Author Topic: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions  (Read 7254 times)

Ecky

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Hi all! New here, but already making changes to my spending habits. I had a few random questions:

What are some great places to live for a Mustachian? I was having a discussion with my brother-in-law earlier about dryers and he brought up the point - can you even line-dry clothes in Florida? And honestly, I'm not sure! With humidity regularly above 95%, I'm not sure how effective line-drying is here (aside from attempting to dry a feather mattress pad which wouldn't fit in the dryer, it molded badly before it was dry even with a fan on it and I had to trash it) ... which lead to the thought, what are some good places for a Mustachian to live that have low costs of living that are relevant to a frugal lifestyle, such as low humidity which makes weather more comfortable and allows clothes to dry on lines more easily?

Some other random bits:

Razors - the replacement blades seem so expensive, what's some good general advice here? Straight razor perhaps?

I assume dishwashers are bad too... really there's a lot to take in.

jp

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2013, 09:16:38 PM »
I am sure you know it is more arid in the southwest.  I think the most mustachian place to live is the place that gives you the most net happiness.  So if you get more happiness by being close to family in Arkansas than by living in a beautiful and active place like San Diego... then Arkansas is the most mustachian.  That said, your happy place also depends on what you like yo do.

I use Wilkinson sword razors from walmart. They are justvas good as the mach 3 that i used for a decade.  They are $1 per blade. 

I dont think dishwashers are bad.  I think they probably use less water than hand washing, or close, and it is hella faster.   But i have a family of four.  For one person, it seems like you would have to let the dishes pile up for a long time to justify its use

michaelrecycles

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2013, 10:43:09 PM »
Razors - the replacement blades seem so expensive, what's some good general advice here? Straight razor perhaps?

Check out this thread for some forum member's thoughts. There is also an associated MMM article. https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/continue-the-blog-conversation/get-rich-with-the-universal-mens-grooming-device

Scottma

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2013, 08:35:58 AM »
Re: Razors - I've been able to make a 6-pack of disposable razors (the Mach 3 knockoffs) last over a year. Granted I have a full beard and only have to shave my neck every few days. There was a video that made the rounds a while back where this guy claimed that running the razor backwards along his arm keeps the blades sharp, and I do that every once in a while, so it must be helping somewhat.

I love my neighborhood in KC for mustachianism. I live close to everything (work, multiple groceries, pharmacy, etc...), although this town isn't exactly bike friendly. But what place in these grand states really welcomes us with open arms?

It sounds to me that you ought to read a bit more before jumping in with big decisions like moving somewhere. It's all well and good to line dry to save a few dollars a month, but when starting out the general wisdom I've gathered from ER folks is that it makes more sense to make a few very large changes that will have a dramatic effect on your cash flow. For instance, I shopped insurance and am saving over $130 a month because of that, and I'm currently transitioning to selling my car and biking everywhere, which I estimate will save me another $150 a month.

After you make the big changes, then you can start looking into things that will save you incrementally (~$20 a month). What say the others about this?

Togoshiman

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2013, 08:42:31 AM »
There are some $1-a-blade online store subscription services.  A few google searches will turn them up.  Reasonable alternative to drug store blade systems.  Going el cheapo is also an option, e.g. Bic disposables from Wal Mart, if your face can take it.

I went safety razor since I have to be clean shaven for work and have a heavy beard that cheap disposables won't handle well.  Get a nice used Merkur or copy off Ebay for $20 and then find a good place to get razors.  For the price of a month of regular blades I got a year's worth of shaving.  Blades will run .25 or less per week for life now.

Best choice is universal grooming device and never be totally clean shaven again.  If only...

James

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2013, 09:12:17 AM »
After you make the big changes, then you can start looking into things that will save you incrementally (~$20 a month). What say the others about this?

I agree to an extent, it certainly makes sense to focus on the big changes.  But that doesn't mean you don't act on all fronts at once, just that you prioritize.  You learn a lot as you go along, so don't focus on perfection, and don't "spend money to save money", especially at first.

I use the universal grooming device method and it works well for me, though I still do a little trimming shave in the shower.  A cheap blade lasts 3-6 months this way.

Drying on a line in high humidity is possible, but something thick like a feather mattress isn't a good example.  Start with your normal thin clothes and see how that goes, they should dry just fine.  Hang your thicker stuff out to dry for while to get most of the moisture, and then finish whatever clothes you need to in the drier to get the rest.

Dishwashers aren't bad, they are just dishwashers.  I think there are a lot of things that are not inherently good or bad, but we should be well rounded rational thinkers and able to figure out for our situation what is the best use of our time, money, and valuable resources.  But sometimes it's not obvious, in which case it helps to get the opinion of other like minded people.  If you share specifics of your situation I'm sure we would be glad to chime in with stronger opinions...  :)

Jamesqf

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2013, 12:04:26 PM »
It'd probably be easier to list bad places for a mustachian - as for instance Manhattan or inside the DC beltway.  But I think you are going about things backwards.  You should first be asking questions like "Where can I get a job that makes me a decent living?" or "Where can I have access to a lifestyle I enjoy?"  For instance, if your goal in life is to be a ski instructor, moving to Florida because you can live a mustachian life there is probably not a viable plan.

Once you have some candidates, then figure out how much it might cost you to live in them.  And also remember that what's important is the difference between income and outgo: if you make $100K and spend $50K, you're better off than if you make $50K and spend $20K.

Gerard

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2013, 02:21:14 PM »
I think neighbourhood trumps region of the world when it comes to mustachian choices. Somewhere that lets you get by with no/less car, that offers smallish homes that are easy to heat or cool, decent food and neighbours, stuff you like to do that doesn't involve buying a lotta shit... most towns will have areas that are better for this than others. Sometimes they'll be known as "the bad end of town", sometimes not. A lot of it depends on your work situation. Canada is full of places where you can live well for cheap... as long as you don't need a job.

Skyn_Flynt

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2013, 04:17:08 PM »
I think mid-market to upper-market metros work best. You can seek out employment at market rates, but downsize your life radically to extract the most income arbitrage.

If you live in a rural town, wages are likely to be low, and you're more likely to be engaging in the same do-it-yourselfism that your neighbors do.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2013, 05:03:31 PM »
Craigslist works at a far lower % in rural areas and small towns than it does in population centers, too.

Ecky

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2013, 08:41:41 PM »
Thanks for the replies all! I didn't mean the question as a serious "I'm planning to move tomorrow", but I'm collecting ideas and trying to figure out what to do with myself in the next few years. I'll give a more detailed account in a day or two but I may start a new thread as it's going to be quite a long post (and not really *directly* related to the topic).

amyable

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2013, 05:16:09 PM »
Can you even line-dry clothes in Florida? And honestly, I'm not sure!

I live in an INSANELY humid area of the country (about an hour outside of Houston), and I line-dry clothing and recently added towels to the mix. 

Here's what has worked for me:

-  When it is 90+ degrees outside, I find it does not matter how humid it is, clothes will dry crazy fast.
-  If it's sunny here, I find things tend to dry well, regardless of the humidity--sun is like the enemy of mildew.
-  If it's cloudy and humid and not particularly warm, I just dry stuff on expanding clothes racks inside.
-  I've never had a problem with mildew--I think the warm, sunny climate of Florida would be great for an outdoor clothesline.

HighOrderGuiltComplex

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2013, 02:04:38 PM »
I second the safety razor!  Mine came from a "free" box in an antique mall.  I buy 10 blades for about $2 at CVS for it and they last forever. btw, I shave most of my body hair off twice weekly, underarms daily, and the 10 blades last almost a whole year .  You can get the blades for way cheaper (per blade) if you buy them 100 at a time on ebay.

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Florida have no income tax?  No income tax is WAAAYYY better than not being able to dry clothes on a line.

Crash87

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2013, 05:49:19 PM »
Safety razor ($35 investment) all the way! Closer shave and cheaper blades. I found my favorite blade type and bought a hundred of them off the internet a couple years ago.

destron

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2013, 02:03:45 AM »
There are some $1-a-blade online store subscription services.  A few google searches will turn them up.  Reasonable alternative to drug store blade systems.  Going el cheapo is also an option, e.g. Bic disposables from Wal Mart, if your face can take it.

I went safety razor since I have to be clean shaven for work and have a heavy beard that cheap disposables won't handle well.  Get a nice used Merkur or copy off Ebay for $20 and then find a good place to get razors.  For the price of a month of regular blades I got a year's worth of shaving.  Blades will run .25 or less per week for life now.

Best choice is universal grooming device and never be totally clean shaven again.  If only...

Old school safety razors are the way to go IMO. I have heavy facial hair but need to be clean shaven for work. I have a safety razor, a badger brush and a cup for shaving soap. Razors cost me around .15 a piece and I use each for 4 shaves. Really cheap, works well, creates far less garbage.

rugorak

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Re: New Mustachian seeks advice on great places to live + other questions
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2013, 10:13:12 AM »
I'll add another vote to safety razor. I switched a year ago and cannot imagine going back. The initial investment of $35ish is not bad compared to what you save on razors.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!