There’s no denying that capitalism informs nearly everything we do in life these days. The constant bombardment of advertisements telling us to buy changes the way we feel about products, services, and even ourselves. A good marketing campaign can convince us that we need a certain brand of cereal or shaving cream, when in fact, there’s little to no difference from the low-priced generic brands. Do we even really need cereal and shaving cream? Do we need hundreds of dollars’ worth of beauty products and cars that display a certain symbol on the hood? Do we need a thousand channels on our cable box? In truth, we do not need any of these things. We want them because that’s what our neighbors have, because it’s normal, and because we have been told for so long that we need them that we’ve simply stopped asking why.
But for many families struggling to make it through the recession, this consumer mentality simply isn’t cutting it. And rather than going into debt to support a lifestyle that you have been told you need, Bruce Piasecki recommends a plan for frugality that will leave you free of debt, on your way to wealth, and probably feeling a lot happier than you have in years. In his audio book, ‘Doing More with Less: The New Way to Wealth’, Piasecki turns to one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, and his views on consumption. Franklin espoused the ideas of frugality and industriousness as the best means of attaining wealth, and Piasecki brings these old-school ideas into the modern age by marrying them with the competitive spirit that characterizes our current society.
Piasecki’s thirty years of experience as a management consultant show not only in the smart and in-depth way he approaches the prospect of frugality in a consumer-driven world, but also in the everyday examples he provides to help listeners tackle their own spending problems in order to realign their way of thinking to get the things they really need in life, all while managing to live within their means. Many of us are struggling to make ends meet these days thanks to the poor economy. And the sad truth of the matter is that most of us are trying to hang on to a lifestyle that we can no longer afford. Piasecki turns this notion on its head by urging listeners to engage in competitive frugality.
For example, rather than competing with your neighbor on the level of an elitist (who owns the most expensive car, went on the most extravagant vacation this year, and so on) you can compete at the level of who got the most for their money. Changing your mindset is an essential part of the “doing more with less” process, and it allows for the fact that humans are competitive by nature. Instead of letting that work against you, however, you can make it work for you where your finances are concerned. This isn’t to say that you should steer clear of investments (you can continue classes at tradingacademy.com) or that you need to give up all of your material goods. On the contrary; living frugally will help to ensure that you have funds available for the things you need and want by cutting out those that you purchase simply because it’s expected. It’s not rocket science, after all. And with Piasecki’s thoughtful lessons and brass-tacks directives, you’ll soon be on your way to wealth.
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