Redesign the Reality of Your Finances: Understand the Why to Change the How of Your Spending

REDESIGN THE REALITY OF YOUR FINANCES assists people in first understanding the “why” in order to change the “how” of their spending. Discussing topics such as the growth mindset, the power of grit, trauma, and gratitude--to name a few--people will be able to better understand the voids in their lives, how they try to fill such voids (possibly with the purchasing of "things"), and how to live within one's means after learning to be grateful for what they have. Once these concepts are explored and used as the foundation, the book then provides effective strategies on how to cut back on spending, eliminate debt, and invest in the future in order to get out and stay out of debt.

My wife and I got married and had children at a young age--19 and 20, respectively. For the first five years of our marriage, we received government assistance in the form of health insurance and food stamps as I diligently pursued my college education. Knowing I could not raise a family as a busboy, I worked extremely hard to graduate from college within four years, get my teaching credential, and find a job as a social science teacher. Even after being blessed with a teaching job, we continued to struggle financially. Although my wife's part-time earnings as a hair stylist helped, being a new teacher did not provide a lot of money while trying to provide for a family of four.
 
However, in all honesty, many of the decisions my wife and I made during this time directly and negatively affected our financial situation. We struggled financially--not because of a lack of money--but because of a lack of discipline. After slowly realizing the insanity of our decision-making processes and our systems of spending (we were living well beyond our means on credit), my wife and I finally became disciplined and took control of our finances by adopting a long-haul perspective. Therefore, we addressed, dealt with, and created concrete plans related to the topics discussed in this book.
 
Over time, and by working hard to be more disciplined, my wife and I began to live within our means, prioritize our purchases, and eliminate most of our debt. By doing so, we reduced the stress and anxiety that often accompanies excessive debt and learned to be content, mindful, and present. Using cash instead of credit, we were able to take incredible vacations, pay for our kids' college educations, and started investing in our future. These actions were accomplished by the decisions we actively made, not necessarily by the amount of money we had.