by Hope
As we continue with the Book Club, I love the comparison Vicki Robin makes in Chapter 3 of Your Money or Your Life between a person on a diet and money management. She references a book titled Diets Don’t Work! by Bob Schwartz. And specifically gives these rules for getting out of the diet mindset.
- Eat when you’re hungry.
- Eat exactly what your body wants.
- Eat each bite consciously.
- Stop when your body has had enough.
Essentially you must be aware of your needs and wants, knowing the difference and learning to listen to yourself.
The Same can be Said About Money
As we begin to go through the steps lined out in this book, we become very aware of our money triggers, our goals and eventually how we are spending our life energy. The key is to be aware of our spending habits over a long period of time.
This is where this book is different then other money mindsets. Rather than focusing on living by a strict budget, sometimes depriving yourself, you are aware of what you are trading your time for. You make conscious decisions that may result in pain during the adjustment period over time are freeing.
Breaking it Down
I love how they break down the Categories into Sub-Categories and then evaluate them based on the money spent as well as the life energy cost. That is eye opening to me. Using the formulas presented in this chapter really opened my eyes for how I’m using my time.
I am really glad I read the book in full before coming back through to work on each exercise. Taken individually, these steps are overwhelming and often confusing, but knowing the end goal has made a real difference for me.
Discussion Questions
What question would you most like to ask a friend about money? An expert? A relative?
What are your top priorities and how does your spending support them-or not?
Previous Book Club Posts
Your Money or Your Life Introduction
Chapter 1: What is Your Enough?
Chapter 2: What are you Trading Your Life Energy For?
Chapter 3: The Opposite of a Budget
Chapter 4: The Quest for Happiness
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
So, what do you think ?