Part of the reason I wrote The Budget of Your Life was to fill a void that I saw in the personal finance section of the bookstore. More than that, I felt a strong urge to pass along what I had learned in my journey to become debt free. I felt that my life would not be fulfilled until this book became widely available to others who were struggling with their finances. I remained true to writing this book and, in turn, I remained true to the principles of this book; I was taking my own advice.

There are a lot of books out there on the subject of personal finances. You only need to stop in at your local Barnes & Noble or other bookstore and browse through the personal finance section, which I did many times before I decided to write The Budget of Your Life. Some of the books I read were simple and some were far-reaching, fraught with more ideals than you could shake a stick at. None of them seemed to focus on personal finances with daily budgeting at the core the way I wanted it presented to me. There might have been a chapter or two explaining budgeting, but nothing that tackled the process from the 150 bottom up, from the perspective of someone who is clueless from the time they wake up in the morning and look in the mirror to the time they go to bed tossing and turning. Clueless like I was. How do I start a budget? What does a budget look like? How do I maintain a budget? Where can I find help? Why should I budget? These are the questions that need answered before proposing investing solutions, nest-egging and slick tips.

There is no doubt that many financial self-help books are actually good (maybe even great), but you have to walk before you can run.