Comments on: Your Money Or Your Life: Three Questions That Will Transform Your Life

By: Pauline

Pauline — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:20:16 +0000

Well, reading and understanding a foreign language is certainly easier than writing a comment in that language ;)

By: Pauline

Pauline — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:14:28 +0000

Sorry for this late response, I only started reading TSD a few days ago…

I used to work in a job (doing social work in a deprived neighbourhood) that was asking quite a lot from me, so unfortunately I got sick from all the stress and I lost my job. Although my income dropped by 30%, I don’t really miss the money! (I live in the Netherlands, where we still have a rather good social security system)
My job would cost me at least € 207 a month on housecleaning, to readymeals and processed foods, magazines and books from shops instead of the library’s…
Now that I’m at home, I can use my time and energy saving money by visiting 2 or 3 supermarkets for their special offers, making homecooked meals from scratch, going to the library for my ‘reading nourishment’ and I clean my house myself now (with special thanks to Flylady).
I’m still aving to put some money in my savingaccounts every month and my goal is to have a big enough fund to start out as a freelance writer.

By: lorax

lorax — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0000

The first two questions are great. I’d also throw these questions at how you use your time outside of work.

The last question was disappointing to me. I’m in Laura’s boat. I need a nap after work. Alas, I like my vocation, if not my job. :) And there were very few work-related expenses that I could cut if I stopped working. I’d probably need more cash to support my hobbies! Now that’s depressing!

By: trb

trb — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:42:10 +0000

Laura, the book tries to address exactly this problem. If you come home feeling this way, then your job obviously isn’t doing good things for your physical or mental health. If you need a Friday night to escape from your life, then your life needs improving! Are you doing what you love? Why not?
(I’m not, exactly, either! But I come home happy and could live my daily life every day without complaint, I think…)

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:20:34 +0000

I come home and I immediately need a nap just to refresh and continue. I then usually feel a need on Friday nights to go out and do something. The poblem is that doing something involves spending the hard earned cash over something frivolous.

By: plonkee

plonkee — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:54:51 +0000

I go out for a drink sometimes with friends to unwind from work, but if I didn’t work, I’d probably still go for a drink sometimes with friends. I guess if I didn’t work I would eat more cheaply/healthily – but to be honest I bet I’d treat myself occasionally anyway.

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:02:53 +0000

“I know it did for me – I realize quite clearly that my spending would change significantly if I were to make a significant career change in my life.”

I’m realizing that now that I am not working (by choice) in the traditional sense. It’s amazing how cheap it is to live if you try.

By: Oswegan

Oswegan — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:01:57 +0000

This is an interesting book – I read it years ago. Probably more than once.

What really sticks with me is the idea of there being a cross over point, where your passive income from interest or investments equals or exceeds your expenses.

What a relief that would be.

You could kiss your nine to five goodbye and it wouldn’t even matter.

Now that is peace of mind,

~Oswegan
http://oswegan.blogspot.com

By: Marina @ Sufficient Thrust

Marina @ Sufficient Thrust — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:01:40 +0000

I really love the idea of analyzing an expense for whether or not you’d need it if you weren’t working a boring day job.

I’ve noted my discretionary spending has taken a jump since I signed on for a six-month on-site gig and had to give up working entirely for myself for awhile. There are so many financial factors that go into it, and when you’re worn out after a day at the office, it’s a lot harder to maintain your willpower for anything (frivolous spending, eating right, exercising, etc.)

By: ongrowthtrack

ongrowthtrack — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:51:51 +0000

The need to unwind may not be related to ‘life energy’ spent at work. One may not ‘work’ and still need to unwind at the end of the day.

However its a nice to be open for other unwindig, or may I call ‘recharging activities’.

Its acceptable to think that ‘life energy’ becomes $$ when we are at work. But work itself increases ‘life energy’ and not a drain on that.