Your Money or Your Life

by Joe Dominguez

While no two conscious money mavens are entirely alike, they do seem to follow certain trends. These aren’t the only way to go, but it’s useful to know what others out there are doing. I refer to the current crop as Ninjas, Minimalists, and DIYers. Ninjas: Personal finance Ninjas love to run the numbers, optimize systems, exploit niches, study personal finance blogs, mess with investments, hack the system to get free flights and hotel stays. Subcategories are the Frugalistas, who love bargains, clipping coupons, free-cycling, and deal making; and the Supersavers, who love beating last month’s percentage of salary saved. Saving money is an all-American sport. Minimalists: It’s not about the money; it’s about the meaning, about clearing away clutter to get to the marrow of life. These are Thoreauvians, more likely to prioritize experiences over things. They minimize stuff to maximize something nonmaterial but more precious: the life of the mind, the soul, and so on. They could be called the Soulfulists. Simplicity has been a perennial value of this land from before the colonialists arrived—and since. DIYers: Money’s not the point. Dinking around with the material world is where all the fun lies. Building, farming, tinkering, making, cooking, gardening, designing, creating, painting, or inventing. Unlike with minimalists, having junk around is part of the creative process for DIYers. These are conscious materialists—making the most of every scrap of life. A can-do attitude is...