Getting rich is easy [1], but like most easy things, it's not that simple for most folks--except it is:

Budgets can be intimidating, especially to somebody just beginning to gain control of her personal finances. So many things to track, so many concepts to learn. And it’s all so tedious. In The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, Andrew Tobias offers the following simple yet effective budget:

1. Destroy all your credit cards.
2. Invest 20% of all that you earn. And never touch it.
3. Live on the remaining 80%, no matter what.

Though Tobias is being glib, this is actually an excellent system. If you can develop the discipline to follow just these three steps, you can become rich.

See? Simple. Really.

The thing you have to get your head around is, your kids do not need a Build-a-Bear birthday every year, or even any year. They don't need a dozen or more presents from you and/or Santa at Christmas. You do not need a new car every three years. You do not need to go shopping to reduce stress. You do not need to eat so much take-out, or boxed dinners. You do not absolutely have to have that yarn or fabric or whatever other hobby thingie you want. And by "you" I mean me as well as any of you out there. I had to learn this stuff too.

And it's worth learning, because it works. We're getting closer to these rules every day (without even knowing these rules). We had to take out a second loan on our house to pay off the medical bills and some back property taxes from when John was extremely under-employed, but other than those mortgages, we're debt free.

John's work is literally forcing him to get a credit card, which upsets and worries me. He's going to be traveling more, and they pay for it retroactively. We don't have enough cushion to pay for it out of pocket. That credit card is going to stay in the freezer or locked up in the gun safe or something. I'm very nervous.

And we're saving more. Now I just need to get my wanting things under control. I'm feeling very covetous lately, especially for--of all things--fabric.

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