Resources you think have helped you on your way..

[Brenda]

I saw Katherine mention the Frugal Gazzette, and Joni talked about her parents helping them understand, so I wanted to start this thread.
The main thing that has got us started was the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series by Robert Kioysaki. This series really helped us figure out money but it did not help us learn what to do.
When we knew that we just were not going to make it with our mortgage, we started looking for ways to help us and we ran across some investors doing short sales. We learned a lot from this process and started learning about investing. (not that I would suggest to anyone to learn through hard knox :)
We also met up with some business people who taught us about credit cards/business credit(and everything we ever did wrong with them and have to fix).
I would also have to say LOA has helped us with the way we feel about money. We are listening to the new audiobook right now Money and the Law of Atraction.
So what other resources do you feel have helped you?

[CG]

The book, Your Money or Your Life by Joe Domingues and Vicki somebody! Sorry, I forgot. It is a great help on getting out of debt, although my review would be critical on their goal to eventually not work for money and to live off investments. Still, it was a book that helped transform my relationship with money.

Dave Ramsey is a talk radio show host, or was. Again, it has been years since I've heard him. AND he's VERY Christian which is neither here nor there for me. But he was GREAT about how to get out of debt and stay out of debt, and he was entertaining.

Then there was a Tai Chi teacher I had years ago. He said he himself had been in a situation in which his truck had blown up and he just couldn't afford a new truck. Could not. He was in such a hard place about it, living on a ranch in NM and all. Then some monks came to visit him. And one of them said, John, you just have to figure out what you really need. You can always have what you really need. And it made John mad because he really needed a new truck and he really could not afford one. Then days later it hit him. He didn't need a NEW truck, he needed a truck that ran. He was able to get that in a trade that was good for him and good for the friend who needed to get rid of his truck. I think we have to very carefully watch what it is that we think we need, and mostly learn that we don't need it at all. LOA is much easier if you don't need to attract so MUCH! LOL!

[lydia]

I can't recommend any one specific resource, their is a website called frugal village that helped inspire me, and then Mary Hunt has a website, Everyday Cheapskate.
When I knew I wanted to take our life back in the financial realm, I just went to the library and got every book on the subject I could find. I wrote down what I learned that was applicable for where we were at, and went for it! It was amazing! We hit our goals quickly and I was surprised, however things have been slow lately.
I did read the "Tightwad Gazette."(kind of outdated but still inspires thrift consciousness) and checked out some of Dave Ramsey's stuff. There is a book I was recommended that I haven't yet checked out by sounds right up my alley,"Mortgage Free. Radical Strategies for Home Ownership." Rob Roy
Anyway, I hope to learn more and continue to be inspired toward my goals.

[EL]

I have some other ideas and I may want to add them in a separate comment. I wanted to keep this one focused on one word.

The greatest resource is anger. I'm not personally an angry guy, don't need to be any more, I've been completely out of debt for more than 15 years. If you're wondering if that makes as big a difference as people imagine, let met tell you, Oh, yes, it most certainly does. Life with debt and life without it are two entirely different propositions.

I've known a number of people who, after life as a debtor, decided that was it. They got out of debt and never went back. The common characteristic about them is that one day they just got mad. Not spur of the moment quick hot mindless mad, but rather a slow, smoldering, brooding anger that you aren't going to take it any more, you're not going to live like that.

Something as radical (and as unschooling) as eschewing debt requires a powerful catalyst, a powerful fuel. Fear and discouragement won't do it, they are powerful emotions to be sure, but they are like a wet blanket on the project. When it comes to debt, you've got to be like Ben Stiller's character in the flick Mystery Men, Mr Furious!

What you have to be mad at is not yourself and not your creditor but instead at the whole idea of debt itself. Brood and stew over how debt is robbing your life's force and family time. Then become like the mad scientist in the grade B movie and plot and scheme its destruction.

This is great fun! There was a live-on-the-cheap interview with a family that made it their hobby an passion to not spend money. As they described how they managed or accomplished this or that with little or no money, they made glancing eye contact with each other and grinned and giggled. Someone in the audience, serious of face and frightened at such behavior, asked "How can you live in such constraint and misrery and be so happy??"

Because it's a game, their game.

The greatest resource, says I, is to become angry about debt. Then make it your hobby, your pastime, and your passion to eliminate it. It must become whittles and drink for you.

[Brenda]

This is GREAT, sometimes the obvious is not so obvious, lol! This is one thing I have learned the RU is thinking outside the box!

[Brenda]

That book looks interesting, I'll have to add it to my list.

[Brenda]

I have to say THIS is the thing that keeps us looking/trying. My hubby hates getting up and going to his day job. He hates seeing how these people operate a business. We have been more and more into LOA and it is a very hard thing for him sometimes to wrap his mind around being in a good place at his job. I believe there is a reason that he is still at this job, that he has something i do not know what, but something to learn or someone he will meet, we of course will not know this though until he is able to quit and we can look back and say "ahhh that is why I was still working there"
On our journey this has happened many times for us. FOr example we could be totally devastated that we have a foreclosure on our credit, but we are not we learned so much from it (and it really is not as bad as "they" say). Of course when we were in the process of it, it was hard and once we let go then that was easy.
This country is all about money and I believe people should have a good understanding of it, to be able to play the game. But of course "they" don't want you to have a good understanding of it that is why "they" don't teach it to the kids.
Just one more thing to LOVE about this RU LIFE!!!

[Brenda]

Hi EL,

I was curious what your other ideas were?

Brenda

[Amy]

I thought I'd add some things that have helped me, although most of it is spiritually oriented.

A book that I read when I was in my early twenties, and helped me with the ideas of defining what you really need was 'How to Live Without a Salary' by Charles Long.

Other books that helped me evolve my ideas of money as energy:

'Creating Money' by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer
'Rebirthing In the New Age' by Leonard Orr and Sondra Ray
'The Tao of Abundance' by Laurence G Boldt

My father has a few Rich Dad Poor Dad books and also got me to watch a Harv T Eker (Millionaire Mind) video, and there were some useful ideas in there.

Since last summer I've been using something called PATHS , and became an affiliate for them late in the year. They have online meditative type modules that help you re-educate your subconscious mind and deal with limiting beliefs in different areas. They have a financial peace and prosperity module and mindset for money modules; I've been on the financial peace and prosperity one for a few months now. They cause gradual but definite changes in your attitudes and behavior.

I've notice that there are tons of new resources online - like wesabe.com etc - forums and sites dedicated to helping people with money. Also existing sites have added forums, eg mothering.com has added a finances and frugality forum.

Amy

[Brenda]

Thanks for the list Amy!

[Radical Mama]

We strive to live sustainably and as green as we can. We find re-usable options instead of disposable, like cloth diapers and family cloth (instead of toilet paper)--and usually I make them, often out of things we would have thrown away (like an old towel for diaper stuffers, etc.). It feels good for our footprint on the earth and for our finances :) It is fun to be creative and think of ways we can do this, like watering the garden with bathwater, instead of just letting it go down the drain. There are so many ways of doing these things, and incorporate them into our lives one step at a time. We just keep trying to find ways to get things to align with our values and needs. I have many more tips, and if anyone is interested, I can share what I have thought of so far (haven't incorporated it all, yet, but lots of good ideas).

In addition, we are minimalists (well, I am--my daughter has pack-rat tendencies, so it gets interesting :). I don't make many purchases--we usually spend our energy on time together or finding creative ways to have fun or meet our needs. We like turning to nature for most of these things. I try to be careful about what purchases I do make, like buying quality over quantity, so it actually meets our needs and lasts.

There is a great book that I want to read (it has been sitting on my shelf for a couple months now), called "Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle"... I have read quotes from it from friends who read it, and they really resonated within me. We are going to be moving early next year, and I am hoping that we can move somewhere where I can install solar panels and wind turbines and water conservation (like collecting rain water, etc.) and such, to harness natural energy whenever possible. I also want to grow our own garden, to cut back on paying for organic fruits and veggies. All of these things chip away at the big costs of living. And, like I said, it feels good to know I am lightening my footprint on the earth and our finances :)