Resources I Love

I often receive questions about products I use or resources I recommend (both for marriage improvement and blogging).  I thought it would be helpful to create a page where you can get candid information about products I have used and love.

If a product or service is on this page, it means I personally have used it, recommend it, and endorse it.  The few exceptions to this rule are clearly noted.

Awesome Books

I love Amazon.  You can buy practically anything there from the comfort of your home (or iPhone).  You almost always get the cheapest price, and you can usually get free shipping.

I have provided handy (and really cool-looking) carousels to highlight my favorite books and other materials for several key areas in which we all need some continual education and inspiration.  I have read/used all of these items with the exception of The Love Dare and The Five Love Languages, and those are on my read-real-soon list!

By the way, I get a small cut from each sale made at Amazon when you use these links.  In fact, if you click through and buy other products from Amazon (not just the books I recommend), I will get a cut.  So feel free to click through and buy anything you like from Amazon, if you were planning to buy it anyway.  The cost is the same to you, and you can help support this site in the process.

Here’s a handy search box so you can start here and find anything you’re looking for:

Marriage & Parenting Books

Natural Family Planning & Fertility Materials

Careers & Finances (also see the non-Amazon stuff below)

Self-Improvement, Careers & Finances (the non-Amazon stuff)

You Need A Budget (YNAB)

Successful money management is absolutely vital to a happy married life.  And financial success starts with a good family budget.

Simply put, You Need A Budget (YNAB) is the best budgeting software I have ever used.  In fact, YNAB is so awesome that my wife even likes it (and, trust me, that’s really saying something)!

Please take a few minutes to read my full review of YNAB and check it out for yourself with their free 7-day trial.

48 Days with Dan Miller

I have written about how Dan Miller’s book No More Mondays helped inspire me to start Engaged Marriage.  Well, my admiration for Dan and his work goes far beyond that story.  I love Dan’s materials and I regularly listen to his weekly podcast.  If you have questions about your career or life’s purpose, or you just need some solid motivation, Dan’s 48 Days organization is the place to look.

You can get some of Dan’s products (but not all) at Amazon.  However, I recommend you deal with Dan’s folks directly because you’ll be treated well, and you’ll receive a box of peppermints with every order!  Plus, this is the only place you can get autographed copies of Dan’s books…very cool!  Just click the banner below and you’ll go straight to the 48 Days product page.  Or you can check out the 48 Days online Personality/Career profile.

Seth Godin

Seth Godin is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, both online and off.  Seth is basically the modern king of outside-the-box thinking and “permission” marketing.  Seth is not an author who writes books about marriage.  However, he does offer incredible insight into life in general and our relationships with those we interact with everyday, including our spouses.

If you would like to see a compilation of writings from various authors that Seth compiled, please download a FREE copy of What Matters Now.  Also, please check out his fantastic blog.  If you would like to sample any of his books, please check out the selections in the carousel below.  I have not read all of these, but based on the books I have read, I can assure you these will be awesome.

ING Direct

If you follow Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps like we do, you are going to want a great savings account when you reach Baby Step 3 (fully-funded emergency fund).  Of course, I guess anyone with a little cash on-hand wants a great account!

Personally, we use and highly recommended an online “Orange Savings” account with ING Direct.  It is very easy-to-use, highly secure, FDIC insured and held by a company with a CEO that shares beliefs similar to Dave Ramsey (and myself). 

If you sign up via this ING Direct link and deposit more than $250, you’ll even receive a $25 bonus! Please note I receive a $10 bonus for referring you to ING Direct.  This link only works one time, so if you try it and find it is not valid, just contact me using the Contact form at the top of the page or leave a comment and I’ll get you a new code so you can get your $25 bonus!

Blogging

Frugal Theme

Frugal has been a real blessing for me.  I am not the sharpest guy in the world when it comes to coding, website building, or anything technical really.  At first, I tried to “save money” with a free WordPress theme, but it was an uphill battle and a headache to make any minor changes.

Since I bought this premium theme, everything I do on my site is accomplished with the click of a mouse or a selection on a drop-down menu (no code!).  And the support in the Frugal forums is simply awesome.  The developer (Eric) answers questions almost immediately, and he’ll even make changes to your site for you if it’s something complicated.

Honestly, in terms of the ‘details’ of the blog and getting it to work and look the way I want, buying the Frugal Theme was the best decision I ever made regarding this blog.  It’s saved me time, stress, and money.  If you are a blogger looking for an easy, fast and fully-customizable theme for your site, I highly recommend Frugal.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog

I recently purchased this e-book by master blogger Darren Rowse of Problogger, and I can easily say that this is THE best resource I have ever seen when it comes to practical, easy-to-understand tasks for growing your blog.  This e-book walks you through 31 detailed and incredibly effective lessons to take your blog to the next level in terms of readership, quality and effectiveness.  There is a reason that 18,000 others have purchased this resource and a reason that Darren backs it up with a 100% money back guarantee.  Check out the details page for 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for more information.

By the way, the 31 days e-book is really intended for those that already have a blog but want to take it to the next level.  If you are totally new to blogging and need help even setting up a blog, a much better resource is Problogger’s awesome hard-copy book: ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

The Third Tribe Community

I joined the Third Tribe in February 2010, and I have to say that it is the most valuable online community that I have found on the topic of building a business around your blog.  Third Tribe is a membership site that provides forums, online seminars and live question-and-answer sessions with the brightest and most trustworthy folks in the online business arena.

I think a simple review of the founders of this community speaks volumes: Darren Rowse of Problogger, acclaimed author and social media expert Chris Brogan along with Brian Clark and Sonia Simone of Copyblogger.  The knowledge and networking opportunities I’ve gained from Third Tribe have really been invaluable.  I’d encourage you to read more about it and check out this resource if you are serious about building an online business.

Aweber E-Mail Newsletter Service

I hope you have signed up for the Marriage Time newsletter and are enjoying the special interaction we are able to have via that email exchange.  If you have signed up, then you also received the Marriage Mojo series of lessons on romance for insanely busy couples.

The service I use for my newsletter and the automated delivery of the Marriage Mojo e-course is Aweber Communications.  Aweber is far and away the most popular email management service for those who are serious about gaining email subscribers, getting their messages delivered consistently and providing quality content in a professional manner.  If you have an online (or offline) business, then you need Aweber!

By the way, Aweber even offers a trial offer so you can try their service for only $1 for the first month!

Hostgator

I use Hostgator for my hosting here at Engaged Marriage, and I have nothing but good things to say about their service.  I have had NO down time, it’s relatively cheap, and every experience I’ve had with customer service has been fast, easy and cordial.  Plus, when you sign on with them, you get tons of free programs, lots of email accounts and a HUGE selection of free themes that you can get started with immediately (that’s what I used until I made the switch to Frugal-see above).  I highly recommend Hostgator to any fellow bloggers out there.

Please note: Some of these links may make me a few dollars if you make a purchase.  In all cases, you are not charged extra for using my link, and you help support Engaged Marriage.  Thank you!