Making Work Optional: Getting Off the Financial Treadmill and Building the Life of Your Dreams

Finally, a book that combines solid investment advice with a clear and sometimes witty blow to the rampant consumerism in this nation. And the authors do not steer us away from the gourmet coffee shop or even the new big box book stores just for some general goal. They show step-by-step how taking charge of our money can free us from the routine of 9-5 work and the bureaucracy and let us really enjoy life.If we save a little extra now, and invest it wisely, we can get do things we really enjoy, follow our dreams, without worry about paying the monthly credit card bill and similar obligations.For example, they list 99 ways to to implement a "Vow of Material Celibacy" including: get books at the library rather than buying them, buy a cup of coffee, not the high-priced super, expresso creations, make presents rather that buying, cancel cable tv, don't order beverages with meals, etc.And pay down and pay off mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and the likeI just read for Earth Day that 20 percent of the world's population uses 80 percent of the resources. I'm sure we Americans are a big part of that 20 percent. And does using so much and buying so much really make us happy?Check out this book and consider getting on a new track.You may really enjoy your new life.

I always complain about how nothing in school ever prepared me for the things I have to deal with now that I'm out of college and managing my own life. If there were a class devoted to teaching you how to cope with day to day living, this book would be required reading.*Making Work Optional* is aimed at those in the working world who find that their passions lie elsewhere-- who want to have the financial resources to follow their dreams without worrying about paying next month's rent-- and the book certainly delivers, guiding the reader in laying down a concrete game plan to achieve their goals. But even more importantly, *MWO* provides a sound tutorial on how to use the money you have: how to control where the money you make is going, how to create a budget that will actually work (and stick to it!), and how to start out saving from the very first paycheck.I'm grateful I didn't need the advice on solving credit card debt problems, but could still see clearly the wisdom in their solution.The book itself is easy to read, with clear and often elegant sentences. Its explanations of complex financial concepts are explained simply but without insulting the reader's intelligence, and the metaphors the authors employ left me giggling (and enlightened!) often as not.Entirely worth the investment!!! (And something I would have LOVED to get as a graduation gift.)