I really like Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Her "Money Jars" from Til Debt Do Us Part is very clever. Here she discusses some more common-sense financial tips. Her point about starting the habit of saving is a great idea. I started putting all of the loose change from small purchases in a piggy bank and within about four months had over $16 saved up. That doesn't make me rich of course, but it did create a habit of saving that got me to start looking for other ways to save money as well. It led me to set up an automatic transfer of about $12 a week from my chequing account into a savings account, which I barely noticed but added up very quickly.