Buy What You Love Without Going Broke: Transform Your Spending and Get More of What Money Can’t Buy

Personal finance expert Smith and licensed clinical social worker Sirianni cohost the Frugal Friends podcast, in which they tell listeners how to save more and spend less, with advice based on personal experiences; the two have each paid off considerable debt while still enjoying life. Their book shows readers how to make financial decisions based on what they value, and it offers a critical reframing: spending habits are actions, not identities. It presents various strategies, asserting that budgeting practices and preferences are as unique and individual as the objects or experiences people decide to pick up or put back on the shelf. Some of the tactics will feel familiar, such as tracking and analyzing spending. But the authors’ reflections about why they bought specific things in the past may motivate readers to think in new, nonjudgmental ways about how their own beliefs influence their purchases.