Hunt - Live Your Life for Half the Price

2005 by Mary Hunt

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-2347-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

In your lifetime, you will manage millions of dollars. You are receiving your fortune in installmentsone paycheck at a time. The money you dont spend will ultimately give you the freedom to live the life you love.

Contents

Acknowledgments

I ts been more than two decades since I founded Debt-Proof Living. What an amazing ride. How did I get so lucky? The truth is I didnt get here alone. Ive been privileged to have so many people help me on this journey, and I am humbled.

Thanks again to my husband, Harold, who has been right beside me through every dip and turn, always supporting and believing in me. And my kidsJosh, Wendy, Jeremy, and Tawnywhat did I ever do to deserve you?

Huge thanks to Raquel Contreras for keeping our home clean so I am free to do what I do better than cleaning house, which is writing. And writing and writing.

I have so many other people to thank: Cheryl Van Andel for her beautiful cover design, Kristin Kornoelje for making these pages so readable and error-free, and most of all my editor and long-time friend Vicki Crumpton for making this book possible.

Thank you to Josh Hunt and Max Halbert for managing the DPL office so I can quietly check myself into book jail from time to time, confident that everything will be well taken care of in my absence.

Last, to you my readers who continue to inspire me every day, thank you!

An Interview

O ver the years, Ive had many media interviews, and Im grateful for every one. One interview, however, stands out in my mind because of an unfortunate case of host laryngitis. It was the first time Id ever been asked to interview myself. Seriously.

I cant say it was unpleasant. In fact, I rather enjoyed myself. I responded candidly to each of my questions; I knew all the answers and didnt stump myself even once.

Now I find myself in a similar situation. There you are and here I am. I know you have questions, but alas your voice is silent. So what I did that day for a radio audience, Ive decided to do for you: I will interview myself.

Me: Why did you write this book? There are plenty of books out there on personal finances already.

Myself: I know this looks like a personal finance book, and it is in a way, but not really. This book focuses on just one segment of the art of managing your money.

Me: Youre going to make me ask?

Myself: I wasnt finished. Its the part about limiting your spending so that it does not exceed 80 percent of your income.

Me: Oh, so this is a budget book!

Myself: No, not really.

Me: A bargain guide?

Myself: No, not that either. This is a book about how to live below your meanshow to spend less than you earn. Living below your means is a decision, an attitudeits a way of life.

Me: Forgive me, but I dont understand the difference between living below your means and finding great bargains.

Myself: If you are committed to maintaining a healthy margin between what you earn and what you spend, youre going to be a deal hunter. But the bargain isnt the issuethe bargain is simply the means to the end. The real issue is achieving a lifestyle where you buy what you need and want what you havea consistent way of life where you live below your means.

Me: Who did you write this book for?

Myself: Since 1992, Ive devoted my life to helping people make the shift from spender to savershowing them how to stop spending all they have, how to get out of debt, and how to live below their means. Millions have taken me up on my offer and proven that my simple debt-proof living plan works.

I cant tell you how many people have gotten out of debt and gone on to do amazing things with their lives and their money. I really cant. I knowand this breaks my heartthat for every success there are ten thousand more who dont get it or, if they do, procrastinate. They make good money and theyre not horribly in debt, but they spend all of their moneyall the time. These are the people who need this book.

Me: Who would not benefit from this book?

Myself: Id like to think that Im such an entertaining writer that anyone would find this a real page-turner, but those who never spend beyond their means, those who give, save, and are building wealth will probably not find much inspiration. They are already doing what Im talking about here. While Id be honored if they flipped a few pages, I did not write this for those who are seasoned at living below their means and are looking for ways to go lower and lower. And lower.

Me: So what can we expect in the pages that follow?

Myself: You may have noticed this is a single volume, not a ninety-six-volume matched set. Thats why you are not going to find every possible consumer product and service together with details on how and where to buy it for 50 percent off. This is not Mary Hunts Guide to Bargains . I hope to empower my readers to action by teaching them the principles of living below their means and showing them how to reduce the cost of some of their major expenses.

Me: Thanks for being my guest today. Where can our readers find you if they have questions?

Myself: It was my pleasure! These days I spend most of my time hanging out at my website DebtProofLiving.com and my blog EverydayCheapskate.com.

Introduction

A ffluence is not measured by your annual income. Affluence is determined by how many of your resources you manage not to spendthe amount of income you keep.

Live Your Life for Half the Price is about how to spend less than you earn, how to make better choices with what you have so you can keep more of what you make. Who should read it? Anyone ready to achieve extraordinary results on an ordinary income.

Live Your Life for Half the Price is about how to spend less than you earn, how to make better choices with what you have so you can keep more of what you make. Who should read it? Anyone ready to achieve extraordinary results on an ordinary income.

The idea that you should live below your means is obvious, isnt it? Its not like this is the first time youve ever heard of the concept. You know that cutting spending is hard work but living paycheck to paycheck is much harder work. So if you knew how to stop spending so much, its safe to say youd be doing that by now.

Living on less than you earn takes effort. Like swimming upstream or walking up the down escalator, you have to work at going against the flow. It takes a conscious effort to spend less on everything from food to ATM fees, insurance to clothes, and the fun things in life too.

Sadly, by the looks of climbing credit card debt and personal bankruptcy filings in the United States, too few people are willing to put forth the effort. It seems easier to just spend all you have and then depend on credit to cover the gap between what you think you need and how much you make. At the time, it seems fine to have it all now and pay later. Yet, we eventually learn the long-term effects of that spending error.

If you are not where youd like to be with your money, dont assume thats because you make less money than you desire. Increased income does not guarantee a better life. Think about it. Ten years ago your annual income was less than it is now. Perhaps it was a lot less. You believed then that if you only made more money youd be out of debt and on your way to building wealth and securing your future.