Your Money Or Your Life - Anyone doing the program?

[KaluGansito]

Actually 2 couples wrote follow up books with true stories. Both were very good. One was written by Linda Breen and I think the other couple was Jackie and David. You can probably google it and find the books. I gave mine away or I could tell you exactly the titles.

I just did a search, the books are:
* Choose Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World by Linda Breen Pierce
* Getting a Life: Strategies for Simple Living Based on the Revolutionary Program for Financial Freedom, "Your Money or Your Life" by Jacquelyn Blix and David Heitmiller >> this one I cannot get shipped to Mexico so will have to wait

[KaluGansito]

@sweetana3 and @Gardnr, appreciate you sharing! I'm having a hard time trying to keep up with the 2nd step, but your experience is motivating. I really really really appreciate it!♥ ✌

[sweetana3]

I think tracking is step 2 and is the hardest thing to do. It is like changing eating habits or exercise habits. But it is critical in making changes. You need to have a base of personal knowledge to make changes that are based in fact and in your own conscious decisions.

[flowerseverywhere]

About tracking. It is not easy, but I think it is the most important step to achieve financial independence. Living below your means is essential no matter how much money you make.

We tracked every cent for about eight years. In the beginning, we saw a lot of money in the food category, hobbies and general spending on junk. In those eight years we continually saw our spending go down and our savings go up. At the end of the eight years, we were financially independent. We worked for a few more years then quit and moved from a snowy climate.

I think the the key is not to get stuck on little things. Like our utility bill is on the budget about $80 per month. Because of base charges, it is not going to go down significantly. We are still careful but we are unlikely to see big changes there. One area most people see as an area you can improve on is buying food and drink out. As opposed to cooking and preparing beverages at home.
Auto expenses are also a huge place to save. We always bought reliable models like hondas three or four years old and ran them into the ground. Of course, DH is very handy and used to be able to fix most stuff. Not quite possible with today's electronic models.
If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, that is low hanging fruit that can be eliminated. Drinking occasionally of course is not going to break the budget but these two items can suck up tons of money. Your health will thank you for it.

On posessions, a funny story. We live in a big retirement community. We had the movers put our furniture and boxes in the right rooms. By late afternoon most of our boxes were empty and stuff put away. A few neighbors stopped over and one said, so when is the rest of your stuff coming? They were flabbergasted that we had all our stuff already. Most of them could not park a car in their garage for months, and a few had storage units. Going from multi story houses with attics and basements to a one story house with no basement or attic. Think of all the money we saved not buying stuff in the first place and having to move it. Plus, as you age realize it is very unlikely your kids want your stuff. We even asked them and except for a few things I'm pretty sure most of our stuff will end up at goodwill or in a landfill.

So try the tracking. We still keep loose track of money out but it is so ingrained in us not to waste money we just do it naturally.

[Teacher Terry]

We spent a lot less on entertainment when we were working then now. The difference is now we have the time and energy to go out and have fun. We go to a festival almost every weekend in the warmer months. WE also drive reliable cars and run them into the ground. When one dies I think we will just need one car. Uber and Lfyt has really helped with this and really once retired how many times do 2 people need to be at different places at the same time.

[catherine]

So try the tracking. We still keep loose track of money out but it is so ingrained in us not to waste money we just do it naturally.

I am a relentless tracker. I freak out if I miss $20 cash in a month. It gives me a feeling of control, and I just simply like to be able to have discussions with my husband: "Do you know we spent xxx on splurge food this month? Next month, let's do fewer trips to the Chinese take-out place."

I've gone from little paper notebooks in the 70s, 80s, & 90s to Excel spreadsheets I set up myself in the 2000s and these days I've been using YNAB (You Need A Budget).

[iris lilies]

We spent a lot less on entertainment when we were working then now. The difference is now we have the time and energy to go out and have fun. We go to a festival almost every weekend in the warmer months. WE also drive reliable cars and run them into the ground. When one dies I think we will just need one car. Uber and Lfyt has really helped with this and really once retired how many times do 2 people need to be at different places at the same time.

Uh, often. Happy marriage=independant activites, for us, anyway.

[Teacher Terry]

We do independent activities too but we are not usually both gone at the same time.