The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: MichaelHill on April 29, 2014, 10:07:04 AM
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Hello everyone. I am a reporter with The Associated Press writing a national story related to the challenges middle-class families face in putting aside enough money for retirement. I am trying to find people nationwide who know full well how much they need to be putting aside but are unable to because of legitimate expenses like housing, cars or college. If you think you might be interested in speaking to me on the phone for an interview for an AP story, would you mind responding to me at mhill@ap.org? Thanks for taking the time to read this. - Michael Hill, Associated Press, Albany, N.Y.
MOD EDITED TO BE ITS OWN THREAD
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Hi Michael,
Welcome to the forums. I wish you luck with your article, not sure how much it applies to this community though.
Part of living a mustachian life is to realize that the consumer driven "perfect middle class life" scripts we have been sold might not apply to us. You mention the inability to save for retirement because of legitimate expenses, houses, cars, college education. The reason many on the forums are well on their way to not only retiring, but retiring early, is because they can step back, examine those big life purchases and weigh them against the freedom of being able to retire early, or how it fits into the life they really want to lead.
Many people have the things they "need" a big house, prestigious education, shiny leased car - our community looks at those things and asks "do we need them to have a fulfilled life?"and "Are we willing to sacrifice time with those we love and be tied to our work to buy these things?"
Many times it simply comes down to numbers, are we willing for work for additional time (often years) so we can afford these expenses? Usually the answer is no, we buy less, consume less and live with more freedom.
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I'd be willing to talk about my struggles as a transvestite to pay for my wardrobe and impending surgery and still save for retirement.