Author Topic: What’s a thing you picked up from these forums that you didn’t know or do before?  (Read 21351 times)

GuitarStv

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Reusing dryer sheets, cutting sponges in half, trapping stray cats for meat and fur trade.

They're called roof rabbits for a reason.

Icecreamarsenal

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Pizzabrewer

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Learning that my debt was an emergency, including my mortgage debt.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/


Except that your mortgage debt isn't. 

Turkey Leg

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Learning that my debt was an emergency, including my mortgage debt.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/


Except that your mortgage debt isn't.
Yep! Mortgage debt is wonderful (at least in the US).

tralfamadorian

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Learning that my debt was an emergency, including my mortgage debt.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/

From that article:
Quote
If you borrow even one dollar for anything other than your primary house or a profitable investment,  the very next dollar you can get your hands on should go to paying that back.

zerothreetwo

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  • Little lifestyle tweaks that gets you rich in the long run! :)

BTDretire

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What’s a thing you picked up from these forums that you didn’t know or do before?

Mine is so random and not like a good ETF reco but based on a post I read here I glued a magnet to a big Sharpie to keep on our fridge.

That darn fridge Sharpie is so useful. No one steals it bc of the weird magnet and I swear labeling and dating stuff helps us take better care of our things.

Reminds me of the local post office taping a plastic fork to the end of all the pens on the forms table to
keep people from running off with them.
  While at the post office waiting I couldn't help but announce to others in line, that I wanted to steal a fork,
but they have those stupid pens taped to them!

BTDretire

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Sell your Long Term Capital Gains while in a the 0% tax bracket to create a higher cost basis.
 I had many years with kid deductions, college tuition credits and other tax deductions that put me
in lower bracket where my LTCGs would be taxed at 0%.
  Now the kids are older and I can't deduct their costs so have missed the opportunity.

dougules

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I learned what seasoning cast iron cookware actually is.  It has helped me do it right.  You're actually polymerizing the oil into a homemade non-stick surface. 

If you don't cook with cast-iron, you should try it.  It's very robust, and unlike teflon if you mess up the seasoning, you just smooth it back out and reseason. 

okisok

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1. To really examine my savings and how to optimize them
2. Not spending is a valid choice
3. I can bike and walk many places, especially after giving up...
4. ...my rental house with a 'short' (20 minute) clown-car commute in a 'nice' (completely car dependant) area was costing me a lot more in the long run than a centrally-located apartment in a newer building in a safe, walkable neighborhood.
5. +1 on Personal Capital--though I may have heard about it on frugalwoods first...
6. That there can be a savings goal beyond just 'saving' for a nebulous future, and how to put those little green soldiers to work!
7. The big one--to stop caring about what other people think and make the frugal choice! Still a work in progress, but it's so great to know there are others out there like me :)

Unique User

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Mega Backdoor Roths, Credit Card/Bank Account Churning, how to actually calculate when we can stop working and most importantly, learning that we are not alone.   

Rosy

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1. The math behind it all - oh, finally simple math:) that I could understand to get us started on the right path.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/

2. Thanks to yodella, today, I learned you can freeze unused tomato paste in an ice cube tray and then keep it in a freezer baggie.
I've never believed in wasting food and hated wasting the leftover tomato paste. Even Mr. R. noticed that it would start growing fuzzies in the fridge.

3. Becoming a bit less emotional and more pragmatic about money overall.

4. Confidence - that with smart money choices you can reach your financial goal. Stop believing the naysayers and get yours anyway:)

5. MMM forum peeps showed me possibilities and one day I gasped and took a step beyond what I thought possible, given my age and circumstances. Liberating:)

6. No - really, sometimes you don't deserve "IT":)

7. Just about everything on the stickies was new to me - especially the backdoor Roth and the steps to take before retirement.

There is no end to the things I have and am learning in these threads - beyond awesome, it saved our naive asses from doing all sorts of stupid shit, because we didn't know better.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2018, 11:59:44 AM by Rosy »

Dicey

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2. Thanks to yodella, today, I learned you can freeze unused tomato paste in an ice cube tray and then keep it in a freezer baggie.
Tomato products will stain plastic ice cube trays and tomato paste is thick. Just glop the leftover paste straight into a (reused, washed) plastic bag, seal it, then flatten it a bit so it's easier to store and defrosts faster. Boom!

moof

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Learned to ignore the crowd better than I already was.
4% rule (and all the debate behind and around it).  Old target was 3.5M, figured out it should be $1.6M, shaving a decade off my plans.
Free Fillable Forms for taxes.
Gained perspective on what real savings looks like.  I was in the "10% is the goal" crowd, now the goal is >50%.
Learned to track down the various massive loopholes out there for frugal rich folks like me.  Spousal IRA, Roth for me.
Many more small things...

Freedomin5

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Your Money or Your Life - great way to think about money and values

pecunia

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This financial stuff pointed me to J L Collins where I learned the importance of fees.

I also learned from him about index funds and the folly of trying to time the market.

I think the biggest thing I learned is that you can make your life very good by freeing up your time.

What do I wish to learn?  I'd like to learn how to deal with medical costs, the 800 lb gorilla in the US retirement room.

Icecreamarsenal

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Learning that my debt was an emergency, including my mortgage debt.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/


Except that your mortgage debt isn't. 

Wow!  Yeah, you're right, I misread that.
That being said I just paid off all my debts and my mortgage.  Feels pretty good man.

Editing this post to attach MMM's accountant's take on paying off the mortgage vs investing the difference.

https://wealthyaccountant.com/2018/09/24/paying-off-the-mortgage-vs-investing-the-difference/
« Last Edit: December 13, 2018, 07:31:11 AM by Icecreamarsenal »

lizzzi

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Aldi. Vanguard. Credit card travel points.  Debt means your hair is on fire.

YK-Phil

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I learned, much too late at 50 years old, that I had been a clown for most of my working life. That was ten years ago, and I have been backpedalling as fast as I could since then.

Basenji

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To stop working

2Birds1Stone

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Pizzabrewer

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I learned, much too late at 50 years old, that I had been a clown for most of my working life. That was ten years ago, and I have been backpedalling as fast as I could since then.

LOL.  When I first saw your post I read "backpacking".

I'm obviously projecting.

GreenSheep

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2. Thanks to yodella, today, I learned you can freeze unused tomato paste in an ice cube tray and then keep it in a freezer baggie.
Tomato products will stain plastic ice cube trays and tomato paste is thick. Just glop the leftover paste straight into a (reused, washed) plastic bag, seal it, then flatten it a bit so it's easier to store and defrosts faster. Boom!

I measure it out by the tablespoon and plop each tablespoonful onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet or something else flat and supportive. I put that in the freezer until the tomato paste is frozen solid, then pluck it off the parchment paper and put the individual tablespoons into a Ziplock bag. That way there's no need to measure later, and I can just defrost the amount I need.

Dicey

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2. Thanks to yodella, today, I learned you can freeze unused tomato paste in an ice cube tray and then keep it in a freezer baggie.
Tomato products will stain plastic ice cube trays and tomato paste is thick. Just glop the leftover paste straight into a (reused, washed) plastic bag, seal it, then flatten it a bit so it's easier to store and defrosts faster. Boom!

I measure it out by the tablespoon and plop each tablespoonful onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet or something else flat and supportive. I put that in the freezer until the tomato paste is frozen solid, then pluck it off the parchment paper and put the individual tablespoons into a Ziplock bag. That way there's no need to measure later, and I can just defrost the amount I need.
I rarely have enough room to fit a cookie sheet into my freezer. We are getting to the same result via different routes. Of course mine is the lazy one.

GreenSheep

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2. Thanks to yodella, today, I learned you can freeze unused tomato paste in an ice cube tray and then keep it in a freezer baggie.
Tomato products will stain plastic ice cube trays and tomato paste is thick. Just glop the leftover paste straight into a (reused, washed) plastic bag, seal it, then flatten it a bit so it's easier to store and defrosts faster. Boom!
I measure it out by the tablespoon and plop each tablespoonful onto a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet or something else flat and supportive. I put that in the freezer until the tomato paste is frozen solid, then pluck it off the parchment paper and put the individual tablespoons into a Ziplock bag. That way there's no need to measure later, and I can just defrost the amount I need.
I rarely have enough room to fit a cookie sheet into my freezer. We are getting to the same result via different routes. Of course mine is the lazy one.

... which is why I said "or something else flat and supportive." Could be a small plate, lid for something, etc. But of course you can do this however you want. I was just sharing what I do so that maybe someone else would benefit from it.

Dicey

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And I was just pointing out that I'm lazy ;-)
« Last Edit: December 16, 2018, 12:08:55 AM by Dicey »

Laserjet3051

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Pumping up my cars tires to optimal pressure using my BIKE PUMP (muscle over motor). Love it!

GreenSheep

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And i was just pointing out that I'm lazy ;-)

:-) We all have those moments! :-)

BlueHouse

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Voluntary discomfort.  I love the challenge to see how long I can last before turning the heat on.

And a reverse rollover to a 401K so I could do a backdoor Roth without a big penalty. 

Linea_Norway

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To stop caring about what others think of you and thus not keeping up with the Joneses. This is pretty difficult to do completely and there are still things I do for appearances. But I care less about appearances for more and more things.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2019, 09:11:47 AM by Linda_Norway »

jojoguy

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How much money I have been wasting over the years.

Hula Hoop

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To stop caring about what others think of you and thus not keeping up with the Joneses. This is pretty difficult to do completely and there are still thing I do for appearances. But I care less about appearances for more and more things.

Same here - and not just in a keeping up with the Joneses - must get a new kitchen and car kind of way.  But also in the "will others think I'm weird/cheap?" way. 

DeniseNJ

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1.  That I can ride a bike around town.  It would never have even occurred to me to ride a bike anywhere.  I just thought, WHY would anyone do that.  If you're trying to get yourself killed, just walk out into traffic blindfolded.  I didn't realize that you don't have to ride the same route you would drive-you can take side streets. Wow.
2.  That my cc debt is a roaring fire.
3.  there's also lots of stuff I knew but wasn't motivated to do but the blog and forum have provided a huge push/shove in a great direction.  I installed a new faucet, vanity, sink, light fixtures, and painted.  It all cost less than paying a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, which is what I was going to do.  But doing it myself made it financially possible--and I was so proud of myself.

Linea_Norway

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1.  That I can ride a bike around town.  It would never have even occurred to me to ride a bike anywhere.  I just thought, WHY would anyone do that.  If you're trying to get yourself killed, just walk out into traffic blindfolded.  I didn't realize that you don't have to ride the same route you would drive-you can take side streets. Wow.
2.  That my cc debt is a roaring fire.
3.  there's also lots of stuff I knew but wasn't motivated to do but the blog and forum have provided a huge push/shove in a great direction.  I installed a new faucet, vanity, sink, light fixtures, and painted.  It all cost less than paying a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, which is what I was going to do.  But doing it myself made it financially possible--and I was so proud of myself.

Point 3: well done.

DeniseNJ

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1.  That I can ride a bike around town.  It would never have even occurred to me to ride a bike anywhere.  I just thought, WHY would anyone do that.  If you're trying to get yourself killed, just walk out into traffic blindfolded.  I didn't realize that you don't have to ride the same route you would drive-you can take side streets. Wow.
2.  That my cc debt is a roaring fire.
3.  there's also lots of stuff I knew but wasn't motivated to do but the blog and forum have provided a huge push/shove in a great direction.  I installed a new faucet, vanity, sink, light fixtures, and painted.  It all cost less than paying a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, which is what I was going to do.  But doing it myself made it financially possible--and I was so proud of myself.

Point 3: well done.
Thanks. The powder room looks amazing and has inspired me to do more of my own stuff. You guys are so encouraging.

GreenSheep

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1.  That I can ride a bike around town.  It would never have even occurred to me to ride a bike anywhere.  I just thought, WHY would anyone do that.  If you're trying to get yourself killed, just walk out into traffic blindfolded.  I didn't realize that you don't have to ride the same route you would drive-you can take side streets. Wow.
2.  That my cc debt is a roaring fire.
3.  there's also lots of stuff I knew but wasn't motivated to do but the blog and forum have provided a huge push/shove in a great direction.  I installed a new faucet, vanity, sink, light fixtures, and painted.  It all cost less than paying a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, which is what I was going to do.  But doing it myself made it financially possible--and I was so proud of myself.

Point 3: well done.
Thanks. The powder room looks amazing and has inspired me to do more of my own stuff. You guys are so encouraging.

I love this!! There should be a Mustachian Home and Garden Tour. Just like the snooty ones, only everyone's done it themselves and can share advice and ideas.

K-ice

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The most I’ve learnt is from the DONT pay off your mortgage club.

But my partner is in the DO pay off your mortgage club so it’s challenging & contradictory.

Linea_Norway

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The most I’ve learnt is from the DONT pay off your mortgage club.

But my partner is in the DO pay off your mortgage club so it’s challenging & contradictory.

But it does depend on your mortgage interest. When we had our first mortgage, it was at 7,6% interest. It was a no brainer to pay it off.

Also, the stock market is volatile. Paying down your mortgage is a safe and stable form of saving, although the profit can be a lot lower than in the stock market.

Why not do both in your case?
« Last Edit: January 02, 2019, 02:01:58 AM by Linda_Norway »

GuitarStv

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The most I’ve learnt is from the DONT pay off your mortgage club.

But my partner is in the DO pay off your mortgage club so it’s challenging & contradictory.

When you balance the benefits of paying off your mortgage vs the costs of divorce, one side comes out a clear winner.  :P

Dicey

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The most I’ve learnt is from the DONT pay off your mortgage club.

But my partner is in the DO pay off your mortgage club so it’s challenging & contradictory.

When you balance the benefits of paying off your mortgage vs the costs of divorce, one side comes out a clear winner.  :P
Totally agree.

RelaxedGal

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Speed Queen washing machine.

It is a very nice machine, but I think it's tougher on clothes than our Maytag was.  Should be built to last much longer than the Maytag!

K-ice

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The most I’ve learnt is from the DONT pay off your mortgage club.

But my partner is in the DO pay off your mortgage club so it’s challenging & contradictory.

When you balance the benefits of paying off your mortgage vs the costs of divorce, one side comes out a clear winner.  :P

These discussions do not create much debate. At least I would consider us both Mustacian.

Why not do both in your case?

Our interest is currently at 4.5% and variable. We are also Canadian, but this mortgage is on a rental so we can write off the interest. But being Canadian we have to deal with the mortgage renewal and headache every 5 years or so. 

We are doing both, he used to make a lump sum mortgage payment and I would match it.  Now he makes a lump-sum payment and I match it in our investment account where we split it equally into our RRSP or TFSA where is goes into Vanguard funds.  I've also learnt more about asset allocation & location on this forum.

WIN WIN.



Dicey

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Our interest is currently at 4.5% and variable. We are also Canadian, but this mortgage is on a rental so we can write off the interest. But being Canadian we have to deal with the mortgage renewal and headache every 5 years or so. 

We are doing both, he used to make a lump sum mortgage payment and I would match it.  Now he makes a lump-sum payment and I match it in our investment account where we split it equally into our RRSP or TFSA where is goes into Vanguard funds.  I've also learnt more about asset allocation & location on this forum.

WIN WIN.
I can't imagine the stress/hassle of a mortgage that resets the way they do in Canada. Kudos to you for creating such a brilliant compromise. In your shoes, I'd hope to be smart enough to make such a wise compromise. WIN WIN indeed.

Just Joe

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That despite what the TV shows us, there are some very well adjusted people out there making thoughtful choices and making intelligent long term plans.

Also, that alot of people have "crazy" in their family and friends circle. Just let it go... ;)

Index funds. Appropriate savings rates. Riding (e)bikes vs driving. Cooking (for me, DW knows all the skills). Circles of Influence and concern and when they overlap. As others have pointed out that not spending is perfectly okay. The Joneses may not be making good choices, its tough to tell just looking at the new car(s) and delivery trucks.

That this group of sometimes contrarians are my favorite group of writers/talkers on the web.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!