Love Your Life Not Theirs: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want by Rachel Cruze

Finances. 272 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

In Love Your Life, Not Theirs, Rachel Cruze shines a spotlight on the most damaging money habit we have: comparing ourselves to others. Then she unpacks seven essential money habits for living the life we really want—a life in line with our values, where we can afford the things we want to buy without being buried under debt, stress, and worry.

The Joneses are broke. 

Life looks good, but hidden beneath that glossy exterior are credit card bills, student loans, car payments, and an out-of-control mortgage. Their money situation is a mess, and they’re trying to live a life they simply can’t afford. So why exactly do we try so hard to keep up with the Joneses?

Are we really living the lives we want, or are we chasing someone else’s dream, just trying to keep up appearances on social media, at church, and in our community? Why are we letting other people set the pace for our own family’s finances?

In Love Your Life, Not Theirs, Rachel shows you how to buy and do the things that are important to you—the right way. That starts by choosing to quit the comparisons, reframing the way you think about money, and developing new habits like avoiding debt, living on a plan, watching your spending, saving for the future, having healthy conversations about money, and giving.

These habits work, and Rachel is living proof. Now, she wants to empower you to live the life you’ve always dreamed of without creating the debt, stress, and worry that are all too often part of the deal. 

Social media isn’t real life, and trying to keep up with the Joneses will never get you anywhere. It’s time to live—and love—your life, not theirs.

My Review:

I’ve been curious about this book because it was Rachel’s first book by herself. I read Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money, the one she did with Dave Ramsey, her dad, and I loved it. I’m a geek and I love Dave’s podcasts and his books. I’ve read several and keep going back to read more. I’m starting to get into the different personalities and read their books now.

Rachel’s smart. She’s funny. She’s relatable and so this generation. She teaches the same message her dad does, just in her own, unique way.

I didn’t dislike the book by any means. And her contentment spin was the best part of it, I thought. She brought to light the dangers of comparison and sort of looked at Dave’s principles through that lens. But, I’m also much more like Dave than I am Rachel, despite being in her age bracket. I’m blunt, to the point, no-nonsense, nerd, charts and stats, etc. I’m the person who rolls my eyes and calls someone stupid when listening to the podcast. I’m the one who’s cut and dry and more brash. Rachel is sweet and much more free spirited. The book is beautifully put together and I saw the outline in it, but it felt like reading something that went in a bazillion different directions and then back again. It didn’t have the same chronological order that I love about Dave’s principle’s. She based everything on the seven baby steps, but if felt like I was skipping around them when reading her explanations. I just don’t think like she does and it made me miss reading Dave’s straightforward books.

That said. It’s a new spin on the same winsome principles. I’ll still read her stuff and listen to her on the radio. I like Rachel. Got nothing against her. I just prefer Dave, I guess. I admire her heart in this and am glad to have it under my belt. She’s reaching a whole new spectrum of audience members in her personal, unique style. I just don’t think I fit quite into that style myself.