Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315998 times)

Mrs MM

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Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« on: February 17, 2012, 09:16:36 AM »
Hi everyone,

I've started this thread to get some introductions going.  If you haven't posted anything on the board yet, this is a great place to say hi.  If you have posted, then say hi anyway.  :)

I'll go first.

Hi!  I'm Mrs. Money Mustache.  I'm married to this awesome guy that some of you may know and we have a great 6-year old kid.  We live in Colorado and life is good... very good.  :)

Who's next?

Mike Key

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2012, 10:01:51 AM »
Hi, I'm Mike.

I climb things.


velocistar237

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2012, 10:06:51 AM »
Hi, I came over from Jacob's blog a few months before the torch passing. Turns out I am more like MMM than ERE. My wife and I have two kids, ages 3 and 1. I live in the Boston area. I'm about 10 years from retirement, so it's good that I generally like my job designing spaceships.

adam

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2012, 11:48:38 AM »
Hi.

I'm Adam, and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs.

Guitarist

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2012, 01:51:27 PM »
Hi, I'm Peter.
I like to create waves.

Mr Mark

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2012, 05:12:26 PM »
I'm Mark, and I figure I'm about 2 years away from FI so I can 'retire' at 50. Looking to manage the transition and study how to best acheive it.

Grigory

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2012, 05:41:47 PM »
Hi, I'm Grigory. (Kudos if you know how to pronounce it haha) Found MMM's blog after his guest post on ERE and have been an avid reader ever since. :)

GG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #7 on: February 18, 2012, 06:13:50 PM »
Hi!  I am GG.  Reached FI last year retired for a while  and now I am enhancing the 'stache!  Married, 4 kids, 2 grandkids.

mugwump

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2012, 09:47:53 AM »
Hi, I am Milly. I also found MMM from GRS and feel it is a better fit for me. I did a hybrid early/part-time work retirement at 55, and have been enjoying life ever since. I live in CO not far from Longmont, and it's great to see a blog from someone close to home.

dang

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2012, 09:50:20 AM »
Hi, I'm Dan.  I'm years from FI, although much closer than before I found MMM.  Hopefully, I'm in the middle of a life changing experience.

I'm married, and have 3 kids.

Melissa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2012, 10:27:50 AM »
Dang, I would love to know more about your plans.  I have had people tell me that there is no way to achieve FI with three children.  How old are you kids now and how old will tney be when you reach your goal?

Melissa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2012, 10:31:19 AM »
I guess I should have introduced myself first. My name is Melissa and I am 37 years old.  I live in Ohio with my husband and three children.  We have a 9 year plan to reach FI, but I think with the help of MMM and this community we will hit that even sooner.

Thanks for getting this set up Mrs MM!

Welmoed

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2012, 10:40:32 AM »
Hi; I'm Welmoed (pronounced "VEL-moot". I live in Maryland with my husband; our two kids are almost grown (one out of college, one senior in college). Our financial picture used to be quite rosy but changed suddenly and drastically about ten years ago and we're still trying to recover from it. We're not in debt (that is, our obligations are less than our assets, but just barely), but need to stop the financial hemmorrhage that's still going on. I have a "money demon" that causes huge anxiety when bills come in; there's always the fear that there won't be enough to pay them. I need to make peace with my finances and hope to find some answers here.

Landor n Stella

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2012, 08:50:40 PM »
Hi, "we" are Landor and Stella, although usually it's just Stella that posts...

We're married, 2 dogs, debt load over 55k, living in the middle of Indiana. Goals include reducing debt to ZERO and then working to FI.

Erin

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2012, 06:47:10 AM »
Hi - I'm Erin. Just turned 30 - married - no kids - 3 adult step kids - future kids questionable. 10 year goal to FI so I can enjoy "retirement" with my much older manfriend. Currently paying off manfriend debt & attempting to learn to "invest".

October

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2012, 07:00:50 AM »
Hi, I'm October.

My partner and I found MMM this year and are working to pay off our loans by December and be completely debt-free by April of 2013.  Then we'll be concentrating on getting our finances together enough to be able to move from cold and snowy Michigan to sunny and warm New Mexico.

Scoot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2012, 07:55:16 AM »
Hello. My name is Scoot and I am a recovering retail addict.

26, single, female, Chicago, office drone. Developed horrible spending habits in my teens, realized the error of my ways about two years ago. Paid off all my debt, but still have an absolutely disgusting credit score that will take ages to repair. Addictions include fast food / restaurant food, Target, and travel (especially to the San Juan Islands for kayaking and whale watching). But I'm saving approximately 70% of my take-home pay nowadays so I'm not doing so terribly - my money mustache is growing fast.

Mercutio

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2012, 10:10:00 AM »
hi, I'm Albert. I started reading MMM after hearing about it on ERE. I'm 24, fresh out of college, working, and contemplating a career in medicine. But I've always been interested in being financially independent, so now I'm reconciling whether I should just work and save or go back to school and tack on more debt to work in a profession that I have a passion for (and save more, after I get start working). I've decided against medical school as that is not the lifestyle (debt, lack of free time for family and friends), and am currently considering nursing, physical therapy, or physician assistant programs.

Thanks for making this forum and all the informative blog posts, Mr. and Mrs. MMM!

boy_bye

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2012, 10:27:29 AM »
hey y'all! my name is madge and i live in pittsburgh where i'm hustling to grow my business, working a day job, and caring for my elderly grandma. i have very little time outside of those 3 pursuits but that's OK for now!

i still have some student loan debt but have dug out of everything else ... right now i'm just in financial flux, trying to stash away as much cash as i can to buy time to get my business to the point where it can pay my bills. that's the first milestone!

thanks for putting these forums up, mrs. mm! really enjoying them so far.

Two9A

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2012, 11:36:08 AM »
Hi, I'm Imran and I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Perhaps not the whole world, but three houses' worth; currently just under £242k. The long-term plan, as with most of us here, is to pay that down a good while before it comes due, and then start building to FI. It could take a while, though...

Rich M

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #20 on: February 20, 2012, 07:56:06 PM »
I'm Rich,   <---that's my name.

I am retarded,

I mean retired.

I actually I'm not retired....I love my job.  But I want to see other views people have on what money means to them and what their goals are.

I live in Boulder, Colorado, Ride a Bike but live a modest lifestyle that many Boulder folks, as eco as they claim to be, don't seem to do.


dinko628

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #21 on: February 21, 2012, 12:49:20 AM »
Hi all. Name's Brad (or dinko, for forum's sakes).

I graduated from college in May 2011 and was promptly greeted with ~$100k in loan debt. Hurrah! Luckily, I majored in Computer Science so I make a healthy salary, but I'm still working on eschewing some stupid decisions (e.g. a $32k sports car that I'm trying to sell, a stupid amount of credit card debt, posh and luxurious spending habits, etc.).

Finding the MMM blog has been a godsend - I know/knew pretty much nothing about personal finances, and I've never heard someone put it so obviously and matter-of-factly. I tell everyone I know about MMM.

I'll have a post in the Ask a Mustachian soon with some more details about my situation and what I can do to help. I sent MMM an email after discovering the blog back in late January, so it's all written up already. Can't wait to connect with other mustachians :D

MsLogica

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #22 on: February 21, 2012, 02:13:26 AM »
Hi!  I'm Millie.  I am 24 (for a few more weeks) and I live in the UK.

I don't have any debts (apart from student loans, but they're run differently over here to how they are in the U.S.) so I'm just looking build my capital and reach FI.  I've been reading FI blogs for a year now, and MMM is my favourite :)

Mike Key

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #23 on: February 21, 2012, 04:47:06 AM »
Welcome to the forums everyone!

chrissyo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #24 on: February 21, 2012, 11:10:03 AM »
Hi! I'm Chrissy. I found MMM last year when he published a guest post on ERE (which I found through GRS). I really love the blog, because MMM writes in such a no-nonsense way.

I currently live in the UK with my husband, Mark, and will be relocating to the US this year. We are debt-free, but feel like we have a lot of room for stache growth before reaching FI.  Our combination of financial planning and luck has put us pretty far ahead of most of our peers, but I find the badassity of MMM and other Mustachians inspiring. It makes me question my own financial decisions more than I ever have before, and also often makes me think about things in a new way. 

td

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #25 on: February 21, 2012, 12:01:01 PM »
I'm td. I'm 21, working on graduating college so I can start building my 'stache.
I have zero debt and about 1.5 years of living expenses.

My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

I hope to glean lots of info and motivation from the forums, like I already have from the blog.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2012, 12:04:57 PM by td »

Freedom2016

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #26 on: February 21, 2012, 03:52:52 PM »
Hi, I'm Stacy. Just found MMM after several weeks of combing personal finance & frugality blogs. I'm 38, married, and we're expecting kid #1 in two months. H and I have a long way to go to be worthy Mustachians (we've done okay in getting down to "good debt" only but we've frittered away a lot of cash on thoughtless consumerism). We've never considered the possibility of being FI before the usual retirement age, but it excites me! Looking forward to learning from this community. :)

Erik Y

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #27 on: February 21, 2012, 04:17:19 PM »
I'm Erik.  42 years old, married to my bride for almost 20 years.  We have six kids ages 4 - 18.  We live in Orange County, CA, but I'm always quick to point out that I'm not from here.  I'm still working and probably will be for a while, but we certainly plan and dream.

MsLogica

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #28 on: February 22, 2012, 07:24:48 AM »
My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

Wow, your dreams are epic!  Good luck with them all!

td

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #29 on: February 22, 2012, 10:18:24 AM »
My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

Wow, your dreams are epic!  Good luck with them all!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/28/weekend-edition-the-magic-of-thinking-big/
I also read the book and take it seriously. Thank you :)

zinnie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #30 on: February 22, 2012, 11:35:11 AM »
Hi everyone, I'm Zinnie, late 20's and starting to get serious about early retirement. Parents always instilled good frugality/ savings/ investing values in me so I'm well on my way to a good 'stache but I didn't do the specific math and read about portfolio theory until just a year ago. Since I realized how easily attainable it is my husband and I have buckled down on expenses and are shooting for both being done with this 8-6 job thing by age 40. I'm in a position that is very often freelanced, so if I get a few more years of solid in-house experience I could be on my way to part time work from home even sooner.

I just started reading MMM a few months ago, and was thrilled to see the new forum! Looking forward to getting to know everyone better and getting some good advice. I will probably be posting some issues in the near future...

fruplicity

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #31 on: February 22, 2012, 11:58:14 AM »
Hi everyone,

I would love to see MMM's message change the world!

My money world view shifted quickly after college, I've been reading pf blogs regularly since 2006 and MMM soon after it was "born".

My spending has always been frugal but income has always been low by choice/lack of knowing what else to do. This plus student loan debt means FI is out of reach for a while, but always on my mind.

I try to concentrate on the small victories - Next month we're hitting a net worth of 0, up from -37,000 when I started tracking it three years ago! YES!!!






shedinator

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #32 on: February 22, 2012, 01:40:01 PM »
I'm Shedinator. Husband, Father, and Mini-Moustache extraordinaire. Also, I like pie.

larsenju

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #33 on: February 22, 2012, 11:12:29 PM »
Hello everyone!

My name is Justin, and after working my way through college, I am proud to say I am only lightly in debt.  Leading up to graduation I decided to devote all efforts to eliminating the debt that I hold, and I have been able to cut in in half over about 5 months. 

I found MMM in my research into methods of financial independence, and I haven't looked back!  I am walking to work, cutting food budget by eating more simply 5 nights a week and trimming the beer budget, and saving to build a small emergency fund before shifting focus towards investing.  Our debts should be gone around the time our first child shows up.  At that point my wife wants to stay home, but unless I can find a way to dramatically increase my income, we would lose our ability to save. 

I want to own a home, be debt free and retired within 20 years.  A lovely goal, I just need to find my way from here to there!


PS, as a home brewer I wholeheartedly encourage DIYing that particular indulgence. 

DC

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #34 on: February 23, 2012, 01:31:41 PM »
Hi
I'm DC, early 20's from south Europe (probably the only non-English native speaker around here).
I found MMM through ERE which I found a few weeks before it "ended".
I'm going to graduate soon so it was a blessing finding about PF so soon and devising my way to FI.

kolorado

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #35 on: February 23, 2012, 06:00:04 PM »
I grew up frugal, fascinated by consumer/money math and used to doing things differently than the herd of my peers. I'm not a stuff person. I don't care about impressing people with what I have. I don't mind if they're impressed with who I am or what I can do though. ;) I love to learn. I'd rather do than have, even if the doing is volunteering to clean up the park. I get a bigger kick out of helping than anything I could purchase.

I feel I should add that we are fairly low-income. FI is attainable for everyone at every income level and in nearly any situation. We're proving it. And we aren't deprived and living off ramen to do it. ;)
« Last Edit: March 29, 2014, 08:51:35 PM by kolorado »

The Money Monk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2012, 02:54:05 PM »
Hi Everyone.

I rocking onward on my journey toward self-sufficiency, Freedom, and financial independence.
I am turning 28 this sun (Feb 26th) with a goal of FI by my 40th Birthday.

I started a blog to track my progress, keep my self accountable, and share tips. If anybody wants to follow the journey, check out:

www.themoney-monk.blogspot.com



tmspitz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #37 on: February 24, 2012, 09:22:21 PM »
Hi,

I'm Tara.  My husband and I are both teachers, live in NY (not city).  We have 2 kids ages 5 and 2.  we don't have much debt (car loan of 5k, student loans of 12k, and mortgage 120k), but are trying to keep going, and move to the next steps...


biliruben

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #38 on: February 25, 2012, 04:13:36 AM »
Hi all - 

I'm Cam.  Just quit my job, and hanging with my 5 year old this summer while I ponder my next move and usher him into Kindergarten. 

Would love to be financially independent, but live in Seattle, where large mortgages are pretty unavoidable.  Fortunately I have a hard-working wife.  We are both working on the frugality thing, but I'm not sure she is completely on board yet.  "The Talk" is a work in progress.  I figure if we can figure out how to break-even month to month on her salary, it will be much easier to work towards financial independence after I start bringing in some income again. 

Trying to figure out if I should: 

1) Try and make money opening a bike shop where my passion lies, or
2) Use this fancy degree I have to make the push to FI much more quickly but less enjoyably, or
3) There is some way to do both.

Parizade

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #39 on: February 25, 2012, 12:02:38 PM »
Hi, I'm Parizade and I was an ERE addict before following the torch to MMM. My goal is to retire "on time" in my 60s. I was doing pretty well before I got married, then deadbeat ex left me a mountain of debt and a baby to raise alone (Baby is now 6'4" and planning a frugal wedding to his sweetie).

I enjoy just about any outdoor activity, including camping.

Sacadoh

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2012, 04:49:27 PM »
Sacadoh here, a UK employee and investor. I love the website & many of the ideas it contains. I live in the UK and am slowly learning how to max out tax efficient savings, having started with ISAs & Pensions. VCTs next if I can figure out how they work.

I am 44 now & am on target for a 51 retirement, but this may be a challenge to to the arrival of a late third mini sacadoh last year.

NB I found 500 ml of baby shampoo in Morrisons for 9p this week.

Mehitabelle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #41 on: February 25, 2012, 06:14:45 PM »
Hi - I'm Siobahn.

I'm married and live in Manhattan with my husband and 2 kids (15 and 11).  We have one income and homeschool our kids.  Our assets exceed our liabilities, but most of it is equity in an apartment purchased 20 years ago and about 300K in retirement funds.

We still overspend, and with our older child close to college age this is becoming more worrisome.  We've done a lot of cutting back but out big weaknesses are food spending and travel spending (visiting family in CA).

I enjoy the MMM website and am hoping to gain inspiration to further cut spending and generally just keep my eye on the prize.

twinge

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #42 on: February 26, 2012, 07:44:05 AM »
Hi,
I live with my husband and 2 kids (11 and 3) in the Washington D.C. area.  We currently both work full-time but have flexible schedules and can work from home so we also spend a lot of time with our kids.  We generally save about 30-40% of our income, but I have been noticing that as our jobs have gotten more stressful, we have started to drift away a bit from the environmentally, financially, and quality of life sound practices that we had developed for years and that we really value.  For instance, we used to rarely use a car, work for several months, take off several months etc.  Now our incomes are higher and more secure, we have consistent and good health benefits (very necessary due to a pre-existing health condition of our younger child) but the quality of life seems to be starting to drift downwards.  I'm trying to figure out ways to nip this in the bud and change directions, while still facing the reality that we need to keep  good health insurance and that the new economic climate and our larger family makes our former flexible contract approach to income less viable. So, in mustachian terms, we've shaved off a bit... and are seeking to regrow in a slightly new style.

sol

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #43 on: February 26, 2012, 11:22:51 AM »
I'm a 35 year old federal employee who sort of took his retirement up front and thus didn't start working until I was 31.  I spent my 20s travelling the world and being carefree and irresponsible.  And getting a PhD.

My wife and I now save about half of our combined incomes and provide a relatively lavish lifestyle for our two kids.  We both love our work and don't intend to retire anytime soon but are both drawn to the idea of achieving a financial status where work is an option and not a necessity to avoid starvation.  Due to our consumptive lifestyle, this is probably still 10 years away.

We rent one of the two houses we owned before we got married.  It pays for itself, but does not bring in much income.  Hard to sell it in this market.

I tend to mentally frame "financial independence" as "no longer in debt" because any standard of living you maintain that you cannot continue to pay for indefinitely without working means that you have obligated yourself to work in the future to support it.  You've borrowed from your future to pay for your present.  I call that debt.  Most of my friends call that a normal career. 

Sir Sideburns 'Stash-a-lot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #44 on: February 26, 2012, 12:05:38 PM »
Hello, I'm Sir Sideburns 'Stash-a-lot (I know, what were my parents thinking doling out a name like that!?) and I'm an avid personal finance reader.

I love the writing here and the thoughtful comments.  MMM seems to have attracted a pretty interesting group of people and I look forward to learning from you all over the years to come.

Chel

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #45 on: February 26, 2012, 05:57:53 PM »
Hi everyone,
My name is Chel.  I'm 32, married with 1 child who is nearly 3 and live in So. California.  Though we are not striving for complete FI (yet), I have found this blog and comments very informative; it almost acts as my own support group.  Our immediate goal is to get our finances in order so when it is time for baby #2 I can stay home and create a slower paced, more enjoyable lifestyle for our family.

Bakari

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #46 on: February 27, 2012, 08:48:07 PM »
Why hello everyone!

My real name is Bakari Kafele, which is what I use in real life, but I often write things on the internet using the names Jacob Aziza, Lenard Simp, David Craig Hiser, and occasionally Robert Paulson.
I am also the BioDiesel Hauler (http://www.biodieselhauling.org/)

My entire life has pretty much embodied the compatibility of frugalness and environmentalism, although it never occurred to me to say it that way until a few years ago. 
Some examples are my tiny house and my temperature tolernace, which leads to using very little energy, my small scale DIY solar system, and my mileage improvements to my (biodiesel powered) truck.
I have instructables on all these and more: http://www.instructables.com/member/JacobAziza/

I found Jacob of ERE when a mutual fan of his and mine tracked me down on Facebook and suggested I look him up, which led to me meeting ERE Jacob in person soon after. I've been following MMM since his guest post on ERE.
I blog too, but not regularly, and not about any one consistent topic, which means I will never have a loyal readership:
http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/

James

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  • Age: 51
  • Location: Rice Lake, WI
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #47 on: February 28, 2012, 09:52:56 AM »
Wow, I leave for a week right after this forum is started and when I come back it's huge!

I'm up in Wisconsin, and am slowly changing my life from a "normal" consumer to an ERE type with low consumption lifestyle.  Got a ways to go, and have found that MMM brand of badassity is the perfect fix for my lazy ass.

Kyle W

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #48 on: February 29, 2012, 05:15:10 PM »
Hello I'm Kyle

I'm currently a student studying Child and Adolescent Development at the lovely CSUF

I did my part at started at a local community college.  My parents are quite mustachians themselves and saved up enough  money for my college education I should get out debt free, thank you parents!!

I don't have any debt but I do have a weakness for gadgets and buying stupid crap.

I currently run a small bookstore locally part time and love it, sales are fun.

I'm currently typing this out at our local Library that I rode my bike to, I was inspired by some of the recent posts so I I drank the medicine and I feel good. 

Also tried the raw oats in normal cereal, a little chew, a lot more filling.

Anyway that's me

Aloysius_Poutine

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  • Posts: 127
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: canada
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #49 on: March 01, 2012, 12:10:14 AM »
Hey everyone, I'm 28, married, very close to having a first child, and very close to finishing my university degree here in Victoria, BC, Canada.

I've been awful with money my whole life. I've been in some form of debt continuously since I was 16 years old, when my parents lent me money to buy a dirt bike. I think they wanted to teach me a lesson about how it feels to be in debt. They probably didn't expect me to think, "this isn't so bad- and now I have a dirtbike!"

My wife came from a frugal family, while I'm from a family of high income spenders. She convinced me to start changing my ways, and this lead me to this whole financial independence idea.

I'm about $30K below zero on student loans, and I have a $175K mortgage on a condo, which I'll one day need to swap up to a house (around $500K).

I'm firming up my career path decision in the coming months. Regardless of what career I pursue, I plan to work for 15-20 years and live off the nestegg of 50%+ savings.

Anyway, nice to be here. I love learning the way of the 'stash!