My Top 5 Resources
If I could only tell you about 5 things that had a huge impact on me, it would be these.
Financial Peace University (For Financial Freedom)
Financial Peace University is Dave Ramsey’s 9 week course for home study. He covers investing, insurance, budgeting, mortgages, finding bargains, negotiating, giving and much more. It’s Dave’s complete financial course. It changed my life when I went through it. If you know of a church hosting it in your local area, sign up! If not, buy the program. It’s worth the money.
AirBNB (For Lodging)
We have 5 kids, so finding a hotel room doesn’t really work. We either get stuck in two different rooms (darn fire codes), or we are crammed into one small room. AirBNB has been the answer to our prayers. We rent entire houses for less than the cost of a hotel room per night. Additionally, we get to immerse ourselves into the culture by staying at an AirBNB when we travel overseas.
Audible (For Audiobooks)
I typically set a goal to read 50 books per year. 90% of those are audiobooks from Audible. With your subscription (around $15/month), you get one credit for a book each month. And buying more books is cheaper than any audiobooks I’ve ever bought. Turn your commute into a university.
Siteground (For Web Hosting)
Whether you’re an aspiring blogger, business owner, or just want your own website, you need high quality web hosting that’s affordable. After months of research (literally), I found out that SiteGround offers the absolute best web hosting available. I even prove why in my review.
Fiverr (For Outsourcing)
Need something done that’s tedious and time consuming? Outsource it. The workers at Fiverr sell their service in “gigs” that are typically $5 each. There are plenty of great people on there who can do some of the stuff you need to do, but don’t want to do. Look around for other stuff too. They offer all kinds of services. You may even want to sell your own gigs.
Personal Capital
Your net worth, investing, spending & budgeting all in one place. View all transactions across all accounts. You can use Personal Capital on your phone, tablet or computer. It’s my favorite tool for tracking all of my spending, and it’s 100% free.
EveryDollar
Dave Ramsey’s budgeting software. This is my main budgeting tool. We use it for our monthly budget. It works great for an envelope-style budget. We’ve always used the free account but you can upgrade for more features.
Evoshare
Save money when you go shopping, and put the savings towards your retirement. Evoshare allows you to link a retirement account or a student loan account, and it puts your savings towards whichever you choose. It’s like cashback with a purpose.
Goodbudget
A basic envelope budgeting tool. My wife and I really like that we can have this app on each of our phones, and track our spending. You can sync the accounts so you both see all the spending inputted by any device.
YNAB (You Need A Budget)
This is an extremely popular budgeting tool. There isn’t a free version for this one but it’s worth paying for. If you’re meticulous in your budgeting and tracking, go with this one.
Buxfer
A budgeting tool that allows you to sync all of your accounts & investments together in one place. You can try it for free, or you can upgrade to one of their paid plans for more features.
Budget Pulse
A basic, manual budgeting tool. For those who like a more old-school approach to budgeting. This is also 100% free!
Investing
All of my favorite tools to invest easily and examine companies.
Vanguard
Jack Bogle, the founder of Vanguard, invented index funds. They still have the best ones today. If you want the lowest fees, and best mutual and index funds, choose Vanguard. As a side note, I think they have the coolest logo in history – another reason to choose Vanguard.
Yahoo! Finance
If you’re looking for a company’s balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, or any other financial document like this, check out Yahoo! Finance. They also have the best stock history reports I’ve seen.
Financhill
Put a stock symbol into the box and get all kinds of information on how the stock is trading, trends, valuation, and more charts than you could ever imagine. You have to sign up to search more than 3 stocks.
Motif
Fully automated investing. You simply pick the sector you want to invest in and the amount of money you want to invest. Motif will then invest for you.
USAA
If you have military affilation (you, spouse, parent, etc.), you are qualified to open an account at USAA. They have all kinds of investment options, including their own funds.
Kabbage
Small, affordable business loans for investing in your company or idea.
Credit Tools
The best places to get your credit scores and credit reports.
Annual Credit Report
The only place you can get your free credit reports authorized by federal law. You can get one from each credit bureau, once per year, so that’s 3 total (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian).
Credit Sesame
You will get a monthly score card, with your monthly VantageScore 3.0 score, which is an alternative to the famous FICO score. They’ll also show you your report card, why your credit is what it is, and how to improve it.
Credit Karma
They provide your free credit score from TransUnion and Equifax once a month. They also give you information on how to improve it.
Productivity Apps
The most effective habit trackers, task managers, and calendar apps.
Habitica
This is the one productivity app I use every single day. It’s a task manager and a game mixed together – great for nerds like me. You can track habits and reoccurring daily tasks. There is also an extensive to-do list with checklists for each item if desired. This is at the top of my list for a reason.
GoTasks
While it’s an older app, and not often updated, it still serves its purpose. It integrates with Google Calendar Tasks, and keeps them in one place.
Productive App
If you want a basic habit tracker with a beautiful design, this is it. It keeps track of your habits and shows your history as well.
Google Calendar
What gets scheduled gets done. Google Calendar is as simple as it gets, and its layout is easy to naviagte. I use it to track everything.
Tiny Calendar
If you find Google Calendar to be a little cluttered, Tiny Calendar can fix that. It syncs with your Google Calendar, and gives you a simplier interface to view everything you have going on in time blocks.
Streaks
This is similar to Productive App, but it’s another option. It keeps track of your habits and more specifically the habit streaks you’re forming.
Productivity Journals
Journaling is a great habit. These guided journals will make you more productive.
The Mastery Journal
This journal helps you plan an entire productive day. From your morning routine, through your nightly recap, this journal guides you through a productive day. See inside.
The Sunrise Manifesto
This simple journal walks you through a few exercises each day, like gratitude, opportunities for the day, and a spot to clear your mind. See inside.
The Sunrise Manifesto
This journal will help you accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days. It’s a great journal to use prior to starting The Mastery Journal above. See inside.
More Resources
Journaling is a great habit. These guided journals will make you more productive.
Finance Worksheets and Tools
- Financial Goals Worksheet – MMB worksheet to help you set and track you financial goals.
- Bill Payment Schedule – MMB worksheet to track your bills and mark when they are paid.
- Balance Sheet – MMB simple, easy to use balance sheet.
- Budget Worksheet – A great basic budget worksheet from Dave Ramsey.
- Irregular Income Budget – A great budget worksheet from Dave Ramsey for an irregular income.
- Monthly Cash Flow Plan – Cash flow plan from Dave Ramsey.
- Financial Snapshot & Budget – Excel doc budget form from J Money @ Budgets Are Sexy.
- Free Downloads and Money Saving Tools – Free resources from Canadian Budget Binder.
- How to Start Your Business Guide – Comprehensive resource on how to start a business.
My Top 2 Go-To Stores
- Amazon – You probably already shop here. Shopping through this link will help support MoneyMiniBlog without costing you a dime!
- AliExpress – Think of a thing and they probably have it, and at insanely low prices. Some products are as much as 90% less than other websites.
Save on Your Car
- Tire Rack – We started using TireRack originally, because it was cheaper to buy better tires with the wheels included here than it was to buy lower quality tires at any store in my city.
- Autotrader – A great place to buy and sell vehicles.
- eBay – I’m sure you shop here already, but if you haven’t looked at their prices on car parts, check them out. Never buy a part for your car until you’ve checked eBay first.
- Gas Buddy – The best app to find the cheapest gas in your town and on trips.
Save on Your Reading
- Amazon – Shipping is still free for books if you spend more than $25, as opposed to the normal $49 minimum.
- Barnes & Noble – Great for comparison-shopping with Amazon.
- The Economist – Pay just $1 per issues for the first 12 weeks for The Economist magazine – the only magazine I read.
Earn When You Shop
- Swagbucks – A great cashback site, and they also pay you for completing a variety of tasks, from watching videos to games to surveys.
- MyPoints – Another awesome cashback website that seems to have a higher than average pay-out..
- TopCashBack – A cashback website that gives you 100% of their commission when you shop through them. They can do this, because they make their money with ads.
Legal
- Legal Nature – Highly affordable legal documents for almost any legal need.
Save on Music Equipment
- Musician’s Friend – Usually the first place I check for a product. Amazing service and low prices.
- Sweetwater – A second source to check for comparison shopping.
- Music123 – An additional source I use for comparison shopping.
- eBay – It’s not uncommon to find brand new products for way cheaper than the above websites. There are hundreds of small music stores on eBay that can often offer a lower price.
Save on Electronics
- NewEgg – My first stop for computer parts and electronics. I’ve built several computers and every part came from NewEgg. I’ve also purchased full computers from here, since they always have great deals on them.
- Tiger Direct – Great for comparison shopping, and they seem to have the best prices on monitors usually.
- Sonic Electronix – The best price for auto electronics. I saved almost $2000 on the sound system I installed in my car, vs. the price of the local dealer.
Save on Printing
- Create A Shirt – Extremely affordable screen printing for shirts, and you can buy just one! The shirts a re great quality – I have ordered some! They also give away a free shirt of your own design each Friday to the lucky winners.
- 123inkjets – The easiest way to figure out which type of ink your printer requires, and some of the lowest prices on the internet. I go with the remanufactured cartridges to save even more and the cartridges are as good as new.
- Shutterfly – A great place to go when you want someone else do the printing. They also send out awesome deals.
Coupons
- Groupon – Anytime you’re traveling, going out to eat or purchasing something, it never hurts to see if there is a Groupon available. You may be surprised at what they offer deals for.
Payment Solutions
- Paysafe – For payment processing, digital wallets & card solutions.
Growth
- Accelerated – Speed reading trainer.
- Blinkist – Concise, yet thorough, book summaries.
- Duolingo – One of my favorite language learning tools.
- Feedly – A great way to organzie the blogs you read.
- Free Books – Exactly what it sounds like. Go get em!
- Optimal Living Daily – Turning blog posts into audio – an amazing podcast that reads the best blogs around, including MoneyMiniBlog.
- Overdrive – A great place to get ebooks and audiobooks. See if your library is affiliated.
- ReadScripture – A visual and interactive way to read the Bible.
- TED Talks – Some of the best wisdom, shared.
Fitness
- AllTrails – GPS directions to the best hiking trails.
- Couch to 5K – My favorite way to start a new running routine.
- MapMyHike – Another great trail finder.
- MyFitnessPal – The easiest way to track everything you eat.
- Plank Challenge – A great way to build up planking.
- Pushup Challenge – A great way to build a pushup routine.
Kitchen
- Aeropress – A neat way to make coffee, and the best coffee maker for traveling.
- Vitamix 5200 – I’ve never loved a blender as much as this one. Stronger than any I’ve ever used.
- Naked Nutrition – Natural protein, including grass-fed whey! Mostly flavorless, so you make your own.
Personal Finance Books
- The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
- Rapid Debt Reduction Strategies by John Avanzini
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
- The Essays of Warren Buffett by Warren Buffett
- Why Stocks Go Up and Down by William Pike and Patrick Gregory
- One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch
- The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne
- The Shortest Investment Book Ever by James O’Donnell
- Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher
- The Motley Fool Investment Workbook by David and Tom Gardner
- The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
- The Four Pillars of Investing by William J. Bernstein
- Stocks For The Long Run by Jeremy Siegel
- The Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing by Gary W. Eldred
- The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy
- The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
- The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy
- Real Estate Advantages by Sharon Lechter and Garrett Sutton
- Buy It, Rent It, Profit! by Bryan M. Chavis
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko
- 100 Ways to Create Wealth by Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford
- Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
- The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
- Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey
- The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton
Productivity Books
- The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Mini Habits by Stephen Guise
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- The 5 A.M. Miracle by Jeff Sanders (read my review)
- The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
- The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
- How Successful People Grow by John Maxwell
- The Now Habit by Neil Fiore
- Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden
- Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden
- Failing Forward by John Maxwell
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- No Excuses! by Brian Tracy
- Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
- Time Power by Brian Tracy
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
- The One Thing by Gary Keller
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- The Magic of Thinking Big by by David Schwartz
- How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
- Linchpin by Seth Godin
- How Successful People Think by John Maxwell
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing With People by Les Giblin
- Positive Personality Profiles by Robert A Rohm
- How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
- The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
- Simplify by Joshua Becker
Check out our full lists of 75 books each on Finance and Productivity.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission if you buy something through clicking the link. However, I only recommend products or services that I personally use or have used and that I believe are truly worth your money. Many of the links on this page are not affiliate links. I want to provide you with great resources whether I make money from them or not. Learn more here.