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.

Great Online (Electronic) Resources for Your Marriage

15 Minute Marriage Makeover

This e-book was written by me for the Engaged Marriage community of busy married couples.  The 15 Minute Marriage Makeover is designed to help you Refresh Your Relationship, Add Sizzle to Your Sex Life and Be Happier Together in Just Minutes per Day.

This is a guide designed for couples to work through together in less than 15 minutes each day. Over the course of several weeks, the lessons and practical exercises shared will lead to better sex and deeper intimacy, communication that counts, real romance for real busy couples, and new-found control over money for any couple.

Check it out today and see what 15 minutes can do for your marriage!

Thrive90 Couples Fitness Program

This resource, which I’ve developed alongside super-fit marriage guru Tony DiLorenzo, will help you improve your physical fitness and enhance your family life at the same time. This 12-week, video-based exercise program was designed specifically for busy couples who want to get fit and build a thriving relationship in the process.

With over 20 workouts that are all home-based and less than 30 minutes, you’ll finally be able to look and feel awesome while maintaining your busy life!

If you are looking to lose weight, regain your energy and add some sizzle to your relationship, go check out Thrive90 Fitness and sign-up to try it risk-free!

Stripped Down

In this great book, Tony and Alisa DiLorenzo deliver a powerful look at intimacy in all areas of marriage, both in and out of the bedroom. In a uniquely candid way, they share their personal struggles and give us real, practical ways to improve the intimacy and closeness in our own marriage.

Go check out Stripped Down for yourself and choose between the e-book, audio book and even an autographed physical edition.

Your Life. Live It. Love It.

I think the subtitle of this super-inspiring book by Sherri Kruger really says it all: “Hundreds of ideas for focusing on yourself, your relationships and the little things in life.” That’s exactly what this book provides, and it is delivered in an easy-to-read (and hard to put down) style.

Go check out “Your Life. Live It. Love It.” for yourself or read my review here.

A Simple Marriage

This first book by popular relationship blogger Dr. Corey Allan really is designed to help married couples get to the core of their relationship and work to make it better. It’s less of a sit-down-and-read book and more of a workbook that will bring positive change to those that seek it.

You might also want to check out Dr. Allan’s newest e-book: Buck Naked Marriage: Strip Away the Unnecessary and Focus on the Bare Essentials

Go check out A Simple Marriage for yourself here or read my review here.

Regain Your Balance

In Regain Your Balance, Ali Hale offers real, practical advice to help you find the right balance and achieve all that you want for your life.

It has really helped me make better use of my time and feel more fulfilled in my life. It’s not a theoretical book, it’s a book of action and practical advice you can actually use. And I love that!

Go check out Regain Your Balance for yourself here or read my review here.

The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life

Everything that Leo Babauta of Zen Habits writes is fantastic, and this book on minimalism is no exception. The sole focus of this book is to help you lead a happier, simpler life. If you like Leo, don’t miss our great interview on finding time for fitness (and MUCH more) over at Fit Marriage.

Also check out Leo’s other great e-books listed below along with his bestselling “real” physical book on productivity The Power of Less.

focus

Zen Habits Handbook for Life

Zen to Done

Love Everyday: Thoughts on Loving Amidst the Chaos of Life

Love Everyday is a totally FREE e-book that represents the collective talents of 27 of the best relationship writers on the web…and the planet. I was honored to be one of the editors and contributors to this project along with some incredible folks from a diverse set of backgrounds. This is an awesome resource, and more than 65,000 people have already downloaded it!

Go check it out for yourself here or read my overview here.

 Awesome (Physical) 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.

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 my referral to ING Direct 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.  To get your own link, 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

Catalyst Theme

Catalyst 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 from Catalyst 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 Catalyst 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 Catalyst.

(By the way, Catalyst used to be called Frugal so you may see these names used interchangly here and around the web.)

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!