In my quest for financial freedom I have to make sure I take the time to enjoy the moment, to enjoy the life. I can often forget the balance.

With the desire to get to that ‘finishing point’ – being financially free – always running on full torque in my head, I can sometimes forget to just let rip sometimes.

We all should learn to let the purse strings rip, sometimes!!

It can be the simplest of things to let rip on…

Great food, a new T-shirt or pricey jeans, some local travel or a full on trip to the movies with a bucket of popcorn… (almost as expensive as the jeans these days) or did I mention, great food!!

It can also be an extravagant purchase because if it is what you are passionate about. If it is what you really, deeply, truly care about. Then so be it. Buy the damn thing…. and laugh all the way to the bank.

know the difference when it comes to an absolute passion focused purchase and something you are just craving.

But, and here is the sucker punch, …. know what you are absolutely ruthless about cutting back on.

And be RUTHLESS!

If you are not ruthless, the maths just won’t work.

There are plenty of ‘5 laws of wealth’ and ‘12 ways to be rich’ or ‘3 things to do to grow your fortune’ kicking around the web.

There are a few even on my blog because I share the same stuff. I believe in it because I want and believe everyone should have a greater work life balance…

A fecking four day working week would be so good for the economy and so good for that balance. Maybe one day, one fine day, it will be the common work week because the world is a changing!!

Until that world changes do your own balancing. Spend your money wisely and engage in the things you absolutely love doing and be ultra frugal on the other things that you can cut and chop to give you the money for that future four day week that you design for yourself.

“Frugality, quite simply, is about choosing the things you love to spend extravagantly on, and then cutting costs mercilessly on the things you don’t love.”

Ramit Sethi

So my three rules of wealth are…

• Spend your money wisely and in a way that it makes you sparkle to life and not in the way that you will be burdened.
• Cut your costs ruthlessly where you can and see every opportunity, be the bravest of the brave with that hunting knife.
• Save your money, invest your money and protect your money with some wise insurance purchase if you feel the need but live the life of balance as it’s good for your long term health.

I know what you are going to say….

I squeezed a whole lot of rules in the three that I have given you above, but that’s the point if you ask me… squeeze as much in as you can in everything you do. Squeeze it in there.

Including when it comes to enjoying life.

As my father, who is no longer with us, used to say all the time…

‘Life is dark and long if you get it wrong and it goes fast and bright when you are getting it right, live your life in the fast lane as much as you can’

I know that when he would quote that above he was always meaning everything in life, from being frugal, spending your money wisely and enjoying your life to boot and in balancing it all while not missing any opportunities to live a good and fruitful life.

As a successful father of twelve children, who travelled the world while in the Navy, he always had so much context and rich stories to share and to sum it up he would often say…

‘Balance the life and balance the books’

And he always did.