Have you heard the story of Grace Groner?

She attended Lake Forest College, in Illinois, and after graduating in 1931 took a job at Abbott Laboratories, where she worked as a secretary for four decades.

In 1935 she bought three shares of Abbott stock for $60 each. Over the years the shares split many times, and she always reinvested any dividends.

Groner lived simply: buying clothes from garage sales, walking rather than owning a car, and living...

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By Chris Reining / 1 Comment

It’s Sunday morning, and every Sunday morning I walk down the street to this meditation center to sit and meditate for an hour.

You might remember that time I went to a 10-day silent meditation retreat. When I got back I was meditating two hours every day, because that’s what the instructor told us to do.

Well, you can probably guess that meditating for two hours a day doesn’t last very long unless...

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By Chris Reining / 4 Comments

At 26 I bought a little condo. I was going to live there five years or something like that.

That’s what most people do. They buy a “starter home” before upgrading to vaulted ceilings, walk-in closets, and double vanities. Why clean one sink when you can clean two?

At some point I decided more doesn’t mean better. That 1,000 square feet is good enough, and because I’ve lived here forever people ask me if it’s paid off. I don’t care if they...

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By Chris Reining / 13 Comments

Minimalism isn’t just for people who want to live out of a van or cram their life into a backpack.

This is what you usually think of when you hear about minimalism, but minimalism is really just a mindset.

When I was younger I was in a 12-step program, and a popular saying there was “take what you want, and leave the rest.”

That’s a pretty good description of what minimalism is. If something is useful or valuable you keep...

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By Chris Reining / 10 Comments

Warren Buffett turned me down for an interview. It was his secretary, Debbie B., who wrote me back:

“Thanks for the nice note. However, Mr. Buffett has asked me to turn down all requests. His plate is more than full now, even at the age of 84.”

Then I asked her if it was true mentioning her name at Gorat’s, an Omaha steakhouse, will get you an extra boat of gravy when you order the hot roast beef sandwich. I heard that once.

She told...

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By Chris Reining / 6 Comments