Poll

How did you discover MMM?

Friends/family
23 (11.3%)
Mainstream media article
27 (13.2%)
Another blog
53 (26%)
Stumbled across while looking for something else
101 (49.5%)

Total Members Voted: 197

Author Topic: How did you discover MMM?  (Read 13448 times)

Morning Glory

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How did you discover MMM?
« on: February 26, 2017, 01:39:06 PM »
I got curious about this because lots of people mention how they discovered MMM as part of a post about something else. Ironically enough, I stumbled across the MMM site while car shopping. I searched something like "best fuel efficient cars for tall people", and got the top cars for smart people article, which convinced me that my old car (2003 Dodge Neon) is just fine considering I don't drive much. (I was leaning towards buying a new Subaru because it is difficult to find a used one in my area with less than 100k miles). This led to binge reading the entire blog, frequenting the forums, etc.

psinguine

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 05:26:04 PM »
Reddit.

If you check out the first post on my journal you'll see the whole story, but it was a link from the personal finance subreddit. I was in a very dark place and it may have very well saved my life.

aspiringnomad

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2017, 05:36:08 PM »
Great question. I'd seen a headline that read Meet The Mustache Man And His Wife Who Retired at 30 With a Kid! or something along those lines probably 5 years ago but didn't click the link because it came across as clickbait crap. But luckily, since I'd always envisioned myself retiring somewhat early, I sort of stored it away somewhere in my mind for a later time. Then, a few months later in the comment section of a local blog promoting transit and biking, someone briefly mentioned MMM as an aside in the context of biking everywhere. Two mentions across two of my interests in the span of a couple months and my curiosity was sufficiently piqued. I checked out the site that day, binge read most of the articles over the next couple weeks, then later signed up for a forum account. It's now my go-to forum online.

englishteacheralex

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2017, 05:45:33 PM »
Car shopping for a used minivan and realized a Toyota Matrix would be fine for two kids. Loved his post about cars and got hooked.

somers515

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2017, 05:45:46 PM »
whiteblaze.net.  I believe there was a thread discussion on how to find a way to do more long-distance hiking and someone posted a recommendation to check out "the ideas on the Mr. Money Mustache"  A brief summary was given and I remember the phrase "gift truces" intriguing me enough to google MMM.

horsepoor

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2017, 05:46:55 PM »
I chose "another blog" but it was actually a non-longer-in-existence horse forum where another poster mentioned MMM in passing. I Googled, and then spent the next few weeks reading All the Blog Posts, and have doubled my stash since then!

fuzzy math

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2017, 06:24:44 PM »
I wish I could remember. Some article of his or about him was linked from somewhere. It probably came up on Facebook?

Dave1442397

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2017, 06:25:43 PM »
I stumbled across MMM while looking for a credit card with zero percent interest on balance transfers and no transfer fees. Then I read all the articles and a lot of the forums.

As for the cc, I got the Citi Slate card, transferred the last of our cc debt to it ($11,500) and will pay it off this year. That'll leave us with just the mortgage. MMM has definitely helped put me in a better financial situation.

Sydneystache

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2017, 06:35:02 PM »
Through No More Harvard Debt. Thought what he did was awesome, then read about MMM. Super-awesome.

YogiKitti

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2017, 07:05:00 PM »
I was searching if people rode their bikes in winter and came across MMM.

I like walking better.

Step37

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2017, 07:05:15 PM »
A FB friend had posted a Project 333 wardrobe link, which led me to the Be More With Less blog (same blogger). The blog resonated with me; one of the articles linked to Blonde on a Budget as an example of someone who'd done a shopping ban. Being nearly through my own year-long, self-imposed shopping ban at that point, I checked it out (I had no idea shopping bans were a thing, it had just seemed to be what I needed to do at the time). That led to another link (someone who's my namesake [first and middle], so I HAD to check that out), which led to reading a few posts on Frugalwoods, and then, finally, MMM. I was home. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

As for the shopping ban, I'm now into my third year of not buying any shoes/bags/clothes/jewelry (other than replacing worn out, absolutely necessary items); I can go a lot longer with the stockpile I have! It's amazing how stepping away from acquiring new things for a while completely made the desire go away. It's been one of the best things I've ever done.

Mr. Green

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2017, 07:53:17 PM »
I was reading a forum thread on Whiteblaze.net, a website dedicated to hiking the Appalachian Trail, in December 2014 because I was thinking about thru-hike the AT. Someone mentioned Mr. Money Mustache and I ventured over to his website and, subsequently, this blog.

Finding these sites changed my life. Through my learning here I realized we were only about year away from financial independence. I quit my job and attempted a thru-hike of the AT last summer. Now I'm just trying to figure this FIRE thing out and what life is supposed to look like after you pass everything people told you it would be.

Uturn

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2017, 08:08:07 PM »
I had "extra" money after putting my 15% away like I have always been taught.  So I figured that it was time to treat myself to an airplane.  I don't remember the search terms, but it was something along the lines of frugal airplanes.  Yeah, I know, extra money, frugal airplanes, honest politicians.  Anyhow, I suppose it was the frugal part, but one page led to the next.  I still want the plane, just want freedom more. 

pachnik

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2017, 08:13:09 PM »
There was an article about MMM in the WaPo about four years ago.  It came into my email as part of a personal finance blog that I used to get. 

Ozstache

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2017, 08:15:33 PM »
Found a link to it on an Australian property forum where everyone seemed to be dreaming of retiring on wealth attained through property but very few actually seemed to have done it. In addition to MMM's story and great articles, it was so refreshing to see so many actual early retired folk here and even better when I calculated my own numbers and found out I was already FI. RE shortly followed.

Rhoon

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2017, 09:07:22 PM »
Trying to figure out how to get out of the rat race. I wanted to retire to the Caribbean and was trying to figure out how to come up with enough income to last until I kicked the bucket. That ultimately lead me to sailing, instead of buying land -- buy a boat and sail around the world.

Still needed to figure out the money portion and someone said they used MMM to get their finances in order to realize their dream -- so here I am. Lucky you all! :)

PizzaSteve

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #16 on: February 26, 2017, 09:15:47 PM »
Bogleheads forum

Khan

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2017, 10:18:28 PM »
Another blog or ERE. I was consuming frugality and personal finance stuff(blogs which have sold out since or been forgotten, forums, books about wealth/finance), and somehow I ended up on MMM's site. Efficiency, high(er) income and savings rates can lead to great outcomes?

I've always loved the power of exponentials. Investing is one.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 10:20:55 PM by Khanjar »

Tetsuya Hondo

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2017, 07:50:11 AM »
Washington Post article from a few years ago. It blew my mind. That was the first time I realized that money could buy freedom, not just more stuff.

Tyson

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2017, 12:47:48 PM »
I'm a member on Audiocircle.com and a member there posted it.  Changed my life.  I was so ridiculously bad with money before MMM, mostly because I bought into the YOLO philosophy and never even knew FIRE was a thing. 

marty998

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2017, 01:28:55 PM »
Found it through a realestate forum. I spend much more time here now.


I've always loved the power of exponentials.

Me too. Maths is fun.

prognastat

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2017, 02:13:56 PM »
I think I came across it when searching for investment/retirement advise related to my 401k.

mikefixac

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2017, 02:57:39 PM »
Bogleheads forum

Wow, surprised you stuck with MMM. Though I love the Boglehead forum, most there for some reason are ambivalent about MMM.

I found MMM in the early days. I used to read Early Retirement Extreme and (I believe) ERE allowed one of MMM's articles to be posted on his site. Unfortunately, ERE Jacob pretty much quit posting and happily MMM became hugely successful.

prognastat

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #23 on: February 27, 2017, 03:53:50 PM »
Bogleheads forum

Wow, surprised you stuck with MMM. Though I love the Boglehead forum, most there for some reason are ambivalent about MMM.

I found MMM in the early days. I used to read Early Retirement Extreme and (I believe) ERE allowed one of MMM's articles to be posted on his site. Unfortunately, ERE Jacob pretty much quit posting and happily MMM became hugely successful.

I think the big difference between MMM and Bogleheads is where the focus lies. Both agree on many things such as investment strategies, but MMM has a much larger focus on frugality and reducing your expenses to be able to retire sooner along with a more positive outlook towards both your personal and the global futures. Bogleheads on the other hand seems to tend to focus more on the income side of the equation and trends more towards higher spending and more conservative view of the future and thus a lower SWR(Safe Withdrawel Rate) leading them to tend towards wanting a larger stache and generally focusing on a slightly longer working career with a focus on making more money during this time.

I think people there are mostly ambivalent about MMM because they haven't bought in to the low levels of spending advocated by MMM and his optimism about things like financial emergencies.

I may be wrong, but that is the impression I have gotten. However I have spent far more time here than over there say I might be off here so correct me if I am wrong.

Travis

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #24 on: February 27, 2017, 04:03:11 PM »
YNAB forums.

PizzaSteve

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2017, 04:09:02 PM »
Bogleheads forum

Wow, surprised you stuck with MMM. Though I love the Boglehead forum, most there for some reason are ambivalent about MMM.

I found MMM in the early days. I used to read Early Retirement Extreme and (I believe) ERE allowed one of MMM's articles to be posted on his site. Unfortunately, ERE Jacob pretty much quit posting and happily MMM became hugely successful.

I think the big difference between MMM and Bogleheads is where the focus lies. Both agree on many things such as investment strategies, but MMM has a much larger focus on frugality and reducing your expenses to be able to retire sooner along with a more positive outlook towards both your personal and the global futures. Bogleheads on the other hand seems to tend to focus more on the income side of the equation and trends more towards higher spending and more conservative view of the future and thus a lower SWR(Safe Withdrawel Rate) leading them to tend towards wanting a larger stache and generally focusing on a slightly longer working career with a focus on making more money during this time.

I think people there are mostly ambivalent about MMM because they haven't bought in to the low levels of spending advocated by MMM and his optimism about things like financial emergencies.

I may be wrong, but that is the impression I have gotten. However I have spent far more time here than over there say I might be off here so correct me if I am wrong.
Good summary.  While i believe firmly in frugal living, i have the 'worry it is never too much' disease.  That aside, great people, dialog and ideas on this site. Strong investment advice, but a bit too many reactive, cranky social conservatives on BH for me.

semiretired31

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #26 on: February 27, 2017, 06:35:29 PM »
A friend/former colleague of mine was talking about it for a year before I finally seriously took a look.  I'm still early in... but am drinking it in pretty fully right now.  It's got my mind going in 18 different (good) directions.  My friend is well on his way.  Seeing his (and others on this board) successes is EXTREMELY motivating. 

FIreDrill

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #27 on: February 27, 2017, 08:47:31 PM »
I found MMM after doing some Google searches for investments once.  I like to say that I "graduated" to MMM from Dave Ramsey.  Now I cringe at some of the advice Ramsey gives, like investing in high cost mutual funds....

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10dollarsatatime

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2017, 09:20:18 PM »
I was googling side gigs, or earning money, or something like that after I purchased my house and realized that I had SO MUCH DEBT!  Student loans, and a clown truck, and credit cards, and so on.  I had a sudden and urgent need to pay things down so I could stop having random stabbing stress pains.  MMM happened across the google, and I was pretty much instantly hooked.  Took a bit more than a year to pay down everything except the mortgage.  Now just watching the investment accounts grow. :)

neophyte

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #29 on: February 28, 2017, 07:20:31 AM »
I was searching for advice on how to handle financial disagreements and communication in relationships.  :(

At least my relationship with the forum is ongoing.

GuitarStv

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #30 on: February 28, 2017, 07:22:09 AM »
We were about to have a child and I was looking for articles about how to not blow a ton of money on a kid.  I'd seen too many of my friends do just that.

Aelias

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #31 on: February 28, 2017, 08:41:10 AM »
New Yorker article  http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/mr-money-mustache-the-frugal-guru

I didn't remember that they'd titled it "The Scold"--seems a bit harsh in retrospect.

slugline

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #32 on: February 28, 2017, 09:06:49 AM »
Memory is a bit fuzzy, but I'm fairly certain I got a link from the comments section on a GetRichSlowly.org post (back when that site still seemed relevant to me).

2Birds1Stone

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #33 on: February 28, 2017, 09:27:14 AM »
I told a friend about ERE/budgetsaresexy.com/a few other sites a read.....he told me about this one. He is not mustachian, just read the blog a few times and thought it would be up my ally.

2500+ posts, 27 months of journaling, and a life changing community later.....boy I am glad he told me.

FIRE me

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #34 on: February 28, 2017, 02:16:30 PM »
I wish I could remember. Some article of his or about him was linked from somewhere. It probably came up on Facebook?

Same here, about not remembering. It may have been from a Google search on a financial topic, but it might have been from another blog like Get Rich Slowly (or from the blog's comments section).

MoonLiteNite

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #35 on: February 28, 2017, 10:55:30 PM »
It was the first major anti-car post from like 2011? Was trying to talk myself out of buying a new car and to just get a used one.
And found http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/

Great article, still bought the new car. Then jump ahead 5 years to early 2016 and i decided to REALLY research on "early retirement". Always wanted to, always saved alot, but never did the math. And i found the http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/

On the side there was the link to the True cost of commuting, and i actually remember reading it.
From then i read like 10 of MMM posts. Really decided to nail the FI by age 40 (10 year timer started) And i should be there right on time, possibly sooner if this market keeps up with my OT.

Also i believe the those 2 posts are possibly his most 2 popular posts, go figure.

« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 10:57:14 PM by MoonLiteNite »

Baboo

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #36 on: March 01, 2017, 04:11:04 AM »
I belonged to an online group of women, who had babies in 2006, and Mrs MMM mentioned her husband's new blog.

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #37 on: March 01, 2017, 04:48:15 AM »
I think I found it googling for strategies to get out of debt in May of 2015. I think the hair on fire post was the first one I read. I hadn't really considered early retirement or financial independence seriously at that point. I did a binge read of all of his articles and it really helped me get my finances in order and see the possibilities.

In addition to accelerating our debt repayment, I finally pulled my head out of my ass with investing. I was really afraid of the stock market and was barely contributing to my 401k. A few months after learning about indexing from MMM, I made sure to put all of my 401k money in the lowest cost option I had available, an S&P 500 fund, and bumped my contributions up to 6% to get my employer match. I went from contributing less than $2000 per year to just a little under $10000. If I earned more, I would max out my 401k. I'm working on that :)

The best thing about finding MMM is I have pretty much 0 financial stress in my life now. My mortgage is paid off and I am saving a considerable portion of my earnings now with no loss of quality of life.

Knapptyme

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #38 on: March 01, 2017, 05:31:00 AM »
My wife had seen some click bait bike commuting article on facebook and forwarded it to me. (We were already biking the 0.8 miles to work.) The article, forgettable in itself, mentioned MMM's posit of how much money it could save you over ten years. I went down that rabbit hole and modified an already frugal mindset into a SAHD because, it's your money or you life.

I'll likely go back to teaching when the kiddos don't love hanging out with dad as much.

Laserjet3051

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #39 on: March 01, 2017, 09:09:11 AM »
Interesting. The manner in which I found MMM is not listed as one of the choices in your poll.

Having come off a severe run of unbridled panic attacks, chronic insomnia, and relentless fear and anxiety over money, I decided to take a pro-active self help approach to curing my mental illness. One, of many steps, in that process involved a google search looking for ways to stop living paycheck to paycheck, which of course turned up MMM in the search results. And since that day, I was truly transformed. MMM, along with other measures, to manage fear, stress, and anxiety, have greatly improved my state of mind, joy, and fulfillment. Though, to be honest, mustachianism is not without its own set of trappings.

Kiwi Fuzz

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #40 on: March 01, 2017, 02:09:31 PM »
I'm lazy so I'll just copy paste from my journal.

Quote from: Can I Retire Early?
One day at work a coworker gifted another coworker a 'Mustache Money' scratch to win lottery ticket that he purchased while out of state. This was not unusual - I don't know if it's a USian thing or not but everyone seems to gift each other scratch tickets at work. I don't gamble so it's always awkward. Anyway, I was curious if 'mustache money' was a (US) Americanism since I'd never heard it before so I typed it into Google. This was when I discovered Mister Money Mustache himself and his blog.

FireHiker

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #41 on: March 01, 2017, 02:40:13 PM »
I am not entirely certain, although I know it was a minimalism/frugality blog. I already read Becoming Minimalist, Frugalwoods, Be More With Less, Miss Minimalist before I found MMM. I read the entire blog last year and started making some small changes, bringing it up carefully with the husband, etc. Now he is also on board and I can't wait to see what we can do this year. I sure wish I'd found MMM years sooner though!

FI4good

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #42 on: March 01, 2017, 04:10:27 PM »
I love sunray kellys' house building and loved the book by Lloyd Kahn "builders of the pacific coast".

 From that I found out about Dan Prices book "radical simplicity". I'd lived quite a frugal life in france on 5000 euros a year for 5 years so i was scouring the internet for ideas in that kind of frugal vein to see if there was something better or more interesting to do than the life i was living and work i was doing.

With MMM i was able to see how some kind of FI was possible and it helped me avoid buying a house, because "everyone" in the UK knows its a fool proof way of making money.
It helped me be brave enough to rent somewhere great in the LCOL north of england , have a 5 min commute instead of 2 hrs each way , take a pay cut but save more.   

Lski'stash

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #43 on: March 05, 2017, 08:01:46 AM »
I was reading the personal finance section of my news feed, and there was an article about MMM (I think the NY times one?). I was just getting started on tackling our credit card debt at the time when I saw the article. I read the blog in a matter of weeks, and since then have tackled that debt, paid down my car loan to a couple grand left, downsized our house and bought a fixer upper, switched from a super high priced annuity to a much cheaper 457 plan, and am almost maxing out my 457.

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MisterTwoForty

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #44 on: March 05, 2017, 08:13:27 AM »
I don't remember exactly how I found MMM, but I remember when.  I had just finished going through Dave Ramsey and was looking for the next thing.  I had always thought of retiring early, but never super early.

I had a friend who had been reading his blog for years.  Had I found MMM when he first came out, I probably would not need to go to work on Monday.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #45 on: March 05, 2017, 08:22:45 AM »
I learned about MMM from a Yahoo article. I decided to ignore the comments and check it out. The rest is history.

Zoot

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #46 on: March 05, 2017, 08:40:13 AM »
I was in a very dark place and it may have very well saved my life.

My story echoes this.  I was miserable--miserable, probably clinically miserable--in my job circa 2012 and was trying to think of any way out of it.  I'd toyed with the notion of early retirement in the past but never got serious until things really went south that year.  I had been reading Early Retirement Extreme voraciously, and eventually made my way to to the "passing the torch" post from Jacob to MMM, and so found my way here as a result.

The mindset and community here, along with my amazing then-friend-now-husband, pretty much saved my life, too.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2017, 05:59:26 AM by Zoot »

Vibrissae

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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #47 on: March 05, 2017, 08:47:06 AM »
It was a recommendation from someone on an Ask Metafilter question, I think about frugality.

aceyou

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  • Age: 40
    • Life is Good - Aceyou's Journal
Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #48 on: March 05, 2017, 01:41:47 PM »
I was browsing a sports forum and a person made a post along the lines of not being able to live without at least a 50k BMW.  Another poster responded with something like "I think this link is appropriate to this thread", and posted a link to MMM.  I don't know why, but I clicked the link. 

At the time I was frustrated with teaching, seeing my math counterparts in engineering and finance lapping my salary.  I was actually looking into other jobs and leaving education, even though I truly loved teaching. 

Finding this site showed me that I could do what I love AND build a stache and retire. 

That was 2.5 years ago.  I now save more every two months than I used to in an entire year.  My wife and I talk about the places we'll go together, and the fun things we'll do with our young children as they grow.  We are now do-it-yourself-ers who bike, garden, get our fun outside and at the library, cc churn for free travel, etc. 

As I write this, 6k/month automatically flows from our paycheck into VTSAX...on two teacher salaries.  Our engineer/finance friends are still beating us in income, but we are destroying them in savings, and are having lots of fun along the way. 

Erica

  • Bristles
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Re: How did you discover MMM?
« Reply #49 on: March 05, 2017, 04:47:37 PM »
I saw Mr Money on a youtube video.

Later read that catchy phrase Mr Money Mustache again so linked it

Then searched out the site

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!