I have read this book several times. And I hope to read again.until I get it down right. The authors provide an excellent discussion about the meaning of money and its role in our lives.  They were able to successfully give words to concepts that I have never before been able to express or fully understand.

They explain that the money you work for is actually the exchange of your limited life energies, a non-renewable resource.  We use that money for consumption . food, clothing, SUVs, vacations, houses we can barely afford, and so on.  The more we consume the greater the toll on our life energies.  You only go around once, so why spend it paying for goods we don't really need? Are we trading our freedom for our possessions? The authors' premise is that too many people are "making a dying" out of making a living. Their message is for each individual to examine and then re-define just what makes our lives happy.  Using that, you rebalance, refocus, and reclaim.

They offer some interesting studies, which show the diminishing returns of consumption.  You might think the more you have the happier you'll be. What is the saying. the person with the most toys wins? Their study reveals that consumption is more like drug addition . it requires more and more consumption to reach the "next level of satisfaction", resulting in a huge premium (dollars spent).  And if consumption really becomes excessive, satisfaction actually drops.  If you've been to one of those "all you can eat" buffets, and you decided to eat for tomorrow as well as today, then you know what they mean.

Another point they hammer on is the cost of making money.  If you earn say $30 per hour, do you really believe that's what you earn? It's not even close.

We all know the toll taxes take. Don't get me started now.  But the net pay is your deposit in the bank, thats all yours, right?  Think again.  How much time do you spend commuting back and forth to the job?  Or attending to work you might bring home?  Those time factors may not reduce your pay, but then you aren't earning $30 an hour as you thought either.  Isn't your non-work time a cost? 

Then you  have to subtract out all those real costs that arise only because of your employment . union or professional dues, the gasoline and maintenance related to commuting, child care expense, those $12 lunches and $3 cappuccinos, the cost of maintaining your appearance (uniforms, suits, Rolex watches), the office gifts, the tools you buy (computers, cell phones, your truck, whatever fits your occupation).

And after a day at work and commuting, we return home, spent.  So now we turn to convenience items . microwave dinners, eating out, weekend getaways that barely get interesting before its over, and so on.  They mostly have a premium cost.  That cost frequently tolls over to family relationships as well.

The authors urge the reader to actually do the math and calculate the real income, subtracting out all costs that occur only because of employment.  Then you factor in the human cost of all the time you spent to earn it.  It is . kinda frightening.  It wouldn't be so bad if we could regenerate our life and learn from a trial run.  But with one life to live, it is a sobering revelation.  You do not want to grow old before you see this. If you are old however, then I'm only kidding.

This book is not about making money.  It's about being satisfied, controlling your spending, relishing the pleasures of a frugal lifestyle, and becoming financially independent.  I didn't say wealthy.  Set aside enough to be satisfied, and don't gouge yourself getting there.  And be happy.

That works for me, 24/7,365. I'm referring to the concept of course. I'm still working on narrowing the distance from my pulpit to the pew.

If you like the message my site offers, then I urge you to read this book.  It is at the top of my list.  If it pushes your buttons as it did mine, then you should also read my reports on three other related books: Getting A Life and The Overspent American and Choosing Simplicity.