Comments on: Review: How Much Is Enough?

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:01:54 +0000

I would highly recommend “Deep Economy” by Bill McKibben-it talks about living locally and the importance of community. I think it would be right up your alley!

By: David

David — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:38:48 +0000

Sounds like a much more of a philsophical book, like you said, than a straight-shooting personal finance book. It does pose a good question, though, about what one’s goals are when it comes finance.

One question I have, though, is “will it ever be enough?” Seems to me like once you reach a certain level of income you end up wanting more more more. Interesting question to mull over, though.

-DC

By: Dr. Len Schwartz

Dr. Len Schwartz — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:09:12 +0000

When it comes to money saving and psychological choices, I think there are a lot of gray areas. People can deny it all they want, but of course money brings you happiness. Yes, you don’t have to have lots of money to be happy, but the more you have the less stress you will have on your shoulders. But, if they only reason you are well off is because you don’t spend any money on yourself, friends, or family then how can you be happy? How can you enjoy life? This is why there are a lot of gray areas in a topic like this and no one is wright or wrong. It’s just opinions.

By: Tyler Karaszewski

Tyler Karaszewski — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:02:42 +0000

Sure, you could, but you probably don’t *have to*. That’s all I’m saying. If you’ve done all the math and come out with a sustainable and reasonable budget of $300/month for food, you can easily do that without going out of your way to look for special sales and tricks to save a few more dollars. If you want to, by all means, go ahead, but if you *don’t* want to, you can still come in under-budget by just going to the store and shopping reasonably.

By: Debbie M

Debbie M — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:50:05 +0000

Or you could plan your shopping around loss leaders AND forgo ice cream.

By: Tyler Karaszewski

Tyler Karaszewski — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:50:15 +0000

Auntielle, I don’t mean to imply that frugality tips are useless, just that they’re not necessary. Someone recently mentioned on a different personal finance blog “planning meals around grocery store loss-leader sales”. This is a frugality tip that you can follow and save a few dollars, sure. But you could save the same few dollars by simply foregoing ice cream (or some other ‘treat’ you might get at the grocery store). The tips aren’t necessary — you’ll be ok without ice cream, but if you’re *really* toeing the line between being able to afford ice cream or not, and you *really* want the ice cream, then the tip can maybe help you afford it. Personally, I’m not in that situation, and if I was, I’d probably just skip the ice cream, which is why those sorts of tips don’t interest me, personally.

By: Bernice Remage

Bernice Remage — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:55:48 +0000

I like the way this post focuses not on how you save, but instead on how you “view” saving. It’s easy to “save”, but when is there enough? When should we splurge? Where can we afford to splurge?

By: it's oke

it's oke — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:34:51 +0000

money is not just about how and how much we make, but how we spend the money, I believe that would be relative in how much is enough, thank for this post, i am a new regular reader of your blog, I read your rss from google reader :)

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:32:12 +0000

4. “Strategies for Well-Being
Instead of focusing on better (and more) stuff, spend your energy focused on building your safety, competence, self-esteem, connectedness, and authenticity.”

I have a strong sense that most of the pursuit of money and things are unconcious substitutes for the sense of well being that we all crave. Even very prosperous people ofen lack that sense of well being and engage in accumulation as a kind of an arms race to stockpile tangibles.

Also, on the giving side, it’s often deeper and more meaningful when it’s done through time and effort, rather than by writing a check.

By: Auntielle

Auntielle — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:54:23 +0000

In Comment #3: “The corollary to this is that if you’re committed to living in a financially responsible way, you don’t need any lists of tips or tactics. This is why I personally have no interest in ‘frugality tips’ and such.”

I respectfully disagree with this statement because, even though my husband and I have lived a financially responsible life for the 25 years we’ve been together, “frugality tips and such” help us to extract even more value from the money we do have.

In our situation, we live on a comfortable (though not “high-end”) pension. We tithe, pay our bills, give to chosen “causes” and continue to save, but, because we are retired, we do allow ourselves to spend a small percentage on things we enjoy that make our retirement even more enjoyable.

In our situation, frugality tips and tactics means that we can make our “fun money” go even farther. For others, those tips might mean the difference between being able to just pay one’s living expenses and being able to pay living expenses PLUS having extra left over to save and/or invest.

By: Tyler@Feet to the Fire

Tyler@Feet to the Fire — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:05:33 +0000

I’m a sucker for books and blogs that emphasize finding the right relationship with your money. Money is a means, not an end, and too many people put the financial cart in front of the horse by emphasizing the need for more, more, more instead of asking themselves why, why, why. Thanks for the review!

By: Tyler Karaszewski

Tyler Karaszewski — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:00:23 +0000

“I can talk about savings tactics until the sun goes down, but if you’re psychologically committed to living paycheck to paycheck and don’t want to change, change won’t happen.”

The corollary to this is that if you’re committed to living in a financially responsible way, you don’t need any lists of tips or tactics. This is why I personally have no interest in “frugality tips” and such.

By: George

George — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:56:06 +0000

One only truly asks “How much is enough?” when one is close to having enough.

In other words, if your non-work income is no where near matching your expenses, then you don’t have enough.

By: Foxie@CarsxGirl

Foxie@CarsxGirl — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:44:03 +0000

I’ve always enjoyed the psychological aspect of money management, it’s part of why I want to be a financial planner… I can help people do what they’ve always wanted to do, not make their lives miserable! (I hope, anyhow.)

It’s nice, because it means I’m free to spend on what I want, as long as A) I’ve got the money to do so, and B) it’s in line with my values. No feeling guilty about the $60 I spent this weekend racing, because I love doing it too much and value the time more than the money. :) Sounds like a great book for me!