Your Money or Your Life

Have you read that book, Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin? If you haven't, check out a copy at your local library. It will CHANGE the way you view money. Completely. I've tried reading it in the past but the clarity I was gaining was too much for my little ego and i just couldn't finish it; it was a little overwhelming... plus, it was very popular at the library and I had to return it before I was done reading. :P I have it back and I'm coming across the same themes of financial intelligence in many books, including Depletion and Abundance (which no, I haven't finished reading yet - it's another book which is shaking up the foundations of my thoughts).

Basically I'm feeling like my relationship with money is out of control. I buy things I do not need, 'though not nearly as much as others I know, but still, I realize money slips through my fingers a little too easily. I would like to get to a point where we're not living paycheque to paycheque, where there's money saved (*gasp!* what *is* she talking about?!?) and I feel like I'm in control. Ideally, I'd like to have no mortgage (i.e. it being paid off, not us not having any shelter, lmao) and I'd also like to see us cut back on our energy consumption by at *least* 25% over the next couple years, if not more. I'd also like to see all our consumer debt paid off and (perhaps more importantly) not accrue any more. I'd like to have money to give to charity. I'd like to be able to grow the majority of our own food and also eat more simply (and not eat out so often), thereby reducing our food costs considerably. I'd like to (i can't believe i'm even saying this)... trade the car in for something without a car payment. (I have a 2010 vehicle and while I do really enjoy the heated seats and AWD - *especially* the AWD in winter, I am having an increasingly hard time justifying the gas consumption and car payments. dh drives a 1991 car with 250K kms on it and it's not 100% reliable, but i don't mind driving it in the daytime in the summer (don't want to get stranded in the evenings, or in the winter at any time of day) Yes, we're a 2-car family. Could we get by with only one vehicle? (or none?!) Well, maybe once we move and we're only 2 kms from a transit stop and a good biking route. Here we're 17 kms from the nearest bus stop, and I'm not about to have my kids biking on the main road out here.

At the moment, I feel like I'm up a creek without a paddle, so to speak, financially. Behind the eight ball. Whatever metaphor you want to use, it's how I'm feeling right now. I hate to even verbalize (or print) these thoughts about how it is for me right now, because I don't want to see it, or let anyone else see it, or put it out there in the universe. But it is the truth. I'm feeling the crunch. Saying "this too shall pass" isn't going to cut it this time. Changes must be made. We *must* learn some financial intelligence or it will be the unravelling of this house of cards.

I know I'm not alone, either. Many people in North America are feeling the crunch, too. Our society encourages us to buy now, pay later and live on credit. It's not sustainable. I can *see* that and yet, making changes in how we live our lives is going to take courage, especially when it goes against the grain of how society is telling us how to live.

Who's with me?