It was definitely the most potent idea of Rich Dad poor dad, but it really didn't sink in until I read TMF because it was explored outside real estate in such a comprehensive way. It all boiled down to the answer to this one question...

We see it on here all the time: "I have a thousand dollars, I have five hundred dollars, I have ten thousand dollars..." and the inevitable conclusions: "Should I go to school? Should I buy a car? Should I buy a boat? Should I blow it on a vacation?"

Reach into your pocket and grab whatever money you have. A dollar. A dime. Doesn't matter. Hold it and look at it. The difference between freedom and wage slavery, between working till you're old or retiring when you're young, is that you look at that, and stop seeing an opportunity to consume. When you have a little windfall and you're not in the fastlane, if you spend it on frivolities like a sports car or a cruise, you look as stupid as a fisherman who goes out to hook some blue fin tuna, but right as the school is swimming beneath his boat, he opens up the little tub of bait he brought along and starts shoveling the dirt and worms in his own mouth, greedily slurping down the little squirming maggots and telling everyone how awesome it tastes.

Meanwhile, 400lbs of prime seafood is getting away. Where are you? Choking down your little bit of dirt and tricking yourself into believing that it was worth it.

If you trade time for money, your money shouldn't be for consumable frivolities. It's not for designer clothes, or iPhones, or Sunday Ticket, or a Mustang GT. Shop at Wal-Mart or Marshalls, drive a $1200 Geo Metro, get a Republic phone, cancel your Netflix, and spend your money to get free. Even if you're really, really hungry, take that bait, hook it up, and get it the hell overboard. Let your stomach gurgle, you'll be eating good tonight.

Money is your best bet to earn more money. Until you're meeting needs at such a high volume that money is available in excess, the little bit you do have, whether it comes from a job or a lucky break from somewhere, should only be spent one way. There's only one fastlane answer to the question "I am in the slow lane and have X amount. What should I buy?"

Buy something to meet the needs of others.

Spend your money in a way that causes it to be multiplied rather than consumed.

 

Wow, I'm honored. Thanks! You know, I was just getting ready to go to bed last night, it was late, I'm really spent right now because I've been up till 2AM every night trying to digest the tax laws of several states I'm considering moving to, and I took a break to get a drink and popped into the forum, saw a thread of the ilk mentioned above, and I thought... I'm not a fastlane expert, but I know this. "This is step A. This is step 1. This is the primal germ of the fastlane, and anyone asking "what can I buy myself" missed it. Doesn't matter if you just hit powerball and are getting $100M after taxes, doesn't matter if you're an NBA starter. If you pick up a dollar, and your first question is "What can this buy me" rather than "Can this buy something worth $1.50, $2.00, or $5.00 to someone else?" you're still in the slow lane or on the sidewalk.

I'm glad other people appreciated the sentiment. This community is what bred this belief in me, so I'm glad I can continue to keep this important idea in the sights of other people who browse here.

 

My rep bank after MJ gilded and stickied this post:



Seriously though, this:

Made it all worth it. Make that money fight for your freedom!

Actually, check that, being given props for imagery from an author who made over $100K from her books is pretty boss too.

 

And there's the TL;DR for the thread.

 

$25*12=300 just in the last "week or two." Nobody ever became obese from one order of fries, or an alcoholic from one drink. If $25 is part of a good process that leads to saving $600+/mo, it does matter a great deal. I just looked over a credit card statement of mine from 5 years ago. $90 on gas. $175 at the grocery store. $85 on cell service. $50 on internet. $1400 on eating out and drinks. That's a mortgage. That's a mortgage for a rental. That's the passive income that could get you free being gobbled and drunk up and pissed out into the bar's urinal. That's why process is all important, even for a $25 expense.