I’m starting with our wins of the week:
- Filed our taxes via H&R Block and got fat federal and state returns (this probably means we need to adjust deductions)
- Took federal return to pay off one card! WHOO!
Going for the Gold!

No one wants to stop spending. I haven’t found too many like-minded friends in my circle of friends. A co-worker is enthusiastically into FI, so it’s pretty awesome to share learnings and successes with each other. But among my close friends and family, it’s not spreading. I’m not exactly pushing it either. You have to be interested in learning and open to change. And breaking away from our consumer-driven culture isn’t something a lot people are interested in. People like to shop.
But, let’s pretend.
At this point, if asked, I would recommend the following books:
- The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life
- Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
- The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
I haven’t read these, but they’re on my list:
- Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While Raising a Family
- Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping–Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and Beyond
- The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Books. Big Profits)
Podcasts:
Blogs: I don’t read too many – just not enough time, but I like these:
- Frugalwoods
- Our Next Life
- And, of course, Mr. Money Mustache
We’re nine months in and these are all common names to me now. There’s such a wealth of free information foranyone that wants it. It’s like we all have the ability to stretch this super muscle, but we don’t. It doesn’t have to be complicated, there are several simple changes you can make that make a huge impact. Anyone can do it!