"Blix and Heitmiller have illustrated well the clearer vision of so many...towards a simpler balanced experience...based in total honesty."

-James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy

Introduction
Written by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin.

Prologue
How we came to write this book, how it got its name, who we are, why our story is relevant and our commitment to donate 97% of the proceeds to non-profit organizations that promote sane and sustainable lifestyles.

Chapter 1-- The Way We Were
Details Jacque and David's personal stories and how we got on the fast-track and tried to buy our way to happiness throughout the 1980s. We include "historical" perspectives of three of our Your Money or Your Life interviewees.

Chapter 2 -- Psychology of the Good Life
Using our own and others examples, we discuss why the "good life" seemed so good and how we got trapped into thinking we could only be happy with high salaries and more toys and experiences. We also discuss the "darker side of the good life" -- using money as a yardstick to measure people and experiences -- that began to reveal itself as time went on.

Chapter 3 -- Seeds of Change
We discuss events and changes in our thinking that began to set us up for moving in a different direction prior to discovering the Your Money or Your Life program. This chapter also includes how others we interviewed came to think there might be a better way to live.

Chapter 4 -- The Nine Steps in Action
This chapter covers the different ways people approached the program, including: how and where to start, issues of couples and singles, the three kinds of FI, and faster and slower paces. The emphasis is that it can be done by anyone, and there is no wrong way to do it.

Chapter 5 -- Stepping Through the Steps
Each step is summarized, followed by a discussion of the issues we and interviewees experienced in doing each of them. Again, the emphasis is on how people from varied backgrounds and situations have used the program to change their lives.

Chapter 6 -- Your Money or Your Child's Life
We discuss the issues people have encountered doing the program with children in the home. We use examples from all those interviewees who have children plus our own experience as parents. We debunk the idea that the program cannot be done with children at home. The issues are different, but not insurmountable.

Chapter 7 -- Who Am I Now?
This chapter discusses the identity issue. Who are we if we are no longer identified by job title, corporate or professional affiliation etc. Internal and external issues of identity are covered as well as reaction from friends and relatives and how to deal with them.

Chapter 8 -- Health -- Financial, Personal and Planetary
The implications of doing this program are many. Here we explain how we and others became physically and financially healthier as a result of doing the steps and as a result now live lighter on the earth. Jacque's personal health-related story highlights this chapter.

Chapter 9 -- Simplifying Life
This is the chapter that tells not only how we simplified our lives, but how readers can live more frugally at a practical level. We offer suggestions on housing, transportation, insurance, food, clothing, technology, investing and taxes and personal care. We include many ideas suggested by other Your Money or Your Lifers.

Chapter 10 -- The Way We Are
In contrast to "The Way We Were," we paint a picture of what life is like in the slow lane. Using our own and others examples, we discuss pace of life, volunteerism, leisure activities, daily routines, community, people time and entertainment. We bare all here with a detailed breakdown of our financial life into categories, using our 1995 income and expense numbers.

Chapter 11 -- Having a Life
The final chapter re-emphasizes key points made throughout the book, draws conclusions and ends on a positive "You can do it too!" note.

Epilogue
We update readers on the specific situation of David and Jacque and other Your Money or Your Lifers as of late 1998 in a brief epilogue. We cover how we came to buy a townhouse and move in the midst of writing this book and how others have finished paying off their debts, reached financial independence, moved to a new area, etc

Resources Section
We list other resources for people to use while simplifying their lives, living more frugally and jumping off the fast-track. Many of these suggestions were made by our “book people.”

We wanted to make this book as useful as possible and realized that everyone who read it might not be familiar with the program. You do not have to have read Your Money Or Your Life to benefit from this book (although we hope you will be inspired to read it if you haven't already). We explain terms and principles from the original book as they come up. Chapter 5, the account of how we and others worked through the program, includes a more detailed explanation of each of the nine steps. Overall, we've included how-to information, revealed difficulties we encountered along the way, and shared some of the mental processes we have gone through in making changes in our lives.

-From the Prologue