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

by Karp, Gregory

• ISBN13: 9780132350099
• ISBN10: 0132350092
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-23
• Publisher: FT Press

Summary

As The Millionaire Next Door revealed, 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. Instead, Gregory Karp shows how to build real, long-lasting wealth by plugging the money leaks you're barely aware of and making sure you spend with a purpose. Karp's surprisingly painless techniques will help you eliminate wasteful spending in every area of your financial life. You'll discover how to focus spending on what you really care about...spend less on gifts without becoming a cheapskate...slash your phone bill...pay less for food and still eat what you want...eliminate spending leaks in insurance, education, even entertainment. From the clothes you wear to the cars you drive, this book will help you build a life that's truly rich because it's truly financially secure.

Author Biography

Gregory Karp is an award-winning, nationally published newspaper journalist. Greg’s column, “Spending Smart,” is consistently among the popular personal finance columns in Tribune Co. newspapers each Sunday. In 2006 the column was named Best Column by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Greg’s writing regularly appears in such newspapers as the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, and Allentown (PA) Morning Call. It also appears on the Web sites of such television stations as WPIX in New York, WGN in Chicago, and KTLA in Los Angeles. Greg often writes family money stories for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. He’s a frequent guest on the morning show, Good Day Philadelphia, and appears weekly on RCN-TV in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. He maintains a blog at themorningcall.com. Greg lives near Yardley, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two sons.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Spending Smart Philosophy	p. xiv
Financial FITness: Whacking the Worst Offenders	p. 1
Stockpiling Food for Savings: Bodega in the Basement	p. 3
Coupon Clipping Conundrum: Hassle or Goldmine?	p. 6
Dining Out: Celebrations Versus Poor Meal Planning	p. 9
Life Insurance: It's Your Money and Your Life	p. 12
Home and Auto Insurance: Don't Pay Too Much	p. 16
Phone at Home: Pay Less for Your Landline	p. 19
Wireless Mobile Phone: Don't Let Them Cell You a Bad Plan	p. 23
Know Thine Enemy; It Is Us: The Problem Between Our Ears	p. 27
Smart People, Dumb Spending: Fire the Accountant in Your Head	p. 28
Evaluating Value: Psychological Income	p. 32
Impulse Spending: Harness the Urge to Splurge	p. 34
No Excuses: The Lies We Tell Ourselves	p. 37
Money Personalities: What Type Are You?	p. 39
Shopping Addiction: "Shop Till You Drop" Ain't Funny	p. 43
What a Waste! Pet Peeves and Hot Buttons	p. 45
Bottled Water: Tap into Savings	p. 46
Junky Insurance: Extended Warranties and Other Insurance You Don't Need	p. 49
Timeshare Vacations: The Worst Real Estate Deal Ever	p. 52
Smoking: Your Money, Up in Smoke	p. 54
Ink-Jet Cartridges: Refill Rage	p. 57
Lottery: Winning the Jackpot Isn't a Financial Plan	p. 59
Textbooks: Get Schooled in the Alternatives	p. 60
Hybrid Vehicles: Have a Nonfinancial Reason for Buying One	p. 62
Greeting Cards Discarded: Special-Occasion Cardboard Rethought	p. 64
The Big Picture: Strategies for Spending Smart	p. 67
Comparison Shopping: What's a Good Price?	p. 68
Tracking Spending: Forensics on Your Finances	p. 71
Rules of Thumb: Benchmarks for Spending Smart	p. 74
Buying Tactics: When the Price Isn't Really the Price	p. 77
Curse of Automatic Payments: Monthly Commitments Will Haunt You	p. 79
Buying Used: Secondhand Gives You a Leg Up	p. 81
Spending Windfalls: Don't Blow It	p. 84
Membership Has Its Privileges: Savings by Association	p. 86
Shopping Online: Geek Your Way to Savings	p. 89
Around the House: Everyday Spending	p. 93
Running Hot and Cold: Keep Your Bought Air Indoors	p. 94
Gasoline: Fuel Savings with Better Mileage	p. 98
Television: Tune In to Savings	p. 100
Pets: Don't Let Fido Sink Your Finances	p. 104
Prescription Drugs: Just Say No to High Prices for Meds	p. 106
Library: Free Stuff Galore	p. 109
Compact Fluorescents: See the Light	p. 111
Lawn and Garden: Grow Your Savings	p. 114
Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses: See the Price Difference	p. 117
Clothing: Better Duds for Less	p. 120
Financial Foolishness: Overspending for Financial Services	p. 123
Bank Accounts: Don't Pay Anyone to Hold Your Money	p. 124
Credit Cards: Play the Game Right	p. 127
Credit Cards II: Advanced Tactics	p. 130
Debt Reduction: Finish Paying for Your Purchases	p. 131
Index Mutual Funds: You Can't Beat 'em, So Join 'em	p. 134
Identity Theft: What Protections are Worthwhile?	p. 137
That Time of Year: Seasonal Strategies for Spending Smart	p. 143
Back to School Spending: School Daze	p. 144
Holiday Spending: Ho, Ho, Ho. Where'd My Money Go?	p. 146
Valentine's Day on the Cheap... Without Ending Up in the Doghouse	p. 148
Tax Preparation: Frugal Ways to Pay Uncle Sam	p. 151
Wedding Gifts: An Invitation Is Not an Invoice	p. 154
Kid Birthday Parties: Rein in the Ridiculous	p. 155
Amusement Parks: Costs Shouldn't Take You for a Ride	p. 157
Vacation Accommodations: Hotel Versus Home Rental	p. 159
Life Happens: Big-Ticket Infrequent Spending	p. 163
How Much Car Can I Afford?-Less Than You Think	p. 164
Why Buy Used? You're Not Buying Someone Else's Problem	p. 167
How Much House Can I Afford? Don't Be "House Poor"	p. 170
Moving Costs: Getting Your Stuff from Here to There	p. 172
Wedding Spending: Like Marriage, It's About Compromise	p. 174
College Tuition: The Two-Year, Two-Year Plan	p. 178
Divorce: Spending Less on Splitting Up	p. 181
Hospital Bills: Rampant Mistakes Are Sickening	p. 183
Funerals: Try to Bury the Pain and Guilt	p. 185
A Final Thought: Buying Happiness	p. 189
Index	p. 195
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