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Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want

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Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want

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About

Features

Do what "The Millionaires Next Door" did: build real, lasting wealth by taking control of what you spend!  

  • It's not about depriving yourself! Spending Smart is the one sure way to build wealth... and it's a whole lot easier than you think!
  • Easy ways to plug all your wasteful spending leaks: from food to phone service, car buying to gift giving, college tuition to prescription drugs!
  • For everyone who wants to take control and become financially secure, without gimmicks!

Description

  • Copyright 2008
  • Dimensions: 6" x 9"
  • Pages: 224
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-235009-2
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-235009-9

As The Millionaire Next Door revealed, and millions of Americans now realize, building wealth isn't just about working harder or what you choose to invest in: it's about spending smarter. Now, award-winning Tribune Company personal finance columnist Gregory Karp shows how to do just that. This book isn't about depriving yourself: you don't have to become a "financial anorexic," and you won't have to start dumpster diving! Instead, Gregory Karp shows how to build real, long-lasting wealth by plugging the money leaks you're barely even aware of, and making sure you spend with a purpose. Drawing on everything he's learned writing his prize-winning weekly column, Karp reveals surprisingly painless, little-known techniques for eliminating wasteful spending in every area of your financial life. Karp shows how to spend on what you really care about, not what you don't... understand the real value of comparison shopping...save money in giving gifts without becoming a cheapskate. Karp shows how to slash your phone bill... spend less on food without changing what you like to eat... eliminate spending leaks in insurance, education, entertainment and beyond. From the clothes you wear to the cars you drive, Living Rich by Spending Smart will help you build a life that's truly rich, because it's truly financially secure.

Sample Content

Online Sample Chapter

Introduction to the Spending Smart Philosophy

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Spending Smart Philosophy xiv

Chapter 1 Financial FITness: Whacking the Worst Offenders 1

Stockpiling Food for Savings: Bodega in the Basement 3

Coupon Clipping Conundrum: Hassle or Goldmine? 6

Dining Out: Celebrations Versus Poor Meal Planning 9

Life Insurance: It’s Your Money and Your Life 12

Home and Auto Insurance: Don’t Pay Too Much 16

Phone at Home: Pay Less for Your Landline 19

Wireless Mobile Phone: Don’t Let Them Cell You a Bad Plan 23

Chapter 2 Know Thine Enemy; It Is Us: The Problem Between Our Ears 27

Smart People, Dumb Spending: Fire the Accountant in Your Head 28

Evaluating Value: Psychological Income 32

Impulse Spending: Harness the Urge to Splurge 34

No Excuses: The Lies We Tell Ourselves 37

Money Personalities: What Type Are You? 39

Shopping Addiction: “Shop Till You Drop” Ain’t Funny 43

Chapter 3 What a Waste!: Pet Peeves and Hot Buttons 45

Bottled Water: Tap into Savings 46

Junky Insurance: Extended Warranties and Other Insurance You Don’t Need 49

Timeshare Vacations: The Worst Real Estate Deal Ever 52

Smoking: Your Money, Up in Smoke 54

Ink-Jet Cartridges: Refill Rage 57

Lottery: Winning the Jackpot Isn’t a Financial Plan 59

Textbooks: Get Schooled in the Alternatives 60

Hybrid Vehicles: Have a Nonfinancial Reason for Buying One 62

Greeting Cards Discarded: Special-Occasion Cardboard Rethought 64

Chapter 4 The Big Picture: Strategies for Spending Smart 67

Comparison Shopping: What’s a Good Price? 68

Tracking Spending: Forensics on Your Finances 71

Rules of Thumb: Benchmarks for Spending Smart 74

Buying Tactics: When the Price Isn’t Really the Price 77

Curse of Automatic Payments: Monthly Commitments Will Haunt You 79

Buying Used: Secondhand Gives You a Leg Up 81

Spending Windfalls: Don’t Blow It 84

Membership Has Its Privileges: Savings by Association 86

Shopping Online: Geek Your Way to Savings 89

Chapter 5 Around the House Everyday Spending 93

Running Hot and Cold: Keep Your Bought Air Indoors 94

Gasoline: Fuel Savings with Better Mileage 98

Television: Tune In to Savings 100

Pets: Don’t Let Fido Sink Your Finances 104

Prescription Drugs: Just Say No to High Prices for Meds 106

Library: Free Stuff Galore 109

Compact Fluorescents: See the Light 111

Lawn and Garden: Grow Your Savings 114

Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses: See the Price Difference 117

Clothing: Better Duds for Less 120

Chapter 6 Financial Foolishness: Overspending for Financial Services 123

Bank Accounts: Don’t Pay Anyone to Hold Your Money 124

Credit Cards: Play the Game Right 127

Credit Cards II: Advanced Tactics 130

Debt Reduction: Finish Paying for Your Purchases 131

Index Mutual Funds: You Can’t Beat ‘em, So Join ‘em 134

Identity Theft: What Protections are Worthwhile? 137

Chapter 7 That Time of Year: Seasonal Strategies for Spending Smart 143

Back to School Spending: School Daze 144

Holiday Spending: Ho, Ho, Ho. Where’d My Money Go? 146

Valentine’s Day on the Cheap…Without Ending Up in the Doghouse 148

Tax Preparation: Frugal Ways to Pay Uncle Sam 151

Wedding Gifts: An Invitation Is Not an Invoice 154

Kid Birthday Parties: Rein in the Ridiculous 155

Amusement Parks: Costs Shouldn’t Take You for a Ride 157

Vacation Accommodations: Hotel Versus Home Rental 159

Chapter 8 Life Happens: Big-Ticket Infrequent Spending 163

How Much Car Can I Afford?–Less Than You Think 164

Why Buy Used? You’re Not Buying Someone Else’s Problem 167

How Much House Can I Afford? Don’t Be “House Poor” 170

Moving Costs: Getting Your Stuff from Here to There  172

Wedding Spending: Like Marriage, It’s About Compromise 174

College Tuition: The Two-Year, Two-Year Plan 178

Divorce: Spending Less on Splitting Up 181

Hospital Bills: Rampant Mistakes Are Sickening 183

Funerals: Try to Bury the Pain and Guilt 185

A Final Thought: Buying Happiness 189

Index 195

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