Stop Working . . . Start Living: How I Retired at 36 (Without Winning the Lottery)

By Dianne Nahirny

By 36, with fewer advantages than most, Dianne Nahirny achieved early retirement without compromising her middle-class lifestyle-and on an average yearly salary of under $20,000. In Stop Working . . .... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550224840
• ISBN13: 9781550224849
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Ecw Press
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

There's just one problem

Dianne writes a very witty and interesting book telling of her successes as well as her failures and it is very inspiring, but she lives in Canada where they have free health care. If I didn't have to pay $500 a month for Blue Cross, it would make it easier for me to become rich too. Also, Dianne made some of her money selling houses, which for obvious reasons won't work today. Still, I think the book has a lot of useful ideas and is well worth the price, just remember, with the shape our country is in, it's going to be harder for us to do as she did.

Awesome book

This is a great book. I only wished I had come across it many years sooner. It is inspiring that someone has actually retired before 40 without hitting the lottery or inheriting a fortune from ancestors. Dianne gives doable tips and references.

So Helpful!

I've just finished reading the new edition of this book, and it has been the most positive experience for finally getting me to realize how badly I was sabotaging my life and my finances. Better than that, thanks to her practical ideas, it became easy to manage my money, start saving, and get my money working for me! Her story is inspirational, and the latest edition of the book includes an up-to-date account of how her methods keep producing profits. Her experiences are REAL, that most people can relate to; she's actually done these things herself, and isn't just yet another financial author telling you what your should do, blah, blah, blah. What makes the book 'excellent' is that her examples and stories, along with being inspirational, are quite funny! As well, she regularly posts her personal finance articles for free on her website, www.smartmakeovers.com, which is a real bonus.

Making a case for being frugal

Think of this as a diet book for money. Everyone knows that they should really have a budget, not make impluse purchases, save 10% of her income etc, but like with dieting, willpower only goes so far. The strengh of the book isn't that its another How to Budget book but that it helps you re-examine your attitudes towards money management. She makes a very strong case that being frugal doesn't mean living without.But like with Dieting, her ideas are great but easier said than done.

Stop Working.....Start Reading

Sporadically one can be lucky enough to find a book that is at once irreverant, helpful and hopeful. This is that book. Ms. Nahirny gives us the details on how she accomplished so much with not a lot of money. I find her characterizations of workaholic/shopaholic's funny and to the point. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is retired or will be someday----its a fun read.