believes that gift-giving occasions are important opportunities to make our partners feel seen and appreciated. He recommends giving gifts that require some kind of sacrifice. It should be clear to your partner that your gift was not easy to select or obtain. This advice really touched me and helped me choose appropriate Christmas gifts for my husband.

You might be surprised to learn that the author does not believe that complete financial transparency is necessary among financially mismatched partners. He suggests that financial translucency (partial financial transparency) is likely to strike the right balance between financial and relationship well-being.

This is an amazing book that should be required reading for everyone in a relationship that requires the blending of finances. Highly recommended!

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

Thank you to NetGalley for this excellent reading opportunity.

Kindle Books For Kids: Emily's Valentine by Elizabeth Purcell

Emily's Valentine

Author: Elizabeth Purcell
Illustrator: Alex Ferri Land

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Date: January 26, 2013



A Handmade Valentine
Little Emily makes a handmade Valentine card for her mommy, daddy and grandpa. She wants to buy her beloved Granny Boo a gift but she does not have enough money in her piggy bank.

Emily makes a beautiful handmade Valentine for her granny and signs it "From Emily with love."

On Valentine's Day, Emily and all her cousins go to visit Granny Boo and give her their gifts. The cousins laugh at Emily's handmade Valentine, but Granny Boo likes the handmade card the best.

Emily gave the gift of love...the greatest gift of all.

My Thoughts
This is a short and sweet rhyming story about a little girl and a handmade Valentine card. I have been making handmade cards for several years so this story is near and dear to my heart.

The lesson in this story is that it is the feelings behind the gift that counts. You don't need to spend money to express your love to those near you. A small handmade item means more than an expensive gift purchased with little thought or emotion.

I read this ebook on my Kindle Fire and found the formatting appropriate for young readers. There is a small color illustration and four lines of rhyming text on each screen view.

This is a wonderful story for Valentine's Day or any day. Highly recommended!

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

DYI ~ I ordered this ebook from Amazon.Com during a limited-time free promotion. Please check the current price before ordering.

I would love for you to FOLLOW this blog. You may use either the Google Friend Connect or the Networked Blog widget to show your support and encouragement.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Kindle Books For Kids: 14 Days of Valentines by Big Red Balloon

14 Days of Valentines (Big Red Balloon)

Author: Big Red Balloon

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Date: January 27, 2013




About The Author
Big Red Balloon is dedicated in aiding parents and teachers to bring out the best in children. They strive to nurture thoughtful, responsible children by introducing quality, captivating books that will encourage imagination and creativity. 

Mice Are Nice
A charming blue mouse sends his true love (a cute pink mouse) 14 yummy sweets for Valentine's Day.

This story was inspired by the classic "12 Days of Christmas" and can set to music for added enjoyment.

The gifts include cotton candy, lollipops, cakes, gummi drops and much more. Each day the pink mouse receives more sweets from her sweetheart.

The last page of the book features the two mice surrounded by all the gifts that were given in the past 14 days. 

My Thoughts
This book is an excellent book to share with children. I think I would read the story aloud and then invite the children to sing it with me. The full-page color illustrations are perfect for sharing with individuals or a group of children.

The themes of love, generosity and friendship are evident in this story. This is a wonderful book for children of all ages.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

This book is available as a FREE Kindle book at Amazon.Com TODAY! These promotions don't last very long so grab your copy NOW.

I would love for you to FOLLOW this blog. You may use either the Google Friend Connect or the Networked Blog widget to show your support and encouragement.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Christmas Family Traditions

Many years ago my Aunt Katherine, my dad's sister, wrote down her family Christmas memories from the 1920s and 1930s.  I would like to share an excerpt from her writings and a glimpse of a Luehrman Family Christmas long ago when my father was a child.

Now for the family Christmas celebration! Santa Claus always brought our Christmas tree after we were in bed on Christmas Eve. Since we had no electricity, candles on holders helped decorate the tree. Several evenings after Christmas we were allowed to light the candles very cautiously while Mom and Dad stood ready to put out a fire or even carry the tree out of doors if necessary. The "stars" on that tree were brighter to our childish eyes than any electric lights could ever be. The tree always stood on the sewing machine in the dining room. The dining room and the kitchen were the only rooms ever heated in the winter unless we had lots of company. The dining room table was always set up with a plate for each member of the family. On this plate, Santa always put candy and an orange or two. We kids made a game of seeing who could make his Christmas candy last the longest, so we ate it very sparingly. We'd probably not have candy again until next Christmas.

Our Christmas gifts would be placed next to our plates. Sometimes there was something too large for the table such as a little red wagon which had to be shared by the three of us. I remember getting doll furniture, roller skates (a real treat after we had seen some "town kids" skate at Grandma's house.) Usually there were clothes also...gloves, sweaters, caps, etc. One year we received a ping-pong set but no table so we played on our knees on the floor. Dad often played with us.

The most exciting Christmas of all was the year that Santa Claus brought us a new Kimball piano. I never did figure out how Santa ever managed to get it into the living room by himself. What a thrill it was for me to begin to play this wonderful musical instrument.

We always had Christmas dinner at Grandma's and Aunt Emma went all out to have a sumptuous meal. One year Aunt Emma dressed up and played Santa for all the kids. I was old enough to be wise to it, but how well I remember the excitement that it created for the "little ones".

We always had to gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols sometime during the afternoon. How proud Grandma was of her family!

Christmas evening supper around the table was filled with the love of family and the Christmas spirit within our hearts. We thanked God for the blessed event of the first Christmas as Dad read again to us the Christmas story from the Bible.

Written by Katherine Luehrman Dryer

*The picture is from an antique picture postcard from the early 1900s.

Do you have precious memories of family Christmas celebrations?

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Kindle Books for Kids: A Lovely Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family, friends and loyal readers! Love is in the air and this is a special day for lovers everywhere.

I recently read "A Lovely Day; A Valentine Picture Book for Children" by Sujatha Lalgudi. This is a story about a young boy who finds a perfect Valentine's Day gift for each member of his family.

About The Author
Sujatha Lalgudi was born in Bangalore and holds a Masters Degree in Computers. After working for several years in the Silicon Valley, she moved back to India. She is currently residing in Mysore, a heritage city. She and her husband Raghavendra Mocharla run and operate www.yumdeal.com and www.hippidoo.com.
Both her children, daughter aged 8 and son aged 3 love books. All her books pass through their test first :-)
Sujatha Lalgudi has written many ebooks for children. They are all available on the Amazon Kindle.

Valentine's Day
This is a very simple ebook for children that features a young boy and his family. Each page of the book shows him presenting a different family member or friend a Valentine's Day gift.

The boy gives his mommie a bouquet of red roses, his daddy some tasty cupcakes and his best friend a bunch of balloons. He gives his dog a special bone and his cat a cozy blanket. He presents his "Valentine" with a big red paper heart!

The story ends with a picture of the boy and his parents embracing and looking very happy ~ "lots of kisses, loads of hugs, all for me!"

My Thoughts
This 13-page ebook is a short and sweet story for young boys and girls. Each page includes a full-page color illustration and one sentence of text. The text is written above or below the illustration in big print.

I read this book on my Kindle 3 (black and white illustrations) and my Kindle for PC application (color illustrations). I enjoyed the pictures and text on the small screen of my Kindle. The formatting is very good and I did not have any problem reading the text.

The color illustrations are very expressive and truly convey the joy of giving that the boy experienced as he gave gifts to his family and friends. I love the way this book emphasizes the spirit of generosity. The gifts were all inexpensive and many of them were homemade.

The last page of the story is so sweet. It shows that the boy received the very best gift of all ~ Hugs and kisses from his loved ones.

I think this is an excellent story to share with young children on Valentine's Day. Highly recommended!

My Rating:  5 stars out of 5

FYI ~ I ordered this book from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free download. Please check the price before ordering.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Book Review: 20 Steps To Art Licensing

Art licensing is the business of lending your art to manufacturers, and they use your design to make gift items. The manufacturer makes, sells, and ships the product to retail shops and the artist is usually paid in royalties based on sales. 20 Steps To Art Licensing: How to Sell Your Designs To Card and Gift Companies, by Kate Harper, is a very informative booklet that provides many resources for artists who are interested in growing their businesses.

About Kate Harper

Kate Harper has worked in the gift and greeting card industry for twenty years and has designed over 700 cards and gifts. She started her own handmade card business and has serviced over 2,000 accounts including Barnes and Noble, Whole Foods Markets and Papyrus. Ms. Harper provides artists with current information on her blog ~ Greeting Card Design.

The Business Side Of Art

Kate Harper has found a way to make a living by doing what she loves. She proves that you don't have to be a "starving artist", but the business of art requires a huge amount of preparation, persistence and support. This booklet provides 20 steps to art licensing and offers many links to Internet sites that have more information for art professionals.

This is a quick read but there is a wealth of information in this booklet. The steps begin with acquiring basic information about the art business;

• Take an art licensing class.
• Read books ~ The author recommends three "Must Read" books that will give artists much-needed foundation information.
• Read trade magazines and blogs ~ The author lists dozens of publications that provide valuable information.

Ms. Harper also gives these steps for artists who are well on their way to art licensing success:

• Get an attorney and learn about copyrights. You need someone who does artists contracts.
• Look into agents. The author provides several links that help you decide if you need an agent and how to choose the right person.
• Finding companies to work with. Ms. Harper provides the names and contact information for dozens of companies that make greeting cards and gift items.

The Price Is Right

20 Steps to Art Licensing is available in digital format (Kindle) for $2.99 at Amazon.com. I believe this product is well worth the price. I found the whole concept that a freelance artist can sell her designs to big companies very interesting. I have been making handmade greeting cards for my friends and family for several years but I never thought about creating original designs and selling them. This booklet is informative and inspiring.

Other Booklets By Kate Harper

I have read and reviewed the following booklets by Kate Harper;

How To Publish and Sell Your Article On The Kindle

Unusual Ways To Market Your Greeting Cards and 22 Places To Get Your Designs Featured

Thank you so much for visiting my blog ~ Please leave a message in the Comments Section below.