Effie Zahos: A real girl’s guide to money

Title: From Converse to Louboutins: A real girl’s guide to money

Author: Effie Zahos

Genre: Finance

Pages: 224

Price for Paperback: $18.00 / Kindle N/A / Audible  N/A

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Sometimes that little voice in your head knows exactly what to ask.

“You earn a decent income, so why are you still broke?”

Or what about this little gem that pops up every so often when you catch up with the girls: “How can she afford that?” Maybe your biggest fear is retiring in a polyester outfit because you haven’t saved enough to live the fashionista lifestyle that you’re accustomed to. This book is for every woman who has that voice in her head.

Inside you’ll find:

Your three-bucket approach to successful budgeting.

Five spending triggers and the fixes.

Mix-and-match strategies to get that home deposit.

Your guide to shares, ETFs, funds, property and fixed interest.

10 ways to boost your super without putting in an extra cent.

Prams, P-plates and everything in between.

Five fiscal date nights you must go on.

Deal with divorce with a clear head, not a broken heart.

1 + 2 + 3 = your retirement plan

After 20-odd years working on the Money magazine brand, editor Effie Zahos has come across just about every money question and her hope is that you’ll find the answers to some of your questions here.

Why I chose to purchase this book:

I’m a real sucker for a good cover and a catchy tagline. Effie Zahos’s book has both.

I saw the book, picked it up, read the back and went straight to the counter and purchased it. As I was flying to Mauritius later that week I thought I would just grab it now instead of buying it from the airport.

Thoughts:

Considering that I think I am pretty savvy with my money, WOW did I learn a lot from Effie.

Effie Zahos doesn’t just throw out facts about what you should be saving, instead, she gives examples, formulas and apps that will help you. Unless you have friends or family who has shared these things before, then you just won’t know about them. The thing about money is, not many people chat about it. Therefore, handy tips never get shared.

If no one is talking about money openly, we need to be reading and watching as much as we can do understand the best actions to take financially.

Normally I wouldn’t list all the chapter names in a review but in this case, I think its the best way to show you how much information you’re actually getting in “A real girl’s guide to money”.

Chapters:

Chapter 1: How can she afford that?

Your three-bucket approach to successful budgeting

Chapter 2: How much should I be saving? 

Simple strategies to help you reach your goals

Chapter 3: Got the job – Now what? 

How to build good habits from your first pay

Chapter 4: I’ll never own a home 

Mix and match strategies to get that deposit

Chapter 5: I don’t want to love with a mortgage! 

Slashing your interest bill by $86,000 is easier than you think

Chapter 6: I’m so in love! 

Five fiscal date nights you must go on

Chapter 7: I’m ready to start investing 

Your guide to shares, ETFs, funds, property and fixed interest

Chapter 8: Who’s got spare cash to contribute to super? 

10 ways to boost your super without putting in an extra cent

Chapter 9: Help, I’m pregnant! 

How to survive the first year

Chapter 10: Kids cost a bomb 

Prams, P-lates and everything in between

Chapter 11: Will my kids ever leave home?

Valuable money lessons to help children succeed

Chapter 12: The bastard left me for somebody younger

Dealing with divorce with a clear head, not a broken heart

Chapter 13: I want to leave him but I can’t afford to

Your action plan to fund your new life

Chapter 14: I earn $150K, why am I still broke? 

Five spending triggers and the fixes

Chapter 15: I’m sick of working for somebody else

Your start-up checklist to becoming the boss

Chapter 16: Jackpot! Uncle Jack just died 

Making the best use of an inheritance

Chapter 17: How much will I really need in retirement? 

1 + 2 + 3 = your retirement plan

As you can see, Effie Zahos goes through all stages of life and tips and explanations on how to make it work from you. I’m not anywhere near having children and getting married but reading about the financial aspects to be aware of is helpful for forward planning.

At the end of your book, you also get a template for completing a 26-week money makeover.

Should you read it?

If you are completely across your finances and super happy with where you are financially then you might not find this book overly helpful. However, I am an accountant, own my own apartment and have been independent and living out of home since I was 18 years old and I found this little book very insightful.

I would love to hear what you thought of Effie Zahos’s A real girl’s guide to money in the comments.

Happy reading hustlers! Don’t forget to drop me an email on hello@theorganisedhustler if you have any books you would like me to review.

If you missed last months book review, you can find out what I thought of Roxy’s little black book of tips & tricks by Roxy Jacenko here.