BankerGirl

Posted by Heidi on February 13th, 2008 in Books that Changed My Life

This is the second post in series about books (some off-topic) that have changed me at my core or made me view the world through a new or unique lens.

Your Money or Your Life - Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin

I can’t say much about this book that hasn’t already been said by Trent at The Simple Dollar.  I started reading Trent’s blog about the same time I read a New York Times article about Silicon Valley multi-millionaires who envy the billionaires down the street .  Within that piece, a Silicon Valley resident is quoted as saying “You’re nobody here at $10 million.”  Something about that made me say “a-ha!” and turned a light on inside me. I realized I would never have a big enough paycheck, fancy enough car, or large enough house to feel “happy”. 

Because of that article, I finally understood that consumerism is a treadmill, and once you’re on its difficult to get off, especially if you’re financing purchases with credit (As I did for 10+ years). 

Trent turned me onto Your Money or Your Life and I owe him a debt of gratitude.  The book is a bit dated, but I would argue that the book’s principals and ideals are more applicable today then when it was first published in 1992. Because of this book, I have been seriously re-evaluating my spending and my plans for retirement.  It has made me see financial independence as a goal that I can actually achieve through frugality and making smart choices. 

I am off to a slow start in applying the principals in the book, but I know that if I continue to work at it, the results will truly be life-changing.  

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