But then I realized that there is something of value for my readers. I’ve blogged before about giving gifts and feeling better . . . → Read More: Meditation retreat]]>
I’m home for the evening from a weekend Buddhist meditation retreat, and I was thinking about how unlikely it was that I’d have much to post on this blog about it.

But then I realized that there is something of value for my readers. I’ve blogged before about giving gifts and feeling better about spending money, due to budgeting, but I’ve never talked about the education fund. In our "freedom account", I set aside money for adult education, along with a separate account for education intended for our kids.

That very important bucket of money goes to whatever educational opportunities we want. I’ve taken Spanish classes, bought books & CDs, and now paid for a weekend meditation retreat. My wife has taken language classes of her own, and paid for roller skating lessons.

Why?

You may be wondering how this is different than just buying these these things straight out. It is remarkably different, actually. There’s no hesitation, no quick balancing the checkbook to make sure we can afford it. No guilt or discussion about spending the money. That’s what it is *for*, and the money is already set aside.

I hope that makes sense. If you were raised with a frugal mindset as I was, you’d understand how liberating this freedom from spending guilt really is. Budgeting is such a help in this area, in ways that I never expected when I started a couple years ago.

Technorati Tags: budgeting, education, meditation

One measure of a book is how many conversations it sparks, and by that measure this book is gold. I brought it on vacation, ending up talking . . . → Read More: Enjoying Richistan]]> I’m in the middle of reading Robert Frank’s fascinating new book "Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich."

One measure of a book is how many conversations it sparks, and by that measure this book is gold. I brought it on vacation, ending up talking about it to my brother in law and his roommate in separate conversations. I’ve probably talked about it with nearly every friend I have, which has got to be a record for me.

It gives a wealth of facts and figures to support the conversational, unbiased reporting of how the wealthy (and the extremely wealthy) live and think. I hadn’t realized the explosion in numbers of millionaire households, essentially tripling in the last 10 years. Nor had I known that most of the new wealthy are Democrat rather than Republican.

I was particularly fascinated when reading about the difficulty the wealthy have in finding good household managers (new-style butlers). The pay is very good, the work is interesting, and the accommodations excellent. Yet there is a shortage of trained, willing household managers. I think many people, most definitely including me, think "nice pay, but I’d rather be the wealthy guy than the servant."

Another interesting area is Mr. Frank’s discussion of where "true wealth" begins. Defining that status as the level at which one can live a wealthy lifestyle off of investment income, he puts the stake in the ground at $10 million. That assumes a rather decent yearly allowance of about a half million.

For any of us interested in wealth, this is a fun, informative, light summer read. I heartily recommend it.

Technorati Tags: richistan, book review

He says that some few people can get rich by scrimping and saving. . . . → Read More: Cheapskate Wealth]]> I was listening to a Kiyosaki CD today while taking a break from programming. I find his stuff mostly too simplistic, but I was liking it today for some reason, when I heard Kiyosaki make a really funny and interesting point.

He says that some few people can get rich by scrimping and saving. Do it for long enough and you might technically be rich. But you’ll still be a cheapskate. He then points out that all the world hates a rich cheapskate.

That’s true! Some books take pains to point out the (strangely similar across books) tale of some guy (usually blue collar or low paid white collar, like a school teacher) who always counted his pennies, and no one thought he had much money, but then when he died he left millions to a charity.

Ahh…that doesn’t sound like the life I want to live. It really sounds like some sort of pathology, actually. I mean, if you want to contribute to a charity, do it. They love money and they love your time. Do it while you are alive, get involved. But to scrimp and pinch pennies for an entire lifetime so that you can contribute on your death? Not the life for me or hopefully for my children.

There has to be a better way, and I think that way is to get involved with the world. To serve as many people as I can. To build real value for myself and for others. That seems like the way of freedom, and a hell of a lot more fun.

Technorati Tags: frugality, kiyosaki

Both my wife and I spend far too much time taking care of the routine cleaning tasks generated by a household of two adults, three children, two dogs and two cats. . . . → Read More: Maids ahoy!]]> As I mentioned in my previous post Getting help=more time to make money, it is time for my family to get a maid.

Both my wife and I spend far too much time taking care of the routine cleaning tasks generated by a household of two adults, three children, two dogs and two cats. That time is quite literally stolen from either our family time or our personal time, and we want to get some of that back.

In fact, when I was talking with Dustin last week about goals and dreams for the coming year, she said that was the single biggest dream for her. Anything else, even her long dreamed-of trip to Paris, is less important to her.

Well OK then, what are we waiting for? This morning I made an appointment for an estimate from a maid service that comes highly recommended by a friend. Hopefully we can start next week.

One person whom I told about this plan said with honest puzzlement in her voice, “But then you miss out on the little rituals of life.” I was struck dumb by the statement/question. What?

Now that some time has passed, I can answer that I believe life is so much more than scut-work. Yes, you can find meaning in such work, it is part of the human condition that absolutely anything, if focused upon hard enough, will be found to have some deep meaning it can yield. I certainly don’t judge people who find meaning in rote cleaning tasks, I simply choose to find my meaning elsewhere.

Technorati Tags: maid, household

I’m not going to give it an in-depth review. I think David . . . → Read More: Timothy Ferriss and Scared Geeks]]>
This weekend I finished reading "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich" by Timothy Ferriss. I just got it last week, and I read it straight through, putting aside all other books for a couple days.

I’m not going to give it an in-depth review. I think David Seah has done a better job of that than I’d do. I do wholeheartedly recommend it to almost anyone, although I doubt many will take him up on his challenge.

I wish I wasn’t pessimistic about that, but I am and it is based on what I read in blog comments whenever anyone reviews Ferriss’ book. The review is generally very positive, and then come the nay-sayers in the comments. "I’d be happy to get my job to 40 hours, much less 4.", "Outsourcing is evil and he is evil for suggesting it.", "He’s sleazy, he sells vitamins.", "He mistreated xxx by doing yyy."

I don’t want to be an apologist for Mr. Ferriss, the fact is that I loved the book and I intend to use many of his suggestions, I’ve already started in fact. However I think it may be too radical for many. The book advocates such concepts as: "Take charge of your life.", "There’s a much bigger world filled with more options than you were taught growing up.", "You can design a lifestyle you want if you choose to do so." "You can and should have others do the repetitive tasks that will free your time." (Those are all my paraphrases, not quotes.)

The problem is that many, especially geeks, would rather isolate and not have to interact. They’d rather the path to freedom was possible without having to stretch or grow or take any risks.

For example (sorry geeks, I used to be one of you but I’ve changed), It is hard to make much money if you think all sales is sleazy. Your ability to make money is in direct relation to the number of people you know and to whom you bring value. That’s why blogging, when done by connectors who can build a community like Steve Pavlina can be so profitable.

Many of the nay-sayers seem to be trying very hard to come up with any reason possible to discard the threatening message/challenge implicit in the book. Feel free to do so, and to continue working those 60 hour weeks.

Technorati Tags: 4-hour workweek, timothy ferriss

I paid a strong young guy $250 to rip . . . → Read More: Getting help = more time to make money]]> In a momentous move for me, I’ve finally actually paid someone to do something I really could’ve done myself. This is a huge change for me, and I can’t believe it took me until almost 40 years old before I could get comfortable with it.

I paid a strong young guy $250 to rip out about 30 feet of shrubs and blackberry brambles. It took him two days in the sun, and two or three pickup truck loads of hauling. That’s quite a deal for me, and he seemed pretty happy with his pay, though perhaps he underestimated the work a little.

Basically, my house was looking too scrubby, and despite my best intentions I just could not find the time to rip out the ugliness. Nor do I have a truck to haul away the debris. But despite that, I was working steadily away at the task until I realized a simple truth. I make $100 to $150 an hour. Brush removal is not worth $100 per hour. It would be different if I enjoyed it, but … ahhh … no.

On one level, I know it is no big deal. Lots of people hire lawn services, maid services or personal assistants. But for me, it was a line I simply hadn’t ever felt comfortable crossing. It is one thing to pay for an expert to fix your car, and an entirely different thing to pay someone to do what you could very well do if you weren’t so lazy (so says my Protestant work-ethic).

It was a good first step, but I actually intend to hire many more such services. I’m simply too busy with my new business and the work is too readily available for me to not take advantage of the obviously financial advantages I’ll reap by doing so. If I liked washing dishes or clothes, I suppose I would keep doing it. I don’t, so a maid is next on the list, along with a regular lawn service arrangement. Wow, it’s like I’m becoming a grownup or something.