Table of Contents
Author's Note xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Part 1 Money: A Complicated Problem
1 A Prevalent Problem 1
A Cultural Problem 3
How This Book Will Help 6
2 The Slippery Slope from Money Problems to Money Addiction 9
Criteria for Addictions 12
Deprivation Money Addiction 19
A Continuum of Money Behaviors 20
When Money Addiction Overlaps with Other Conditions 26
Summary 29
3 The Emotional Sources of Money Problems 31
How Family Influences Money Behaviors 32
How Outer Factors Influence Money Addiction 39
Summary 41
4 Types of Money Problems 43
The Materialism Continuum 44
The Finance Continuum 45
The Money Problems Matrix 45
Indulgers 47
Deprivers 54
Combinations of Behaviors 58
Summary 58
5 How Money Problems Affect Relationships 61
Money in Relationships: The Inevitable Struggle 63
Problem Users and Their Partners 64
How Types of Money Problems Affect a Relationship 66
When Partners Are Codependents 68
When Two Problem Users Are Involved 70
Problem Users Involved with Healthy Money Managers 73
Summary 74
Part 2 Solutions: Untangling Yourself
6 Your Personal Money Behaviors 77
Your Current Financial Behaviors 77
Understanding Your Money History 83
Summary 88
7 Beginning Recovery 89
Six Phases of Recovery 90
Phase 1: Hitting Bottom 93
Phase 2: Accepting and Following Guidance 97
Summary 109
8 Life Visions and Spending Plans 111
Phase 3: Creating a Life Vision 111
Phase 4: Living with a Spending Plan 118
Learning to Make Healthy Spending Choices 142
Banking Guidelines 143
Summary 146
9 Phase 5: Changing Your Thinking, Feelings, and Impulsive Actions 147
Triggers147
Preventing Impulsive Spending 159
Identifying and Coping with Relapse 163
Summary 168
10 Phase 6: Living the Abundant Life 169
Signs of Financial Health 169
The Sense of Abundance 171
Finding Balance 171
Flexibility and Trust 173
Emotional Authenticity 174
A Unique Lifestyle 174
Relationships 176
Finding True Abundance Within 177
Appendixes
Appendix A Are You Codependent? 181
Appendix B The Signs of Compulsive Debting 185
Appendix C Forms and Blank Worksheets 187
Appendix D Resources 213
Notes 217
About the Author 219
