Winner of Gracious Living on Social Security!!!

Our congratulations go out to Debbie for winning a copy of Gracious Living on Social Security by Valerie Kent!

Gracious Living is an easy-to-read decade-long journey that offers tips and suggestions on how senior citizens can stretch their dollar and get the most for their money. Eleven chapters cover every important aspect of living together, from the wedding preparations to where to live. Key considerations follow each chapter for quick reference: Considerations like where and when to buy clothing, choosing a place to live and juggling your finances. Artist Jeff Nitzberg adds his unique touch with original drawings introducing each chapter.


Disappointed you didn't win? Pick up your copy of Gracious Living on Social Security at Amazon.com for under $15.00.

Now, that's living graciously!

Thanks to all who participated. We have new Summer Reading Giveaways running right now. Check out the first one here.

Gracious Living on Social Security by Valerie Kent--Book Review and Giveaway

Is it possible to survive on Social Security these days? How about more than just survive? Can you live graciously?

In her new book, Gracious Living on Social Security, Valerie Kent brings you through her retirement years, starting from when she married her second husband, Rick, who is several years her junior.

As the prologue mentions, Kent didn't believe she lived graciously until a friend pointed out that even though they were on a limited, fixed income, Val and Rick still traveled and entertained often, living a life equal to those friends who were much better off. And so, Gracious Living on Social Security was born.

Within this slim book, the reader will learn how Valerie and Rick managed an affordable wedding, decided where to live, pulled their house together and how they juggle finances. Other topics include health, keeping the car on the road, being well dressed for the dollar, and how to travel well and inexpensively.

While I know this book is geared toward people in their golden years, I found much of this advice could apply to other age groups as well.

The illustrations provided by Jeff Nitzberg add the pefect light touch to this engaging story of how to live graciously on Social Security.

Gracious Living on Social Security by Valerie Kent is certainly a book that contains a great deal of advice all retirees could put to excellent use. It is also a wonderful story of how two older people who had been friends for a long time, got married and now live a happy and fulfilling life.


Title: Gracious Living on Social Security
Author: Valerie Kent
Publisher: Tree Farm Books
ISBN: 978-0-615-21156-5
SRP: $15.00 (U.S.)



Here are the rules to win a free copy of Gracious Living on Social Security:

1) Comment here with your working email address so that we can contact you if you win.

2) Get an additional entry for blogging about this contest. Leave a comment here telling us where you blogged about it.

3) Tweet about this contest. Don't forget to let us know here that you tweeted!

Contest runs from today until on July 10, 2009 to July 24, 2009 . The winner will be announced at this blog on July 27, 2009.

This contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only.

Good luck!

Valerie Kent and Juggling Finances

Today's guest blogger talks about a subject many of us fret over: finances. In this down economy, it sure seems that saving every dime is essential to survival. That's why even though Valerie Kent's book Gracious Living on Social Security is targeted at people who are retired, some of the advice found within this book's pages can be applied to anyone.

Valerie is going to share with us a few tips on juggling finances.

As it happens, my husband Rick is an expert at dealing with the financial side of things. An experienced businessman, even when we found ourselves living largely on Social Security he has come up with a number of techniques for getting the most out of every dollar. One answer has been to take an occasional part-time job. I’ve worked for years as an adjunct professor at Eckerd College teaching non-traditional students, mostly people without degrees who want to acquire special skills, in my case, writing. We are scrupulous about managing credit card debt, and find that paying off our balance every month enables us to collect on rebates and other programs. Read the fine print. Pay at the last possible moment to preserve your cash balance and use frequent flyer programs and similar arrangements to cut down on travel costs. Compare bank loan rates when shopping for a car or any other commitment. The differential is tremendous. At times like these, re-mortgage your house at lower interest. Every penny counts.

There is a chapter on juggling your finances in Gracious Living on Social Security. For a fuller background treatment of Valerie Kent’s life and this book, have a look at the Tree Farm Books website: www.treefarmbooks.com.

You can purchase a copy of Gracious Living on Social Security at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com.