I receive weekly emails from Eventful that tells me know what is happening in my area for the next couple of weeks. When I saw that Suze Orman was going to be at our local Indie bookstore Copperfields I first thought that I had read it incorrectly. Or maybe Eventful had made a mistake.
I personally love hearing about someone's story before they are well known. Not that I'm going to be at her level but I've organized workshops and sometimes one person had signed up. What I have learned in the last few months is success really isn't just necessarily stumbling upon it, it's working your tail off to get there. Suze has over 1 million followers on Twitter and you know what? She answers all of the tweets that she receives. How lovely is that? In fact I did send her a tweet and she did reply. She mentioned in her reply tweet these two men.
There is a new reality out there—a new normal. What was once certain—that you would be able to retire comfortably, that you would pay for your kids’ education, that your home would appreciate in value—is no longer a sure thing. So much has changed on the financial landscape that it’s hard to know which moves are the right ones to make. Suze Orman’s million-copy bestselling financial action plan—fully revised and updated for 2010 and beyond—will show you the way.
I went to the Copperfield's site and saw that yes Suze Orman was going to be in their store. I didn't quite understand how they managed to land someone so famous in their fabulous bookstore but I wasn't going to argue. I invited my friends Kathleen & Shara along for the event.
Although I had seen Suze on Oprah a few times and I loved her energy, I didn't know much about her. Her first book came out in 1995. She told us that she used to go to bookstores to talk and sometimes only one person would be sitting there surrounded by empty chairs. Other times not one single person would show up. She was clever though and called over all the booksellers in the store and gave them the presentation. They went on to encourage customers to buy her book and it started selling from word of mouth. She said that she spoke in 27 cities. Her first book went on to sell 800K in hardcover before it went to softcover.
How many of us wake up on Monday and feel happy and content? I was having dinner with Cathe Holden a couple of months ago and complained to her that I wasn't enjoying selling books any more. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the process of selling books, it's just that I didn't enjoy buying books with all the competitive and not-always-so kind other booksellers. It's can be a very negative energy out there in the thrift buying world and I must admit it is starting to wear me down. I really try to surround myself with positive people who genuinely care about the world. People who think about others before themselves. Cathe wisely told me that I should figure out what I want to do and make a job based on that.
Thrifting does make me feel whole. It meets so many different needs.
* I have the satisfaction of buying something for little money.
* I get to bring in high quality, beautiful items into my home.
* I am helping the planet by recycling something someone else bought and didn't want.
* I get to be a part of an incredible thrifting community that has brought me friendship and the opportunity to meet like minded people.
* I get to learn about being patient and not rushing out to buy the crock pot that I wish I had right now. I still need one but I will wait until I run across one at a garage sale. Finding it will be so much more satisfying than running to Target this second and buying one new.
* I have the ability to teach my children the power of the Thrifted Dollar.
I can't really compare myself to Suze as math isn't my best subject. I didn't follow much of the conversation about bull markets, mutual funds, bonds etc... but hopefully we have something in common and that is wanting to share knowledge about money and empowerment with others. She has her show on CNBC and I have my blog. I personally want you all to feel rich in your frugality and healthy in mind and spirit.
How do you help spread the important message of frugality and thrifting?
The first challenge requires the contestants to balance as many quarters as they can on a tray. The contestant who holds their tray the longest wins $10 for every quarter on their tray. Subpar Daris is the first to drop out of the challenge. (Surprise, surprise.) O’Neal follows soon after. The competition comes down to Michael and Sunshine. Sunshine winds up dropping her tray, which gives Michael the win. Like a bad Spanish soap-opera star, Sunshine collapses to the ground and cries to the point of dehydration. (Seriously? Was it that big of a deal?) All the crying is for nothing when it is announced that Michael and Sunshine will both get the cash. At least Sunshine can use the clip if she ever wants to pursue a career as a bad actress.
Later, when Orman speaks to the group, she brings along Danny, who I believe she predicted would win last year. Danny later works out with Daris in the gym. I actually think the assistance from Danny helps the underachiever. Daris winds up having the greatest weight loss percentage of the week. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Thrifting isn't just a hobby, it's a lifestyle. Each of us plays our part when we run into people and we share with them how much we paid for a pair of Lucky jeans. ($5) We are sharing knowledge that there are other ways to live besides spending way too much money every month and racking up credit card debt. We really are part of the solution to this economic problem. It is up to us to share what we can about our thrifty lifestyle. Let's encourage our friends and family to buy 2nd hand. Let's encourage each other to save money where we can. Let's show them how rich we really live without spending a lot of money.
In Andrea’s update she appears to have lost a little more weight. She’s actually teaching a spinning class. (Her father, Darryl, is one of her students.) And her dog is now struggling to keep up with her when the two of them run.
Leave a comment and enter to win an autographed copy of Suze's latest book Action Plan
Leave a comment and enter to win an autographed copy of Suze's latest book Action Plan
