F.I.T. Finance: Helping Millennials Save, Spend and Splurge by Salvatore Ponzio is a personal finance book on forming lifelong habits, and using small changes to create security and wealth.

A lot of this is familiar PF advice, about looking carefully at your budget and finding places to reduce spending, but F.I.T. Finance also ties how we spend our time with how we spend our money.  I loved how often the author suggested reading as a better use of time. (Y’all know how much I love my local library, and getting your books, movies and games from the library is free.) I don’t really identity with the social media envy that sparks dissatisfaction and then unnecessary shopping, perhaps because I’m on the eldest edge of the millennial years, or perhaps because of who I follow on Instagram. I feel more secondhand enjoyment of friends’ pets, gardens, and toddlers than envy of them. But the author raises good points about consciously spending our time just like we consciously spend our money.  So, choose a satisfying pastime (GUESS WHICH ONE I CHOOSE) instead of a mindless scroll for better quality of life overall. 

F.I.T. Finance contains many comparisons between money management and good health, too. Many people make New Years’ resolutions to get in shape and to save money, but apathy and stress can make it easy to slide the other way. Also, no one sets out to be unhealthy or to be in debt.

The best advice for me was the section about second-level thinking, viewing every small amount saved as an achievement, and being greedy for future successes. Many millennials do freelance work or have a side hustle. Often, when your get a $50 or $100 one-off payment, there’s a desire to spend it on a hobby or a treat. Especially if it’s a side hustle, it’s hard not to want some reward after working a freelance gig at night after work.

I wasn’t familiar with the term “second-level thinking” before reading this book, but it’s a mindset that I like a lot. When we can view a small savings as an achievement towards the goal, it’s more satisfying and activates that reward part of the brain. And, as F.I.T. Finance explains, those small savings can become small investments, and grow over time.