More Than Just Making It
Hope for the Heart of the Financially Frustrated
- Work, Money & Leadership
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Published: 2017
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Publisher's Description
More Than Just Making It is your invitation to reimagine what the good life can be. Join Erin Odom, a mom thrown into low-income living, to learn how to overcome your circumstances, find creative ways to earn and save, and reset your heart and budget according to God’s designs. When you're trapped in a cycle of financial frustration, and you feel like you've tried everything only to end up with more month than money yet again, More Than Just Making It is your promise and pathway to thriving again. Take it from someone who's been there. Erin Odom grew up in the private schools and neatly manicured lawns of Upper Middle-Class America but was thrown into low-income living during the economic crash. She was a stay-at-home-mom, her husband was supporting the family on a teacher's salary, and even though they had no debt to their name, they were scrambling to make ends meet. Suddenly Erin found herself standing in line for food stamps, turning down play dates because she couldn't afford the gas, and ultimately walking into bankruptcy court in the eighth month of her third pregnancy. More Than Just Making It tells the story of their breaking point, as well as the triumph of their comeback. It took hard work, creativity, and faith in God's provision to reset their bank account as well as their hearts, but ultimately, they found a new way to thrive and freedom from financial anxiety. You can do the same. Learn how Erin and her family saved enough money to put $30,000 down on a home, buy a minivan in cash, and begin sending their daughter to private Christian school. More Than Just Making It will encourage you to rise above your circumstances, empower you with money-saving tips, and reimagine the good life as God designed it outside the myth of the American Dream.
Endorsements (26)
“As someone who knows Erin personally, I can tell you that she is the real deal! Her compassionate spirit and resilient attitude shine through the pages of this book. If you are struggling financially, Erin’s story will give you practical ideas to break free from barely surviving and give you hope that you, too, can go from financial frustration to financial freedom!”
“Recounting her own family’s hidden struggle with poverty, Erin’s story is both thought-provoking and inspiring. Filled with brutal honesty and a much-needed perspective, More Than Just Making It offers practical tips and real-life advice for even the most difficult of circumstances, as well as a firsthand look at the reality of the working poor in America.”
“As an everyday wife, mom, and homemaker who is just trying to live and steward my time and finances well, I so appreciated More Than Just Making It. Financial stuff is just hard sometimes, and trusting God in the midst of it can be confusing and painstaking. But Erin shares her story with such vulnerability and offers us all a beautiful, important, honest, practical offering, an offering that gives fresh inspiration for those weary and ready to trust more deeply. My prayer for you as you read this book is that God would “sing” to you, as Erin says, in ways you wouldn’t have been able to hear otherwise.”
“Practical and encouraging for anyone who’s ever been hard up—for cash or for hope.”
“Erin has a gift of using her vulnerability for the greater good of us all. This book is a trail guide to lead us toward richer, fuller lives by living within our means with grace and grit. I’m grateful she’s sharing her story with all of us.”
“More Than Just Making It shatters the stigma of what poverty looks like in America and provides the perfect mix of motivation and encouragement to help readers rise above their own financial hardships.”
“step help on how to move from financially frustrated to financially strong and sound. You will love Erin’s honesty, her encouragement, and her wisdom from her journey!”
“I love this book! Erin draws the reader into her story—not because it’s perfect, but because it’s not. She offers practical advice and creative solutions that the financially frustrated reader will find helpful. But it’s her be content with what we have message that leads us into gratitude, and I love that!”
“More Than Just Making It contains gems of practical wisdom you can use to turn your financial situation around, yet Erin doesn’t come off sounding like some distant, know-it-all expert. Instead she vulnerably shares, in heart-wrenching detail, the specifics of her family’s own financial disaster and recovery, all the while challenging the stereotypes we may unknowingly hold about the working poor.”
“Step one to overcoming financial frustration: read this book. Step two: learn from the best and apply everything Erin suggests. More Than Just Making It has specific strategies to help you become financially successful. Taking immediate action on Erin Odom’s advice will get you there.”
“More Than Just Making It is more than just a book about conquering your budget or establishing wise spending habits; it’s more than a compassionate lifeline for the person drowning in debt. It is a journey into the heart of a loving God who wants to give you hope and a future.”
“Full of practical steps to climb your way out of a financial fog, More Than Just Making It takes a hard topic and brings it to life with authentic, relatable stories and eye-opening reflections. Erin has been there, done that and doesn’t want us to do the same!”
“I’ve read plenty of books, but few are as relatable, encouraging, and real as More Than Just Making It. From the very first chapter, Erin openly shares her heart, her pride, and her humility as she and her husband struggle with their financial situation. Whether you face financial crises and are looking for practical help without condemnation or need your heart softened towards those who are struggling financially, this grace-filled book is one every family should read.”
“This book is full of practical, no nonsense help for getting out of the income-problem cycle. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll feel like Erin is your best friend and cheerleader, holding your hand the whole way.”
“This is a book for everyone who has ever felt hopeless or discouraged or frustrated when faced with too much month and not enough money. Erin Odom’s More Than Just Making It is a lifeline. The book is full of practical ideas and tips—from planning your meals to second-hand shopping to ideas for creating additional income. It brings hope and speaks to the heart of learning to live with less and recognizing that even at the end of the darkest tunnel—there’s always Light.”
“the poor” are, how to help them, and what financial stewardship looks like. The church needs this book.”
“Erin has given us the gift of identifying with us in our times of financial stress. She is candid, sincere, relatable, and inspiring! More Than Just Making It is a poignant story of God’s grace and provision, but it is also empoweringly practical. If you are in a season of financial struggle, this book provides a gentle squeeze to remind you that you’re not alone and welcome guidance as you take steps forward in faith.”
“In a world that prizes financial success above all, this book gently reminds us that the posture of our hearts is more important than the dollars in our bank account. Not only is this compellingly demonstrated in the author’s personal story, but the reader is offered a lifeline of hope into a better future with hard work and outside-the-box, practical ideas. This book is a gem for anyone who’s ever struggled with money and offers the rare combination of practical advice with encouragement for the heart. A must-read.”
“Should you order this book? YES! I can assure you that whether you are barely making ends meet, find yourself continually going over budget, or are trying to find a way to finally save, this book is for YOU! Erin not only shares her story of financial frustration and her faith in God’s provision, but she gives us practical steps we can take to break free from the anxiety of financial stress and make progress toward being better stewards while learning how to build a more secure future.”
“Erin Odom tackles the sensitive topic of financial hardship with transparency, grace, truth, and hope. She conveys her hardships with humility, confessing she had much to learn through the challenges of an insufficient income as opposed to a spending problem. More Than Just Making It portrays a realistic, unpredictable, unwanted journey of financial hardship along with biblical wisdom and practical application steps for finding your way through it.”
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