Book Review: "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

/
Book Review: "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Want to know what Free to Pursue thinks about Thomas J. Stanley's book "The Millionaire Next Door"?

I gave the book a 4.5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Stanley’s findings revolve around three main themes:

  1. Live below your means.
  2. Choose a partner with similar values.
  3. Focus time and energy on wealth accumulation.

To know more about the book, read my full review here.

Read More

How Many Winters?

/
How Many Winters?

As snowflake clusters fall softly to the ground this morning, I watch, coffee in hand. I appreciate the spectacle and wonder: "How many winters do I have in my future?”

I say it not to be morose but to ensure I cherish this one. This day. This snowfall. This moment. I want to soak in what this experience offers me. I've written before that memories are my most prized possessions, but I think the ability to stop and spend time in the now—doing what feels right in the moment—as often as possible is even more precious.

Read More

We Accumulated $429 of Stupid Tax In Just Three Days

/
We Accumulated $429 of Stupid Tax In Just Three Days

The online Personal Finance community talks a great deal about the cost of payday loan operations—especially now that they’re popping up on every corner and seem more pervasive than McDonald’s. We also talk about our out-of-control consumerism that leads us towards spiralling levels of debt, especially credit card debt and HELOCs. But there’s one thing we don’t talk about enough when it comes to what can put a dent into our finances: fines & traffic violations.

Mr. F2P and I were painfully reminded of this fact last week. He and I had a lot on our plate and a scarcity mindset [in this case a lack of time] created by our respective preoccupations left us a distracted mess.

Read More

Here's What Kills Our Negotiation Power - Part 1

/
Here's What Kills Our Negotiation Power - Part 1

A recent post by J. Money over at Budgets Are Sexy called “11 Awesome Money Ideas!” provided some unique and creative ideas from fellow readers of his blog on how to help us think differently about money, all thanks to clever actions dreamed up by these eleven contributors. 

I appreciate the curation of ideas such as these because thinking differently about money is usually the easiest way of changing our behaviour, even though it can feel a bit chicken and egg sometimes.

That blog post also caused me to reflect on this idea of thinking differently and how doing so has changed our approach toward many monetary transactions, especially when it comes to negotiating. 

Read More

Frugal Gardening Pays Yummy & Fragrant Dividends

/
Frugal Gardening Pays Yummy & Fragrant Dividends

I've already posted an article about gardening and included our garden in my list of 10 favourite things, but I can't help writing about it again because I think it's a fundamental part of enabling a person to live on their terms. 

If you have any outdoor space, or near-outdoor space, at all—front yard, back yard, side yard, sunroom, balcony—I encourage you to grow something...even if it's only a window sill on which to grow herbs. 

 

Read More