Saving Karyn by Karyn Bosnak: Book Report

Do you only pay the minimum balance on your credit cards? Do you know what your interest rate is? Do you have spending amnesia? Do you charge it now and conjure a way to pay later? Do you make excuses why you need, deserve, require a thing? This book might give you some hope, some direction, some peace. It's time to get off the merry-go-round, woman!

While on my sickbed the past 3 days (called off again so I wouldn't backslide), I managed to get in some reading. I picked up some cheap paperbacks at the corner Salvation Army. For this post, I'm reviewing Saving Karyn by Karyn Bosnak purchased for $.59, not bad. You can get it for a penny on Amazon but the shipping costs would put it at almost $3.

This is an actual account of Karyn's experience with out-of-control revolving debt (credit card with interest charges's, we all got em). Sound familiar? Midwestern girl moves to NYC to find herself. Gets in over her head trying to keep up in a status driven world, ends up slumming in Brooklyn with rats and roaches, subsisting on tortilla chips and pickles at one point, while trying to maintain employment during the 9/11 tumult.

You may have heard of her story a while back. She made headlines around the world for launching a website asking people to send money to help pay off her debt. And would you believe, it worked! If only it were that easy! You come to see that it totally sucked and gave her mad stress. As I read, I couldn't help but feel sick as you followed her into a chasm of careless spending. She feels the all to real consequences in less than 1 year in town. Karyn is so ashamed of herself she keeps it hidden under her "chipper attitude". An attitude that, although, allows her to keep a job and the book interesting, eats away at her self-respect and confidence that all those shoes and purses could never replace. Which she, ironically, hawks on ebay.

At first, her voice is a little gosh, shucks. Also, she comes off as gullible and non-confrontational, all very midwesterny traits I must say;) I mean the makeup counter guy totally sized her up. He subtly digs into her insecurities to heap endless products upon her under 30 skin, that she diligently protects. When the final tally hits $600 she doesn't have the guts much less incredulence to pull out. Meanwhile her debt is at a staggering $15,000 within 4 months! I'd break out in hives if I paid more than $5 for a mascara.

Before each chapter, we get a peek at her unrelenting credit card bills. She buys a couch with store credit. If you look closely within the 5th month, 1 month after the no-interest falls off, her late first payment only covers the interest and late fees. Aurgghhh! She makes complex calculations while trying to stay ahead of her American Express card debt, even giving it an acronym worthy only of the financial sector. She could just as easily applied her mathematical wizardry to saving money under no duress whatsoever.

Her accounts of people's charity and goodwill is a welcome testament to the humanity of people, of which, she humbly points out. Luckily, it takes the edge off the death threats and mean-spirited copycats! There is a happy ending, but this is a cautionary tale. Her website SaveKaryn.com is still up and running. Make sure to check out the original website for her greatest hits.

It was a quick and breezy read. I wish I could say I can't relate. I've seen it happen to people close to me and in my own life when a business went bust. It is no fun and unnecessary! As we watch our economic system capitulate, we see the absolute folly of spending more than we earn - on a global level! In an intoxicating race to live some imaginary lifestyle, as seen on tv, we cashed out the future. By some accounts, we are earning just as much as we ever did, but our value system has morphed.

Cheers to the simple life!

*I'm offering this book, free-of-charge and free shipping, to my first subscriber!

Let's get thirfty together, baby!

It just hit me the other morning. I very much enjoy being thrifty. I extra love sharing any bold new tip or success had with my adventures in accounting. Sometimes I get the occasional strange or disbelieving look. I brush it off, determined to stealthily undermine their consumer habits that prevent them from maximizing their paychecks. Being cheap can be quite the coup. There are raw deals everywhere - overpriced this, hot scam that. I loath both. If you're like me, you don't like being played for a fool.

Most of my life has been spent on the frugal side, my mom was very clever with very little. She found cheap housing in great school districts, filed reams of paperwork to get us scholarships for summer camps (partially to have a break herself!), accepted hand-me-downs and shopped resale. I never felt ashamed, more an observer and player in a great economic theatre. To not be beholden to those who wish to part you and your money and keep you in perpetual debt, is very liberating and self-validating. And some of us have no other choice because we are, financially, hanging on by a thread.

There also exists green and political motivations towards this type of lifestyle that we must investigate. This blog is to inspire you to look for alternatives and define your own path to financial freedom and independence. We'll be skipping all the way to the bank.

And I DO enjoy life even if I don't buy into the latest fad (unless it's about living on the cheap, duh!), eat out at every chance or giddily join gyms, clubs and subscriptions. I endlessly hunger for more tricks, tips and hints. The thought of thoroughly calculating and researching variables to decipher the lowest cost of living with the highest standards puts honey in my cup. I value my health, humor and experiences and am determined to live long and prosper like a any good daughter of Spock who only makes rational, logical decisions. Well...some of the time anyways;) Therefore, I am going public and taking anyone, who's game, along.

I carefully considered the name of my blog to capture a feeling and my particular circumstance. Frugality is a way of life that most would associate with drudgery and blandness, but I find it to be an interesting challenge, a great comfort and full of indulgences.

Additionally, it is never too early or late to begin this process. Yesterday would've been better, last year, phenomenal, but since we cannot reverse the clock, today will do. In the spirit of having fun and being carefree I think it's best not to act like misers and spinsters but enjoy lives as a darling Miss, not mess! I have great plans for my granny days. They usually involve a villa, the mediterranean, martini's and paintbrushes. That's why we must begin NOW

My blog will focus on things that interest me most and pertain to my readers and I. Health - diet and fitness, fashion, travel, entertainments, mortgages, energy costs, maintenance and repair, crafting, DIY, beauty, charity and fun. Not all of these may or should be implemented at once, more so gradually merged with your current lifestyle. It's hard not to feel deprived or overwhelmed by a sudden, major overhaul. You can glory at each small gain and make improvements and innovations as you go along.

This summer, I plan to volunteer in my friends gardens (we don't have much sunny garden space at my house) and learn to can together. I have a wish list to support my newly embraced pioneer girl lifestyle, that I plan to collect at estate and yard sales, resale and barter. I've amassed a good stock of durable plastic 5 gallon buckets (currently used for composting and grain storage) and smaller food storage units (storing dried beans and homemade ricemilk) from my waiting tables job, just as much to prevent them from going straight to the landfill.

Ultimately, I am a city girl for all that is great about a city - the culture, the diversity, the density, the economies of scale, the freedoms, the styles, the noise and grit, the skyline at night, the intrigue and drama, and, oh, the freaks! All this can be had for relatively cheap, I promise. I find many correlations to a life lived in the country, but I'll save that for when my nightlife dies down. As for my suburban ladies, short of having you move downtown, you may have to be more covert in your tactics. Suburban areas are notorious for their use of suppression and conformity to provide a greige existence check out some predictions for the future of suburbs. My husband once got a ticket for his grass being too long! Though I can sympathize, there are plenty of arguments against obsessive lawn maintenance, unless you're tending to your fledgling crops.

That being said, welcome to my first post of what I hope to be many more!