I finally opened a budget app to master personal finance, And gave my money management a desperate second chance. Step one of financial planning: I must control my spending. And stop keeping up with the Joneses & their fake-wealth pretending. I’ll pay myself first in stocks, Roth, & health to save money. Let compound interest grow while I sleep; That’s funny. I’ll save for retirement now, though no DoorDash or NetFlix am I buying. William Roth in his grave will smile without even trying!
Do you live paycheck to paycheck & wonder where your money Houdini’d off to By the end of the month?
Do you desire to pay your rent or purchase a home, stare at open enrollment forms like they’re written in ancient hieroglyphics, dream of saving for an emergency (or, you know, the future), need some creative comic relief while reading about money management, and occasionally panic-Google how to retire or prepare for the whole “one day I won’t be here” situation?
If you answer yes to any of these, then here is the book for you — starring THRIFTY THORA!
Money-Smart = Hard Work & Patient
Farm girl + Education + time = @thriftythora
Debt-free degrees + a paid-off house
Habits > luck. Always.
Coming January 5, 2027
Money…from Newborn to
Nearly Dead
A Money Autobiography & Financial Navigation Guide Over a Lifetime
Money…from Newborn to Nearly Dead is the book, e-book, or Audible choice for you if you’ve ever thought, “Wow, I really should’ve gotten a manual for this whole life and money thing.”
Think of learning from others’ successes and failures with money as a free sample from the Walmart of life. It is a how-to guide to day-to-day habits, with numerous examples, stories, and quotes to help you create your own set of rules to reduce debt and save, which you can invest for a better future. (Confirm in email to join newsletter.)
Yes, there is some AI on this website
Gen Z, brace yourselves. I’ve used a sprinkle of AI magic on this website — and yes, this is literally the first time I’ve ever generated images with it.
I’m Generation X, so imagine your parents trying to build a website while muttering at the screen and Googling “how do I make this button work.” If you bail now just because AI was involved, you’ll miss out on a lifetime of financial wisdom, stories, over 200 references in the book that you don’t have to find, and humor — all from a book soon to be published that used AI about as much as your dad uses TikTok.
Join the Newsletter Raiding Party
Get thrifty tips, money rhymes, and first dibs on the book — free. No spam, just plunder. Join the newsletter. (Confirm in email to join newsletter.)
The Money path of life with twists, turns & detours
As a kid, you dream of making millions; as an adult, you dream of making it to payday.
Life’s financial plan=earn money →pay bills→repeat→ die wondering where the $ went. Read the book & outsmart the plan.
Where the Money Story Starts
The Everyday Money Decisions
Family, Work & Earning More
Retirement, Safety & the Long View
With a Passion for Teaching People to Master Control of Their Own Money
I, Thrifty Thora, and my husband, Frugal Frank, have enjoyed cheesy rhymes throughout our marriage. Below are the actual chapter topics in the book, including Keeping Up With the Joneses — Not. Learn from Thrifty Thora, Spender Sam, Warren Buffett, Minimal Mike, Investor Ian, Disappointed Deb, and Indiana Jones.
Keeping up with the Joneses- Not
Experience says don’t envy what the Joneses choose to flash— You’ve never seen their credit score or how they burn through cash. That shiny boat, that fancy car, that “perfect” backyard deck? For all you know, they’re one Coke away from financial wreck.
Pay Yourself First
Before buying a house or a car that goes “vroom,” Make sure your savings have plenty of room. Stack cash for emergencies, Roth 401(k), and stock, so your lifestyle doesn’t tick like a broken cuckoo clock. Invest first, spend later — that’s the adulting tune, even if your budget cries softly soon.
Essentials & Non-Essentials
Spend money your way — go wild, have a blast, but consequences sprint faster than you can run past. Essentials are food, water, shelter, and clothes, not energy or fountain drinks or coffee that flows. Fun is Disney+, Amazon Prime, and other hobbies galore… till your wallet falls through the floor.
Certifications & College to Increase Income
My grandma was brilliant, top of her class, but the Great Depression said, “College? Hard pass.” On her deathbed, she whispered, wise as could be, “Grandkids go to college in place of me since graduates seem better off in life.” Granddaughter Thora gives financial college tips to avoid Great Depression economic strife.
Wedding & Raising the Kids
Sticking to a budget can create a magical wedding. If marriage covenants are not a priority, a negative start to the marriage is heading. Dresses, flowers, and decorations are fluff. If they aren’t perfect, don’t be in a huff. Children are taught through examples, especially the home money learning lab samples. Just do it, have grit, & don’t quit. Kids & even teenagers don’t come with a book. Your example for sure they will have a look.
Retirement & Nearly Dead
Start Roth saving for retirement while you’re still young and spry, before the tax monster wakes up and starts sniffing your pie. If you’re late to the game, don’t pout or despair, just save like a squirrel with winter-time flair. Skip Netflix & take out that costs half your pay. Your future self & posterity will thank you one day. Pray, money rules obey, & all before you pass away.
The Shop
Financial Literacy Courses
Bite-sized, funny, and actually useful. Instant download – powered by Easy Digital Downloads.
⚔
Both Courses
DIY Credit Repair + Building Blocks
Your wallet stops screaming and your gremlin quits setting your money on fire — credit habits, budgeting sanity and investing basics in one go. Save $6.
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Course
Thrifty Thora’s DIY Credit Repair Course
Fixing credit is Wallet & Gremlin self‑care: understand your score, dispute errors, pay down debt, use credit responsibly, and wait for negative items to fall off like dead split ends.
▤
Course
Building Blocks of Financial Literacy Course
Level up the money game: what financial literacy is, how to make money, accounts, budgeting, personal credit, investing 101, stocks and bonds. Adulting on expert mode.
7
Modules
Literacy, income, accounts, budgeting, credit, investing, stocks & bonds.
6
Credit Moves
Score, disputes, payoff, responsible use, counselling, waiting it out.
$6
Bundle Saving
Both courses together cost less than buying them apart.
Building blocks of Financial Lit
A course, a test, a certificate, and the test key.
Advice with Experience & serious money habits.
Money‑Smart=Hard Work & Patient
Farm girl+Education+time=@thriftythora
Debt‑free pharmacy and MBA degrees + a paid‑off house
Habits > luck. Always.
Stories, rhymes and receipts
Delay, Limit, or Stop: The A–B–C–D Goal Check
Ten Things School Skipped About Money
A Funny Little Poem About Money
The Raiding Party
Come for the money, stay for the rhymes
Daily thrift, behind-the-book chaos, and Frugal Frank cameos.
@thriftythora
YouTube
Tiktok
@thriftythora