JAJT
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David Bach
I bought one of Bach's books - The Automatic Millionaire (2005). This was a while ago, before I started thinking clearly.
One of the worst books I've ever read - even for what it was. I actually threw the book out (the only book I've ever thrown out, in fact).
Ramit Sethi has better blog posts about money management than the entirety of that book. Go read Ramit's opinions - they are some of the best slowlane wisdom I've seen.
I can tell you what worked for me though, and save you 200+ pages:
1. Calculate all your ACTUAL expenses. DVD's and the bar are NOT expenses. Rent, groceries, gas, etc... are expenses. So figure out that number. You now have "$X".
2. Figure out what you logically consider reasonable for a bullshit budget - movies, games, cocaine, etc... that's $Y.
3. Your paycheck minus ($Y + $X) should have a remainder, $Z, or else you are going into debt, quickly.
4. When you get paid, take out $Y in cash and put it in your wallet. Take $Z and put it into a saving or investing account. Leave $Y alone in your bank account for expenses only.
5. Spend $Y without guilt, never touch $Y unless it is for rent (et al) and never touch $z, ever.
You now have a worry-free, easy to understand slowlane budget.
Here it is with real numbers:
Get paid $2000 per month, expenses are $1000 per month, and you feel $400 per month is a reasonable cocaine habit. So you take out $400 and spend it on guilt-free cocaine. You drop $600 into a savings account and leave $1000 alone for living expenses. Ta-da.