Why this book exists
Traditional personal finance hasn’t worked for me
So I created money lessons that put your values at the forefront. It covers all the things you need to know to make your money plan, with a dash of glitter — from investing decisions explained by cats to a walk-through of student loan repayment that doesn’t make you want to cough up a hairball.
So many folks are ready to take control of their finances, but the material out there doesn’t serve them. They want serious financial literacy — they just don’t want to fall asleep or break out in stress hives trying to conquer their money.
I started teaching this because I was frustrated with the lack of queer-friendly, feminist and, most of all, fun money education — especially stuff that doesn’t assume you have one full-time job with benefits, 2.5 kids, and a white picket fence.
The secret weapon is approachability
I understand that most of this money stuff has more to do with anxiety, stress, shame, or just confusion about what to do.
Instead of overwhelm, I have made clear tools for you to make a plan for your future — with plenty of cats!
Who is talking to you
Hi! I’m Lillian.
You might know me from tracking lots of useless stats about myself, or from the massive Bowie Vs Prince bike ride I started 10 years ago. I’m a chronic side hustler with a tendency for low-paid nonprofit work — I recently added it up: I had 40 jobs in my 20’s.
My job titles sound rather incredulous on paper: “Database Wizard”, “Zine Librarian”, “Bike Valet Attendant”. I’ve flown across the country disguised as the Goblin King (twice) and attended city meetings dressed as the Portland airport carpet. Basically, I’m a millennial stereotype with an economics degree.
You can also actually listen to me: I’m on the air every week on Oh My Dollar!, a personal finance podcast and radio show with a dash of glitter.
“Dave Ramsey for atheist millennials with student loan debt”
— iTunes reviewer WidgetSaurus
“This is the kick in the butt I needed. Stop procrastinating and manage your money! Very informative and not-over-the-top.”
— iTunes reviewer Eric
“If that manic pixie dream girl you knew in high school went and got an economics degree, and then started a radio show about Roth IRAs and David Bowie, that would be Oh My Dollar!”
— an oddly correct unsolicited emailed review
The pitch, on video
The campaign video
Kept here as part of the record. Nothing loads until you press play.
What’s in it
From the litterbox to the cat tower
Designed around your passions, values and goals — to help you uncover what matters most to you and craft a money plan that is meaningful for YOU.
- Intro: What We’re Doing isn’t Working — getting out of the financial litterbox.
- I. You Do You — digging up your values.
- II. Purr-fecting the Budget — how to start budgeting, handling variable income, with worksheets and forms.
- III. Bury that Treasure — savings, emergency funds, FU money, sinking funds, and understanding your net worth.
- IV. Debt, The Financial Litterbox — understanding debt, the debt snowball and avalanche, student loan repayment structures.
- V. Credit, The American Laser Pointer Chase — the history of the credit system, how to improve your credit, and why you might not care about catching that darn dot anyway.
- VI. Investing, Making More Fish — buckets vs vehicles, choosing your investments without crying, why to plan for retirement and how to start “late”.
- Interlude: Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need!
- VII. Building Your Cat Tower — rent vs buy, preparing for your first house, how much house you can afford, what to consider when buying a condo.
- VIII. Getting Under the Blanket — how insurance works, what to avoid and what to get, and running a break-even analysis.
- Appendix — hit-by-a-bus folder, cash flow worksheets, extra budgets, digital safety.
Beyond the page
More learning styles than just written
The workbook stands alone as a program. But if you want a friendly face to explain co-insurance costs out loud, the campaign had more.
The Bootcamp course
The $59 level added 8+ hours of video lessons from the Bootcamp, plus calculators for things like debt payoff. The course alone usually runs $89.
Audio edition
Unlocked at $10,000, free for every backer. Like a guided meditation for your money — listen while you commute, do the dishes, or work out.
Merit badge stickers
Unlocked at $12,000: kitten-themed purr-sonal finance merit badges for every physical book backer. Money work deserves Girl Scout accolades.
LawCat’s Guide To Life
Purr-fect for new grads: a zine by licensed paw-ttorney and feline advocat @asklawcat on the legal basics you need as an adult. Made just for this Kickstarter.
The Cat Lover’s package
A special edition Oh My Dollar! money-print bowtie, feline-sized and also a fit for small dogs, handmade by Business Catual. Two stylish cats? A second bowtie could be added after the campaign closed.
For kittens of all religious purr-suasions
Gifting it? Backers picked gift shipping at checkout, and a certificate went out by December 15th with an access code to the online course to start on right away.
The mission
Pay It Fur-ward
Oh My Dollar! is on a mission to empower everyone to feel confident about their money, whatever their income or life circumstances. It delivers free, in-person financial literacy education to low-income young adults through local nonprofits — and 10% of all books printed are donated to those programs.
Backers could round up their pledge with Pay It Fur-ward, matched one-for-one: for each book bought, one was donated, with a note back from the person who received it.
Donated books cost less to deliver in person, cutting shipping and transaction costs by $9 per book. The goal: over 200 workbooks and Bootcamps donated in 2018.
Where the money goes
Obviously, we’re all about budgeting
It turns out moving stacks of paper around the world is expensive. For a reasonable per-book price the minimum print order is 500 copies — that’s $3,787.50 — and from there most of the cost is shipping: $7 for US folks, more overseas.
In true Oh My Dollar! fashion, taxes and a “stuff happens” buffer are accounted for. We’ll be transparent, and we’ll economize as much as possible.
How it actually got made
All the written content was finished before launch, and about 25% of the illustrations were complete. The funding paid the illustrators to finish the artwork — to keep you inspired about your budget, of course.
Risks & challenges, in the author’s words
Vacuums, allergies, fleas.
No, but seriously. This was my first Kickstarter for my own work, though I’ve been lucky to be part of campaigns for nonprofits over the past 7 years — the Community Cycling Center, Portland Afoot, and the Independent Publishing Resource Center.
- Production quotes locked in overseas, with a printer highly recommended by other indie creators.
- Backers got updates on where things were in the process — 20 of them in the end.
- The April fulfillment date was set generously, so folks would get their books on time. We’d rather be early than late.
- Fulfillment done in-house with Backerkit’s software, plus the delightful little things: handwritten notes, stamped packages, stickers.
Apart from concerns about possible shipping delays, I’m looking forward to bringing more glitter-filled financial education into the world. I can’t wait!
The archive
Twelve ways people backed it
Every tier offered during the campaign, with its final backer count.
Digital Money Workbook
The full PDF — worksheets, illustrations, story, no shelf space.
Pay it Fur-ward + Digital Ebook
A printed copy goes to someone in need; you get the PDF and a note from them.
Get Your Money Together Workbook
The print edition as soon as it ships, plus the e-book in January.
Workbook + LawCat’s Guide To Life
The print edition and the illustrated legal-basics zine.
Pay it Fur-ward: Workbook
A print edition for you, one given away, plus the PDF.
Cat Lover’s Bundle
The print edition and a money-print bowtie for your cat.
Best Deal! Workbook + Online Course
The print edition plus the online course, usually $89 alone.
Pay it Fur-ward: Workbook + Course
Book and course for you, and for someone in need too.
Your Cat Included
Book, course, and your cat immortalized as a custom illustration.
Gift a Classroom of Money Literacy!
Book and course for you, plus 10 for a classroom in need.
Bowie of Your Choice Online Workshop
A 60-minute online class, delivered in the Bowie costume of your choice. One book included.
A money workshop for you + friends!
A 90-minute class for a group of any size, with 15 workbooks and course access for 15.