Your Money or Your Life, Chapters 5 & 6

Yes.... it was the last chapter that sort of pushed me over the edge too...
and it is the exact opposite from the 4 Hour Work Week.
Will be an interesting contrast.

So, MJ.... how is the book coming along? (I'm looking forward to it! I'm sure that will be an interesting contrast too!)

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I've made more progress in the last 5 days than I have in the last 5 months!! But still a way to go ...

I think a lot of the folks here will like it as they seem to be Fastlane thinkers already!!

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There are a number of things that we hire out for namely to maximize time efficiency as having numerous children has basically forced better use of our time trading wasted time for sanity. We don't make much but things like auto work we combine with essentials shopping, this coming year due to more complicated taxes (previously easy) I'll be looking at a CPA (possibly my brother as he's is going for that suggestions welcome), other things I tend to do myself or as a team to get things done.

Example: lately my oldest daughter slid into an oval china cabinet and broke a small whole into the side glass panel (she's fine). I had the choice to either 1. Replace the glass panel with another piece of glass or 2. by a piece of lexon (polycarbonate shatter resistant plastic) cut it to shape and form to the cabinet panel. Glass = 300+$ +shipping + installation labor (mine or an installer for even more) or lexon = 53 $ +cutting and fitting time (also 250x stronger than glass). It was uncharted territory as I wasn't sure if it would work but I thought hey! why not try and see. After cutting 2 pieces (45 minutes) and fitting (10 minutes) it looked just like the original (1st piece didn't fit just write - cut to short) it did push the middle out a little bit but I was pleased (needless to say I will never buy one of those china cabinets used or new) result - savings 247$ labor charged to self 269.45$/hour. I can live with that. It was a risk not knowing if it would work but my reason for it was need for safety after removing the glass the kids would end up playing in the cabinet.. Not good. Ordering glass would take a few weeks and I'd rather not wait if possible.

To me it really depends on the issue and it's relative cost. Would I work for 2, 5, 10$ an hour.. Heck no! Do I get paid 50$ an hour? No. But I do pay myself that every so often and allot more too. I take my car in to get most everything done simply for more time, work guarantee, and catching of problems I don't know to even look for. I can change oil, brakes, batteries, bleed, brakes and what not but why? in this mantra cutting through the (insert expletive) You could just say, " A penny saved is a penny earned". - Benjamin Franklin and then take it a step further moving from passive to proactive in a penny not spent is a penny saved. No where near fast lane, but can always be applied to a positive result so long as one remembers it is merely 1 tool among the arsenal of the fast lane life.

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"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton

#82: Write letters instead of calling long-distance.

I can't believe these people are serious. VOMIT!

I think they forgot a few tips on their 101 Ways To Save Money.....

102: Invite yourself to dinner at friends and neighbors.
103: Do laundry at apartment complexes instead of purchasing the units for your home.
104: Siphon gas from your neighbors vehicles, heck, it will help them use less gas and save you money - you are saving the world!!
105: Buy new clothes, wear them within the money-back guarantee timeframe (usually 30 days) and then return them.
106: File a disability claim with the government; practicing all these great money saving tips will surely make you disabled in the game of life.
107:Don't flush the toilet for weeks to save water cost. If you are really zealous, accumulate your bodily waste in buckets and dispose of them monthly by visiting your local sanitation facility.
108: Stiff friends and family on birthday and holiday gifts ... give them hugs or make them decorative mobiles made out of recycled toilet paper.
109: Turn off your car at every red light to save gas.
110: Instead of doing laundry, go swimming fully-dressed in your neighbors pool. Hang clothes on your roof for quick drying.
111: Buy a scissors so you will never need to cut your hair again.
112: Eat at homeless shelters for the big holidays ... holiday meals cost $xxx per year.
113: Stop buying red meat... there are plenty of stray cats and dogs running around and yes, dining on them will help save the world by controlling the pet population.

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Come on Boss, Git-R-Dun!

brought me to tears!! I know people like that!!

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"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton

I had an ex-friend who was like this... She would always want to go have dinner and then I realized, why am *I* always the one paying? And she knew I hated driving (a tree "jumped" out at me, that's my story and I"m sticking to it) but somehow, eventhough she had a car, I drove her around. It used to irritate me to no end when she would say, "Why you so concerned about money? I NEVER worry about it and everything I need is taken care of" ARGH!! So yeah....that and other reasons are why we are no longer friends.

And about #107... I remember growing up during the drought in CA, you only flushed for #2... and that wasn't just my family!

I had to laugh at these because..... uh.... well.... we either do them or want to! (but not for the reasons you suggest.)

113: We don't buy red meat. We raise our own meat (chicken and rabbits) and we hunt (Elk and Venison - and occasionally Moose) and fish.
111: Yup. We do this too. Just can't be bothered to go to town for this.
107: Okay, we don't do this.... exactly.... but much of our life takes us away from indoor plumbing. We spend a significant amount of our summers on a sailboat. Occasionally we go on a backpack / camping trip (not the KOA sort.) The falls are spent at the hunting cabin (no plumbing.... we fetch water from the creek in a bucket for cooking and drinking and we take care of business in the biffy (outhouse). A portion of our winters are spent in Mexico - - - where - - -you guessed it - - - we use outhouses.

And... I really want a composting toilet for our house. I leave you with a poem - author unknown (poem found in Self Sufficient Living)

Our Marvelous Thunderbox "Loo"

Now the human being is a very strange beast with capabilities good and bad
Not frightened of nature, no not in the least our follies are often quite mad
The toiled that flushes fills our souls with glee
A brainwave by Thomas Crapper
Mixes shit with clean water and pours out to sea
as if the dirt did not matter.

Out of sight, out of mind, muck shoots down the pipes
An incredible fabric of magic
Squandering food for the soil as the water we spoil
It's a tale that is terribly tragic.

But all is not lost for at a marginal cost
Another solution comes easy
The composing loo; yes that's our reposte
And your tummy need not feel too queasy.

The vent goes up high, sending has to the skies
And the lid fits snug so no entry to flies
Two years it will take, our compost to make
and our river's not sorry the flush to forsake.
No water, no tricks 00 it's all built with bricks. The shit and kitchen waste too
All go together making food for hte soil in our marvelous Thunderbox "loo."

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ATW,

I think its awesome that you don't just talk about be environmentally aware, you go out and live a life style to represent that. Actions do speak louder then words.

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I just finished chapters 5 and 6 today. I don't have much more to add on either, but I'd like us to take a look at that list again. I think some folks are writing off the whole list as bad. Its really not, there is some good advice mixed in with rather slow lane advice.

Feel free to comment or add your own. Since I can't post the whole list, I'll mention 5 I found to be good advice.

10. Keep an auto log for your business.
ok not exactly what she had in mind, but this is good practice for your taxes later.

18. Working 4-10's. This gets back to life energy. How much time do you spend everyday getting ready for work, driving to work, driving from work, gas costs, winding down from work. We talk about time as are most precious resource her is a way to save at least 100 hours a year. Think about it 2 hours for one day times 52 weeks. Thats 3 days of your life per year saved by simply changing your schedule.

26, 27, & 31. Diet, exercise and rest. We have talked at length on this forum on these two topics.

40. Buy a piece of land with a mobile home and put self storage on it. (Ok so I cheated on this one.)

49. Networking. Need I say more


Ok so maybe her list isn't exactly fastlane, so lets make our own stinkin list.

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MJ, remember, this was written in the 1980s.

Were it written today, you might have this instead:

#82 Use VOIP for all of your long distance (or just send an email).

It may be in the book somewhere, but I don't recall them saying to forsake technology just because it's technology.

The whole idea is to question everything you do, each day.

Thing is, you may find some things that can be streamlined, or eliminated altogether.

Or, you can make a small change that adds up to a big difference, like turning off the water tap while you wash hands/brush teeth. Just a simple flip of the wrist can save close to a THOUSAND of gallons of water per person, EVERY YEAR.

I don't think making that change is fastlane, or slowlane.

But it is a bit more environmentally conscious.

-Russ H.

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"Don't confuse motion with action" -Ernest Hemingway

I will say that hiring a CPA to do my taxes has got to be one of the best moves I have ever made. I used to spend so much time doing my own each year. Then, as we got rental houses, I decided to go with a CPA. The amount of time saved (not to mention the stress) is worth every penny.

I also have my grass cut. Takes the guy 10 min on that industrial job. I pay $35 but it would take me two hours plus do the edging. With 6 kids, I am pretty busy and like to spend my time with them or having fun rather than cutting grass.

I do like the idea of eating at the homeless shelter for the holidays--never thought of that one. Sounds like a plan.

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Kidgas

Actually, my brother works at the homeless shelter every Christmas, serving dinner.

He also makes turkey and stuffing sandwiches every Thanksgiving (dozens of them) and drives the Cass corridor in Detroit, handing them out (w/his gun on the seat next to him).

He's a school teacher now, but has been doing this since his biker days.

-Russ H.

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"Control everything. Own nothing." -John D. Rockefeller

"Don't confuse motion with action" -Ernest Hemingway

SIX kids?

Damn!

My hat goes off to you, kidgas.

Freeing up time for your kids is top notch, in my book.

-Russ H.

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"Control everything. Own nothing." -John D. Rockefeller

"Don't confuse motion with action" -Ernest Hemingway

114: reuse dental floss
115: buy triple ply tp and seperate the plys for seperate use
116: forget tp, use a hand towel and wash it once a week
117: eat grass instead of salads, saves on lettuce, and gas for the mower.

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From what I've gathered from the book, the authors seem to have two premises going: 1. Be as environmentally friendly as possible as you are a parasite -and- 2. Be financially aware, as is the first step to understanding the corrolation between money and life energy.

Now I am all for being environmentally aware and responsible, as am I for being financially free. However, (for me) there is no Venn diagram with intersecting circles for the two. I turn the water off when I brush my teeth and I try to use only what I need while still maintaining a nice lifestyle. But being environmentally aware (as I see it) has nothing to do with financial freedom. The only loose thread that I can see that connect the two is that if a person is addicted to doodads then those doodads deplete their financial reserve...and they shouldn't own them anyhow as stuff depletes our natural resources.

If a person based their financial "freedom" on going without, then (to me) they aren't really free. They are making decisions based out of fear of scarcity. Again, there is a line there. I agree with the author in that a cluttered home makes for a stressful existence. However, I enjoy living life to the fullest, and I think that if I follow the financial principals that state that my assets need to fund my liabilities, and find a line between having and hoarding, then I'm also respecting my life energy and my money.

There have been several great ah-has that I've had- I'll post them tomorrow.

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