Thoughts from The Simple Dollar

I received this book as a free download on my kindle and though it took me a while to get through I did think it had some great insight.  I am definitely envious of this man who chased his dream and caught it. It wasn't easy and he made changes but he did it and that is admirable. One of these days maybe I will get courageous enough to do the same.

Here are a few passages from the book that stood out the most to me:

"Many people associate frugality with sacrifice: You have to give things up. They hear stories about having to give up lattes or giving up eating out or giving up nights on the town, and it sounds incredibly tedious. 

A more appropriate view is that frugality is an exchange: You're trading the things you don't value for the things that you do value." 

What a great way to think about it! It makes sense but I've never heard it put quite that way before and it helps me feel better about some of my frugal choices, no matter what other people might think. My values are just different than theirs.

"Experiences always trump things. Experiences do not require maintenance. They do not take up space in your home. They stay with you in your heart. Fill your life with experiences. Chase the things you've always dreamed of doing, and leave the things on the store shelves where they belong."

This is especially helpful to remember! We have a small home and though it's larger than our last home I don't want to fill it up with clutter and stuff. There is so little we actually need. This has been helpful to me too when it comes to gifts that I give to John. We don't need things, but I do enjoying doing things with him. The author also expounds on how we waste alot of time on things that are not meaningful. He talks about how we probably won't remember that tv show years down the road, but we will remember that trip we took or that dinner we had with so and so. Relationships and life with people are the things we will remember and cherish, not the things we have.

There is alot packed in here and I do think it is a good read. Check it out. He also has a blog if you'd like to learn more. He posts tips and ideas about saving money and being frugal, and so much more.