If you’re a camera buff, especially a Nikon camera buff, you’ve probably heard of Ken Rockwell. He provides reviews of camera stuff I want.

His style of writing is similar to personal finance type gurus – you take it or leave it, and you either love him or hate him. He has a strong opinion of things, and while they may not make the most sense, he doesn’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks. He does tend to give the bottom line with his camera reviews, especially for those who can’t stand sharpness tests or MTF charts.

When I was cruising his website the other day, I saw an article on how to afford anything. It reads like a years worth of personal finance blogger’s posts stuck together; it is probably just as lengthy. Personally, I love it when I find personal finance articles in places I wouldn’t expect to find them.

Here’s the article in bullet points:

Don’t:

• Don’t buy a new car (he drives a used Mercedes)
• Don’t drove to work (he only had jobs that were within walking/biking distance from his home)
• Don’t eat out (food, you perverts)
• Don’t buy a big house
• Don’t buy on credit or take out loans
• Don’t rent
• Don’t worry about what you own (keepin’ up with the Joneses)
• Don’t be afraid to ask for a deal
• Don’t buy extended warranties (or any sort of insurance for any loss you could cover out-of pocket)
• Don’t buy cheap; you’ll end up paying for it twice
• Don’t have kids (they are the root cause of all pollution and environmental destruction)
• Don’t become a photographer

Do:

• Order from the dollar menu, get water
• Go dutch all the time (he admits not very popular with the ladies)
• Live at home
• Read and understand the fine print (especially with mortgages, namely ARMs)
• Return what you don’t want or need
• Know the difference between investments and expenditures (with a Kiyosaki-like view much like the asset vs. liabilities debate of a house)
• Only buy from stores that give full cash refunds
• Use coupons
• Avoid addiction: caffeine (with the obligatory latte factor reference), nicotiene, television
• Tip big
• Marry smart (with some questionable misogyny peppered in there…)
• Go to college and get a real job
• Go to college, go yachting, and get a job as a captain

My favorite line? “It takes the guts to be a cheapskate.” Yep, sure does.

So what has all of this gotten him? How about every Nikon camera and lens from the last 10 or so years. Or a couple of (used) Mercedes. And a lot of smugness.

If there’s something in his writing, it is passion. He’s willing to focus his finances to get exactly what he wants in life. There’s definitely a few lessons I can learn from him.