Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315966 times)

Little House

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1000 on: January 12, 2014, 07:18:08 PM »
I'm Little House. I own Little House in the Valley, a blog about personal finance and little houses. I absolutely love little house architecture, the idea of living in a Tuff Shed, and enjoy riding my bike. I've been following Mr. Money Mustache for a few months now and enjoy reading the articles. Working on living a simpler life...in Los Angeles of all places!


LibraryGirl

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1001 on: January 12, 2014, 07:26:49 PM »
Hi everyone!  I'm Kim, I'm in my early 30s, and I have a whole pile of debt that makes me feel so insecure.  To me, financial independence is really about feeling comfortable and stable.  I have really started to tackle the debt in the last couple months, and then I found Mr. Money Mustache.  I'm obsessed with the blog and excited about the idea of biking to work.  When I used to bike everywhere, I also happened to weigh 40 pounds less with no effort, so I'm hoping to kill two birds with one commute.

Nice to meet you all!

RobsEG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1002 on: January 13, 2014, 05:05:04 PM »
hey there mustachians! I'm Rob from Jacksonville Florida. 25 and married with 2 kids. been reading the blog for about a year now (on and off) in order and I'm currently on April 2013 articles.

thought I was already pretty decent with my money till I found this blog. hah was that a joke. tweaked some of my spending and went from saving 6% to about 20% of our take home pay. joined the forums so I can keep learning and saving! on the road to financial independence, just looking for the shortest route :D

ginastarke

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1003 on: January 14, 2014, 02:43:20 AM »
Hi, Gina in Oregon here, hub , no kids, paying off the zombie debts from a much scarier period as we track them down, but nothing recent. We cut our expenses to the bone saving for last year's vacation and realized we liked it. Since that worked so well, we're  putting that money  towards savings- including saving for a clown-mobile for when a hoped-for promotion to another city happens, and  more into retirement just in case I decide I want to retire someday.

I work in customer service for a bank and easily 60-70% of the customers I talk to are on  Social Security or otherwise right at the financial edge. Watching what those people go through is a horrifying learning experience, so it's a big motivator.

jugglingcontinents

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1004 on: January 15, 2014, 07:35:15 AM »
Hello,

I'm A, and I'm a 30 year old working professional in the Netherlands. I'm new to Mustachianism but I can't wait to get started on the path to FI. My fiancé and I are both expats (him: German, me: Indian) and though we're moderate savers, we haven't done a thing with our money until now! We've both been scared to invest since we're not clear which country we'll eventually end up living in (NL, India or DE).

I'm hoping that with FI as a goal we can ramp up our savings rate, take the plunge re: investing and live a more conscious and environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Eventually, I'd like us to have the option to work part-time, and have more time for our (hypothetical) kids/ traveling/ hobbies/ growing our own veggies/ afternoon naps.

Thanks for reading and nice to meet you all!!

moonsalute

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1005 on: January 16, 2014, 05:02:04 PM »
Hi! I'm juli in PA.  2 kids, 3 dogs, 1 bird and a husband.  My kids cost a lot of $.  So does my husband.  But I'm determined! I'm 44, live a higher middle class lifestyle.  But still, the only things that make me happy are not material... they are found in nature.  Hiking, biking, and trad climbing.  That's my weakness.  Its hard to be frugal on climbing gear :) 

I'm made fun of for my sustainability as I call it.  I don't like to waste energy, food, water..  I'm not the "normal" mom or neighbor!  Glad I found MMM.  More folks like myself :)

The Guru

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1006 on: January 16, 2014, 06:12:17 PM »
Another Pennsylvanian (Erie)- just joined after a year or so of lurking. At 58, I guess I'm not the typical Mustachian; "early retirement" is off the board for me, but having parlayed 30+ years of below-average wages (don't get me wrong- I enjoy my work) into an above-average net worth I'm happy to be in a position to retire "eventually".  I married for the first time in 2012 and enjoy bikiing, gardening and our two cats.

horsepoor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1007 on: January 17, 2014, 03:38:03 PM »
As my user name indicates, I'm a horse person, a decidedly non-mustachian life choice.  Luckily, I enjoy my career for the most part, and being a government employee, I have no intention of cutting bait before I'm fully vested with my pension.  However, I have some stupid, albeit-low-interest debt to dig out of, and would enjoy more peace of mind through having a healthy nest egg outside of my retirement account and fewer monthly bills to worry about.  I've finally made the mental shift that is going to get me off the spendy treadmill of doom.

Fortunately, I have a healthy income and reasonable expenses, as well as a penchant for DIY-ing, which includes training my own horses and even trimming their feet instead of paying someone else to do the job.  Goals for this year are to exterminate my credit card debt, start a Vanguard account, and accelerate payments on my car while increasing contributions to my retirement account.  Have already taken some steps to switch from Verizon to Republic, get rid of my gym membership, lower my grocery bill, put myself on a discretionary budget with Mint, and shop for cheaper insurance.  Excited to start seeing the results!

CJY

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1008 on: January 17, 2014, 04:16:07 PM »
Hi everyone!

I'm Carla, age 33 (almost 34), in Toronto.  I started reading the blog a few months ago after it was featured in the National Post.  I read "Your Money or Your Life" during university and have always been inspired by the "crossover point".  MMM has reminded me about the importance of lowering expenses.  I'm currently writing a case study, just have to be brave enough to post it!

Good luck to everyone on their journey to FI!

brianeboatman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1009 on: January 17, 2014, 04:42:32 PM »
My name is Brian Boatman. I live in Nevada and am a retirement savings "nut". I can't wait to meet all of you and get motivation from you! This is such a badass site. Thank you to Mr. Money Mustache for creating such a cool site and forum. This is something that I've thought of doing. No need, already done!

I'm 37 and plan to retire at 55. I've worked for the Nevada State government for the past 11 years and will to 17 more. The idea is to retire...for good. I don't want to be like so many others I know and retire, just to go back to work a short time later. I will be prepared to hang it up for good at age 55....no excuses!

TreeTired

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1010 on: January 17, 2014, 07:37:58 PM »
Howdy,   MJ  age 60.  Just read the article on Marketwatch.com  and many of the themes resonated.   My last job ended 6 years ago and we sold the house in NJ and moved to NC.    Only recently have I been willing to refer to myself as "retired."    Love what you have (things AND people).   Don't love what you don't have. 

Kaminoge

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1011 on: January 19, 2014, 09:35:10 AM »
Greetings all!

I'm Kaminoge. 40, currently in Bulgaria but originally Australian (although its a long time since I lived there).

I've always had a frugal bent (thanks mum and dad!) but haven't had any specific goals (apart from saving enough to ensure I could retire some time in the vague future). Recently  however I've become intrigued by the ideas of minimalism and FI. I haven't yet worked out what I need to do to make that happen but I'm looking forward to learning.

Financially I'm in pretty good shape. No debt except for very large mortgages but those are all on investment properties that are doing nicely. I'm here to learn, to rethink my strategies and to seriously consider whether ER could be on the cards for me. Right now I'm not earning much (Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in Europe) but if I wanted to up my salary I could easily go back to Asia (before I moved here I was in Tokyo).

oceanowl

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1012 on: January 19, 2014, 01:08:37 PM »
Hi All,
I've been lurking and reading for a long time, decided it was about time to get actively into the conversations, as I find so many of the discussions to be really interesting and relevant to my own life. I'm 39, married, with a 2 year old. I have serious need to be outdoors as much as possible, and the family spends a whole lot of time hiking, biking and paddling around.

I was a serious over-schooler (M.A. in Anthropology, M.Ed in Reading) and horrific under-earner for a long time, and did all kinds of programs/volunteerism/internships/travel etc through my 20s that allowed me to feel good about giving back to the world around me, but left me in a pretty shabby financial situation(living off credit cards during grad school, giving up paid but boring work for travel opportunities, etc. I have since majorly reformed) While I don't regret the life experiences, I am only just about to finish paying off the results of some poor credit card choices.  Mr. Owl is a saver and planner with a very good salary, but waaaaay more conservative in terms of following the traditional retirement path. He doesn't buy into the idea of retiring early, mostly because he doesn't think it would be possible. We own a duplex and rent out the other half. We live below our means, but could easily increase what we save and detonate the house/loan debt, But I have to make the argument for why that would be something worth a little bit of sacrifice for. Since he's hardly ever had debt other than house debt he doesn't have the same kind of aversion to it that I have, since I've felt how crippling it can be to life options and choices. But hey, small steps.

Goals for 2014
- Plan for transition into staying home as of June. We can easily have me do this and still live below our means, but I want to find some side hustles that will help me get rid of the student loan debt ASAP while I am home and that could transition into something that I could ramp up as the kiddo needs less intense care. The nice thing is that while staying home I will have the time to implement a lot of cost saving measures that we don't do now, so with this and by ditching ridiculous daycare costs and a facepunch worthy commute to my current job, we aren't actually losing much by having me home.

-Annihilate the last shred of credit card debt (March) and build up as much of a cash cushion as possible before June.

-Several health related goals- priority needs to be on increasing cardio workouts to 4x a week. So far so good with that one. (I have recently realized that 2 years is probably far past the point where I can claim that "baby weight" is what's slowing me down) Our community is not super bikeable for errands. I ride the main road by us on my rec rides, but I'm nervous about having the kiddo in a bike trailer with all the crazy traffic. We'll see if I can find some ways to make this happen.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!




oddients

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1013 on: January 19, 2014, 05:28:19 PM »
Hello everybody!

I'm a college dropout, a polyglot, a linguaphile, and an avid cyclist. I've been working in IT and VoIP for a long time. I excel at what I do, but I am also aware that I am very lucky and privileged and make way more than I need. I travel a lot for different projects, but I don't pay for that. Additionally, I work my main project remotely, out of the USA, so I plan to take the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion this year. I'm 29, single, and childfree, and I'm on my way to FI within 4 years.   I have never owned a home, and the only time I have ever had a car was in high school when my parents gave me their old one. I got rid of it when I moved out at 18. I save the majority of what I make. I don't keep a super tight budget, but that's because I don't spend much to begin with. I spend about $100 a month on food and $200 a month on alcohol. I have some expensive electronics, but they are pretty much required for work. I have always rented, and it's worked out very well. I'd like to have my own place though, so I am saving up for one.

Goals for 2014:
-Max out solo 401k
-Max out Roth IRA (backdoor)
-Save enough to buy a house outright in 2015
-Find a house / property that I want to buy and live in. Or keep renting and save / invest that money.
-Get dental work done. I'm not having any problems but I bet I have a few cavities.

Nice to meet you all!
« Last Edit: January 19, 2014, 05:46:03 PM by oddients »

maoriwarrior

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1014 on: January 20, 2014, 12:16:47 AM »
Greetings, fellow mustachians,

My name is Don and I work as an IT specialist for a government agency in North Carolina.  Many thanks to MMM for the stupendous blog and forum. You have truly changed my life. I own a house,  have a mortgage that I've reduced the interest rate down to 3.5%, and I rent two rooms out.  Thanks to MMM's suggestions here on the blog,  I've reduced my electricity / heating bill by 12% by switching to LEDs and CFLs,  and tossed $300 of R30 insulation rolls into my attic. I've upgraded to an energy efficient unit, swapped out an old range for a new Energy Star range. I've installed new siding on my house. From the standpoint to recycling usable items and keeping them out of landfills, I've donated tools, the leftover extra siding and guttering, and a used ceiling fan to Habitat for Humanity. I've sold a bike on Craigslist and turned around and bought a new (used) one. I'm a workout hog, but I've reduced my monthly gym fees from $75 to $10 using discounts based on age, number of workouts, and referrals. I volunteer at SCORE as a business mentor; SCORE is a nationwide organization that helps entrepreneurs start and stay in business.  I use my Paypal credit card for all my point-of-sale purchases on shopping, grocery, pharmacy, and gasoline instead of my bank debit card and get 1% back at the beginning of the month for every purchase - it's like getting several hundred dollars for free each year!  I use my employer's health savings account, which by taking pre-tax dollars, reduces my end-of-year taxes, while simultaneously reimbursing me for pharmacy and doctor visits.  I've switched my investments over to TD Ameritrade, so that I can track them better, view reports more intuitively online, and reduced my broker fees.  Thanks for all the suggestions - - MMM and Mrs. MMM do a fantastic job!

Silvie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1015 on: January 20, 2014, 12:33:16 PM »
Wow Don, that should be in the celebrations topic :) Well done!

daynavanna

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I'm Dayna.
« Reply #1016 on: January 20, 2014, 01:19:12 PM »
Hi all --  I'm Dayna.  I'm 28 and I live in northern New Hampshire.  I was introduced to MMM through the YNAB podcast and forums.  As I've found myself quite addicted to learning more and more about my personal finances through the YNAB boards, I figured I'd branch out and join another fiscally-minded community.  I'm just now starting my journey to become more financially independent.  It's going to be a long road, I'm sure, but I've started the first steps just in learning and starting to budget. 

Wishiknew

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1017 on: January 20, 2014, 03:00:51 PM »
Hi, I came across MMM on Marketwatch and spent Sunday reading the posts... am up to June 2012.  My handle is "Wish I knew".  I retired on January 10th at the age of 64 after working in the Corporate Tax world for over 30 years.  I'm not in the age group of most of the MMM forum, but have already gleaned several useful gold nuggets.  I purchased a new Rav last year for cash (my 2000 Camry had 185,000 miles and needed about $3,000 worth of work).  I plan to travel across the U.S. (often alone) and thought a new vehicle made sense... especially as I plan to keep it for at least fifteen years, now I need a rethink.   Secondly I have been paying a financial planner to manage my funds as I was always too busy to learn about investing enough to competently handle my future.  Being risk aversive, I only lost 15% in the recession.  I can save buko bucks by managing my funds myself, but I need some suggestions as to which books to read first.  My fear isn't that I didn't save enough for retirement(no pension), but that I'll lose it through bad investments when I do need to leave an estate for my 43 year son who is disabled with traumatic brain injury from being hit by a car when he was three.  Any thoughts?

RugosaB

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1018 on: January 20, 2014, 07:49:46 PM »
Hi, from a 55 yr old wife, with a 57 yr old husband, of almost 33 years.
We live in Ohio, in farm country. I'm the country gal, learned frugal-ness at birth from my parents, married to the city guy, whose parents never heard the word frugal. He moved out here and more or less became countrified and frugal-fied.

We bought a house that no one even looked at when it was listed, a year before we were married. We put in a new heat system, new wiring, new plumbing, the list goes on, and never hired anyone until we added on, and then it was just the shell.  We did the rest. My dad was a field tile contractor, we even put in a new septic system and tiled the yard ( for drainage - around here it's necessary)
We bought our house, on an acre, for 45,000, the mortgage was for 35,000 in 1980. The mortgage was at 12%!!!! So when we had enough money saved to refinance, we figured what the heck and we just paid it off in 1989.
Not bad for 2 college-degree-less blue collar kids who started with 0!

I became a SAHM when our first, of 3, was born, with the plan to go back to work when they were bigger. My husband moved up in his job to a point that it was a smarter decision for me to not work. He talks about retiring when he's 62 but I know he won't even consider retiring before then. Up until last year we had to have his health insurance at work because our daughter has a health situation that no ins company would touch her and his employer has included children up to their 26th birthday for the last 15 years. Now she gets insurance through college and with Obamacare now, I think she'll be ok.

The money we invested when we were younger is now paying off, last year the investments value grew to twice what his income was. I think he likes his job though, where they have him now is worthy of his intelligence imo.

Love reading the posts and thankful I was allowed to join

Yoke

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1019 on: January 20, 2014, 08:49:57 PM »
Hello. Like-minded young person joining here. Always preferred simple living and being "boring." Most of my friends are 30 to 40 years older than me. People have told me that there may be a 50 year old man living inside me. I'm sure their opinion had nothing to do with my appetite for a morning bowl of bran flakes. I also own a 1995 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite. Beautiful luxury vehicle.

Graduated high school last spring. Parents got divorced. Taking a year to work, save money, and rebuild my personal "foundation." Going to school for engineering this coming fall. Will try to avoid debt like the plague.

Have enjoyed the works of Jacob of ERE, Dave Ramsey, David of Raptitude, Elliott Hulse, Mavis at onehundreddollarsamonth.com, Mr. MM of course, and some other random people of the Internet that have influenced me. Here's to you, Internet People.

I'm starting my life fresh on the premise that I suck and have much room for improvement...in everything.

I hope to become a badass, but unfortunately, I don't think a mustache would fit my face. (Metaphorical mustache here I come.)

JetsettingWelfareMom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1020 on: January 21, 2014, 03:54:35 AM »
Hello;
Married with two girls. Greetings from Bangkok.

jhartt3

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1021 on: January 21, 2014, 06:39:43 AM »
I'm new here and just feeling my way around.  I have been adamantly saving since i graduated from college 3.5 years ago.  Including my home equity my wife and i have around 210k saved up for retirement.  This is all in 401k's, Roth IRA, Home equity, and my company ESOP plan.  If i remove my equity we have 158K in those retirement accounts.  I'm 27 years old now and until i ran across this blog had assumed i would need about 5MM a saved minimum to retire.  and had my sights set on retiring at 45.  After seeing this blog and understanding how many of these habbits I already use.  I believe 35-40 could be a realistic option.  My only current problem is convincing my wife. 

My non mustachian habits:

-I am an avid wakeboarder - i own a boat - i live in a lake community (though this is the most affordable lake community in the- KC area)  ---- The boat i own actually has equity in it as i bought an older one at a very good price. 
-We travel a ton.  Probably to the tune of how much MMM traveled in his early days.  I try to do this as affordably as possible and having thousands of airline miles and a SW companion pass helps most of this be very cheap.  we probably spend 400/month on travel
-car loans - my wife has 3.5 years left on her ford escape (2010) not going to be able to convince her to get rid of this... but the interest rate is 0 so i'll let her pay that off and cont. My truck (UGHHH) i got a ford escape hybrid last year with the intent to sell my truck as i dont need it.  Still havent sold it but i can get 45 MPGs in my hybrid driving correctly.  Just really need to ditch this truck
- we probably spend a bit too much at bars with friends each month 100 a week maybe.  This is insane and I will put a stop to it

Current goals:
Go to 4 day 32 hour weeks by 32 so i can spend time with my future kids.  (this has been my biggest worry as i have a higher stress, travel alot engineering job.)
Thanks everyone for reading glad i found this forum
 

Mr. Liberty

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1022 on: January 21, 2014, 08:26:10 PM »
Sup peeps?
New here, lived an interesting life so far.  Just turned 35.  Disabled american vet, pinching pennies just to see myself slipping farther into dept.  But maybe this site & the people here can help keep me motivated to change some of that nonsense.  Looking forward to finding out anyway.

Valdas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1023 on: January 22, 2014, 02:11:04 AM »
Hi,
My name is Valdas, I live in Vilnius, Lithuania. (if there are more Lithuanians, send me msg). 27years old. I work as a project manager in advertising industry. Due the cultural and mom influence managed to avoid big debts (just 1000 USD, student loan). Saving rate just starts to improve, now ~about 40-50%.
Found this blog few months ago, and finally made all articles :) I like MMM perspective of life and money, actually its pretty similar to mine - frugality policy. BUT this blog gave me a good kick-wave that I need to keep that direction, that I am not alone. Tips are great.

Goal: Save for new home for me and my new family and then retire at ~33.

Workinghard

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1024 on: January 22, 2014, 04:24:12 AM »
I doubt if anyone reads these, but here goes. Lol.  I've always lived debt free and below my means.  My husband not so much. After we were married 22 years ago, I found out he owed ~40k between his car, credit cards, and home improvement loan. It took 4 years to pay it off and be plus 60k. That was working 40/60hrs a week even while pregnant as an ER nurse. We still haven't reached FI because I quit working for 10 years. We're back on track though and I'm hoping our net worth will reach 1m in 2016--the year my dh will retire at 66. I'm also hoping he will be able to work per diem for extra spending money. I'll continue working and we can easily live off my income (if I remain FT at the same company) his social security, and continue to save a little.

Mr. Liberty

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1025 on: January 22, 2014, 05:12:13 AM »
I doubt if anyone reads these, but here goes. Lol.

Glad to hear you are back on track
:)

Milspecstache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1026 on: January 22, 2014, 05:40:23 PM »
35yo and 6 years to go to military retirement.  We live off of a small portion of my income and use the rest to pay off our house mortgage (5yr loan ends March 2014) followed by the mortgages on 2 rental properties I also own.

I've also been frugal, at least by the standards of my friends, but MMM takes it to a whole new level.  Already learned much but had to create a forum account to start asking questions.  This forum is a real gold-mine of advice.

nvmama

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1027 on: January 22, 2014, 06:24:57 PM »
Hi everyone.  I'm new here.  I stumbled across MMM when asking google a financial question.  I'm glad I found this site.  I am 36 yr old who lives in the southeastern part of Massachusetts.  I'm originally from Wisconsin.  I have a husband and 2 wonderful children (6yr and 3yr old).  I have always been a fairly frugal person, and my husband is the "saver" of his family, but in his family that is not saying too much as they are all pretty big spenders.  We have some debt that we are working on paying off from one big slightly impulsive decision, and our home mortgage.  Both of our vehicles are paid off and I had paid for my college education by working while going to college and never had to take out a loan.  Even though we are chipping away at our debt, I would like to do so in much bigger chunks, but unfortunately I keep running into the huge roadblock that is my husband.  Even though he is not a crazy spender he is more of a "live for today" type of guy.  You should have heard his reaction to me wanting to just cut back the cable service, He nixed that idea.  Anyways, I have enjoyed this site and hopefully I will be able to make some of the small changes while working on my husband.

jpoysti

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1028 on: January 22, 2014, 07:04:37 PM »
Hi fellow Mustachians.

I'm a 23 year old guy from North Carolina. I'm still in college studying Finance (at NC State) because I have been always fascinated with the allocation of capital. Personally I've been a semi-frugal type since childhood, though gadgets have been a weakness in the past. Discovering the MMM blog via WaPo last April has greatly improved my financial efficiency.
I'm not lucky enough to have parents paying for my school so I'm taking on some debt but I plan to pay it off within a few years of graduating.
If anyone in the Raleigh/Triangle area is meeting up definitely inform me! I'd love to meet fellow mustachians especially those more senior than I.

rick1028

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1029 on: January 22, 2014, 09:48:24 PM »
Hi my name is Ricky, I am married with one wonderful little 2 yr old girl and another child on the way.  I am ready to work towards obtaining my families financial freedom.  I do have debt buy not an obscene amount but I hope to be debt free (other than my house this year).  Thanks.

Ricky.

Travis

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1030 on: January 23, 2014, 01:11:03 AM »
Hello everyone.  I discovered MMM through being a YNAB user for the last year, though I'm only just now finishing MMM's posts from 2011.  I have no debt and I think I'm doing very well in preparing for retirement, but I'm always looking to do better.  I'm an officer in the US Army and have 10 more years before I retire.  This may or may not be an MMM-style retirement depending how the numbers look by then.  My biggest financial goal is once I retire from the Army we find a house and pay it off as fast as possible.

Ashyukun

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1031 on: January 23, 2014, 08:43:45 AM »
Joined up yesterday but just now finally getting around to an introduction post.

Found the site thanks to a thread on the car forum I frequent, Grassroots Motorsports, and as I'm having to do a lot of trimming in my spending thanks to having a house that just does NOT want to sell and for a while having to soak both the mortgage and rent at my fiancee's place have definitely welcomed some of the advice I've found here. Said fiancee is actually far better at the whole MMM-style living thing than I am as she's always had a much lower income than I have.

AdrianC

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1032 on: January 23, 2014, 11:23:31 AM »
Hello. Just joined the community. Only heard of MMM last week. Been reading the blogs. Great stuff.
We are sort of Millionaire Next Door types rather than MMM types at this stage. Still working (self employed consultant). Investment returns at a 4% SWR would easily cover expenses, but that is partly due to the terrific market gains of last year. I want a bit more margin of safety.
So, still working while the work is there. Making hay while the sun shines, so to speak.

Torran

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1033 on: January 23, 2014, 12:04:51 PM »
Hello,

I'm new here although I've been lurking around reading posts. I love the open minded attitude on this forum as well as the decency and ingenuity of folk living a little differently to the norm and helping each other to stay motivated.

I'm in my twenties, female, single, live in Scotland, and have been in thrall to consumerism for most of my life. I spent the last 10 years shopping instead of living. Recently woke up a little bit and realised life is something completely different to what I thought it was, and nobody cares what shoes you're wearing anyway. Thoroughly enjoy the antics of MMM.

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1034 on: January 23, 2014, 12:25:37 PM »
Welcome to the forum, Torran!  Isn't it so exciting to have woken up from the consumer fog?  (It happened to me as well.)

Are you from Scotland originally? Scotland is near the top of my list for places to visit.

NewStachian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1035 on: January 24, 2014, 01:22:30 PM »
Hi, everyone! I'm very excited to be here. I only recently found this site, but I've had Mustachian tendencies for well over a decade! I'm 30, just got married and bought a house last year, and just got my wife into MMM. She isn't as hardcore as me, but definitely not hooked by the consumer mindset either.

I have a few Antimustachian things going for me right now, but that's okay. My house was a bit pricey (700k, 3.8k/month), but it's exactly where my wife and I wanted to be, allows me to bike to work, and still lets us bank over 40% of our savings each year. We're also renting out our basement to a good friend of ours to mitigate the costs.

I'm on the site to learn more about what all of you have done and see if I can adopt more of those principles for myself. I'm relatively handy around the house but am looking to get into more carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work. I plan on starting small, and don't worry, I have a multimeter to check for voltage first!

I'm also a casual iOS developer, trying to get myself a little passive revenue stream from that ;)

economist

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1036 on: January 26, 2014, 10:07:29 AM »
Hello,
I'm Tom, I found the blog through the WaPo interview. I was already into personal finance but but reading MMM really inspired me to take things to the next level. Current situation: Recent grad, tons of student loans (which I was treating as an emergency even before coming here) and a low-paying entry level job. Hoping to learn from the community.

SweetLife

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Hi
« Reply #1037 on: January 27, 2014, 12:32:08 PM »
My name is Sherry and I have started the slow process of "mustashioism" ... love how very helpful everyone seems! I am not one to ask for help normally (last of 5 kids and terribly independent...) BUT I know when I am over my head :) AND my husband and I are welcoming a "0% chance of having a child on your own" baby in a little over 6 months ... at 43yrs old.


SheepInWolfsClothing

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1038 on: January 27, 2014, 09:39:47 PM »
Hi everybody,

I'm a college student and I want to maximize my potential so I may retire/completely outsmart the system at a young age.

Looking forward to meeting you all. Thank you.


Czechgal

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1039 on: January 28, 2014, 12:52:30 PM »
Hi, I'm Trish.  42 yo recently divorced < year (yea) single mom of 2 ages 10 & 7.  I am currently in nursing school and should graduate in December 2014.  I have cc debt < 5k.  Student loans apporox 25k ouch!  Im going to school full time so my only income is child support and a part time job that pays very little.  Monthly income is about $900 (rent is $750).  Once I finish school my goal is FI within 15 yrs. Thankfully my kids & I have gotten used to living on so little.


mo mo hawk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1040 on: January 28, 2014, 03:09:05 PM »
Greetings from Chicago!

I've spent the last few weeks reading MMM's posts and it's lit a bit of a fire under my ass.  Looking fwd to getting some much needed advice and hopefully doling out a wise crack or two as I join this journey with you all.

-mo

Cherry Lane

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1041 on: January 28, 2014, 08:46:36 PM »
Howdy from Virginia!

I've always been naturally frugal.  Never had debt aside from mortgage and car-loans-of-convenience (that is: had the cash, but why spend it when you can get a 1-2% loan?).  Building up a nice little nest egg.  Thought I was doing well, even convinced myself I should be spending more of my money, live it up a little.  After all, with my savings rate I'd still have plenty to live on by the time I'm 60 or so. 

So, shortly after spending 50% more on a car than I'd ever spent, or even considered spending before, I happened across MMM a few months ago.  Yes, I facepunched myself for buying that car.  No, I didn't sell the car.  I've since read all the blog posts and >75% of all the comments.  I started biking to work (3 mi each way, two of the three days per week that I commute) in November, and have so far kept that up.  I'm about to institute a complainypants 20F threshold on biking, though, as it took me 3 hours to warm up after last Thursday's 13F commute.

MMM has cost me money already, too.  The first post I read was the first one about MVNO wireless phone service.  Where I had been spending ~$100/year on prepaid service (voice/text), I've now switched to an MVNO at $10/month ($120/year) because:  on ATT (instead of TMobile) I can get service in my house - yay!, and now I have voice/text/data, for the every-once-in-a-while it is handy to have data access.  I think that's worth the extra $20/year.

I'm 39.5 and have decided I'll be retired by 50.  I have now about half what I'll need for true FI, but I'll have some healthy pensions kicking in at age 60 to help.  So I only need be semi-mustachian.  I'm now in the process of refinancing my mortgage to a 10-year loan, so the timing of the end of my loan will match up nicely with the end of my working.

For the first time ever, I've computed my after-tax spending/saving rate.  In 2013 I saved 49%/spent 51% (considering mortgage principal to be saving, not spending), and not considering buying the new car. (facepunching myself again)  Can I pay off the car in 2014 and still save 50%?  Maybe.  Can I pull the plug on cable and stop having someone else clean my house?  Well, one of those is much more likely than the other.  Perhaps my fellow mustachians can help.

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1042 on: January 28, 2014, 11:54:50 PM »
Can I pull the plug on cable and stop having someone else clean my house?  Well, one of those is much more likely than the other.  Perhaps my fellow mustachians can help.

Are you asking if we can help clean your house??

Just kidding.  ;-)

Welcome to the forum!!

HappyCamper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1043 on: January 29, 2014, 03:24:21 AM »
Hi, I'm a Happy Camper! Recently retired but my awesome husband is still working :( Hope to learn a lot here so we can both be free!

MWorkman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1044 on: January 29, 2014, 09:53:35 AM »
Good Morning To All,

Brand New Mustachian here and I must say this is exactly what our family has been looking for. The information and direction it provides are what most of us deep down know but weren't willing to follow. I'm happy and blessed to have found my way to the realm of Badassity and looking forward to the journey that lies ahead.

Matt from North Carolina

Greybeard

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1045 on: January 29, 2014, 03:46:47 PM »
Hello,
Found MMM via the recent article on Marketwatch.  I thought I was frugal and about ready to retire until I started reading the blog.  Many posts still to go, but I'm taking notes.
My wife and I are both employed with a gross income of around $160K and debt free except for a 4.5 year 2.99 percent loan on a 4x4 for about $25K taken last year following a collision that totaled my 13 year old debt-free truck. (Not our fault and no one seriously hurt).  I know I should punch myself in the face because now my fuel economy sucks and I bought it new. I am fortunate, however, in that I have a third car that I could sell and use the proceeds to cut the loan balance in half.  It is just a way overpowered toy anyway.
We have about $650K split beyween two almost equal 401K accounts.
I want to to leave my current job in three years and retire (at age 58). My wife plans to work until she is 58 (five more years). Our plan is to start picking up an early $1,200 per month pension from my previous employer in April and for my wife to pick up her early pension of about $1,000 per month when she is 55 in 3 years.  Based on what we can save from our jobs between now and then, we should have about $30,000 to 35,000 per year to live on debt-free for 18 months until I hit 59 1/2 and can start drawing 401K money if neded.  She gets to do the same a few years later, and then Social Security can kick in at 62, if we feel like it.
Are we almost there, or am I missing something? 
   

sherr

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1046 on: January 30, 2014, 09:21:28 AM »
Hello,
Found MMM via the recent article on Marketwatch.  I thought I was frugal and about ready to retire until I started reading the blog.  Many posts still to go, but I'm taking notes.
My wife and I are both employed with a gross income of around $160K and debt free except for a 4.5 year 2.99 percent loan on a 4x4 for about $25K taken last year following a collision that totaled my 13 year old debt-free truck. (Not our fault and no one seriously hurt).  I know I should punch myself in the face because now my fuel economy sucks and I bought it new. I am fortunate, however, in that I have a third car that I could sell and use the proceeds to cut the loan balance in half.  It is just a way overpowered toy anyway.
We have about $650K split between two almost equal 401K accounts.
I want to to leave my current job in three years and retire (at age 58). My wife plans to work until she is 58 (five more years). Our plan is to start picking up an early $1,200 per month pension from my previous employer in April and for my wife to pick up her early pension of about $1,000 per month when she is 55 in 3 years.  Based on what we can save from our jobs between now and then, we should have about $30,000 to 35,000 per year to live on debt-free for 18 months until I hit 59 1/2 and can start drawing 401K money if neded.  She gets to do the same a few years later, and then Social Security can kick in at 62, if we feel like it.
Are we almost there, or am I missing something? 

Welcome! If you want a more detailed answer you should post the question somewhere like Ask A Mustachian.

It all depends on how much you spend in a year. Your two pensions alone will give you income of $26k a year, which is actually quite easy to live simply-but-well on (especially if you have a paid-off home). Add in 4% a year of your 401k balance and that's another $26k a year, not to mention whatever social security is when that kicks in. If you're used to living on $25k a year then you're afloat in a vast sea of money and can both retire this second (assuming you could get the second pension this second...).

If however you're used to living off of $100k a year you'll have to do a bit more figuring. How much will you expenses decline when you stop working and stop having to commute / maintain a professional wardrobe / etc? What if anything are you willing to give up about your current lifestyle to drop your yearly (hypothetical) expenses from $100k to $50k?

There are certainly things you'll want to think about like the increasing possibility of expensive medical care as you age, but I'd say you are very close if not there already (for comparison, my goal is $900k in investments (no pension) and a paid-off home, and I think that's a very generous amount of money).

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1047 on: January 30, 2014, 10:54:56 AM »
Hello all. I'm Jordan, a Software Engineer in Colorado Springs. Been a lurker for a while, and was hardcore enough to read every article (made an ebook too, but I just found out that someone beat me to it). With the help of the optimism gun and thinking big, I quit my job where I was under appreciated, under challenged, and under paid and just threw my resume out there. Managed to land an 82% increase in pay by the end of the first week. I stumbled across MMM about a year ago because I picked a weird keyword when looking for a Marks Daily Apple article (I've been primal since December 2012). I read http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/08/07/mr-money-mustache-vs-marks-daily-apple/ and started poking around. And by poking around, I mean I started with the first article. In that single sitting, I got to the point where MMM and The Realist combined into one being. I was hooked, and have been ever since.

Where am I now?
I suck. Since I had been reading this blog, I was able to maintain my current spending level even though I got that huge "raise". I've used GnuCash for 7 years, and track every penny. I recently set up a Mint account, now that I am concerned about my net worth. That being said, even with a savings percentage of around 40%, and no debts with interest > 3.5%, I still spend way too much. I have one more big purchase to make this week (it's been on my list for a long time), and then I'm kicking it into high gear for sure. I live in the Springs, bike to work relatively often (not 100% though, which is dumb), and make a very clown like commute to Denver twice a month for work (I am planning on biking the 150 mile round trip some time in April though).
I call myself a Mustachian in Training (even put it on my G+ page and work email signature) because I've got the philosophy down, but I have some huge areas to work on.
  • I drive a Jeep Cherokee that gets something like 17 mpg. I have to replace the engine this spring, so I'm thinking about making it as Mustachian as possible (35 mpg+). If I can't, I'll switch to biking everywhere, and just go without.
  • I am a god awful procrastinator (although that is getting better)
  • I smoke...to the tune of $2237.14 for 2013
  • I drink...a lot. I don't have last year's data in Mint, but in December I spent $269

So that's where I am. It's actually a bit depressing when I put it into words, since it's all very obvious that I continue to make dumb choices...daily. I finally just got my domain (jordanread.com), and found a decent blog engine, so I'll be writing down my experiences there. Maybe publicly putting it out there will prevent me from sucking. Who knows?

Anyway, glad to be here, and look forward to talking to you all.

NCintheDMV

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1048 on: January 31, 2014, 08:27:25 PM »
Hello so I have been reading the blog and lurking in the forum for a while now.  I am a single late 20's female that lives in the DMV which stands for DC/MD/Virginia area.  Since reading this blog I have paid off my car :) and I am working to pay off my student loans.  I am looking forward to reading and learning more this forum.  I have a great interest in personal finance and teaching people how to budget, etc. 

Drunkandgreasy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1049 on: February 01, 2014, 10:44:08 AM »
First day here, learned lots already...I'll post my question ASAP....
Btw, hello!

Cheers and beers
Hodge