Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315981 times)

Hank

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1500 on: July 27, 2014, 06:39:06 PM »
Hello.  28 and married with one on the way!  I've been in the military for about 5 years now.  My wife and I have student loans from college.  No mortgage.  No credit card debt (recent accomplishment).  Maxing out TSP/Roth TSP in addition to a Roth IRA.  Came across this beauty of a blog and have been a lurker for about 5 months now.  Looking for ways to save, invest and adjust my lifestyle to gain FI.

Cheers!
Hank


Fenicio

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1501 on: July 28, 2014, 03:33:22 AM »
Hello! I go by the nickname of Fenicio and have been lurking around here for a year, now, since I'm now living with my SO i decided to make an account and ask for delicious advice.

I'm 27 without debts, started working 2 years ago, since I started debt free and living under the caring wing of my father I've been allowed to save a lot in these 2 years even though my current salary is not so optimal.

What I'm more interested in now is in making my little stash work for me.

kagrady

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1502 on: July 28, 2014, 07:57:02 PM »
Hello,

I've been reading for about a year and ready to step up my commitment.  I am married with 3 kids.  I love the MMM philosophy and I am trying to enchant my family with it.  There's been some accommodation, but the rest of the family is not fully on board.   

We recently sold our nutty too big house and we are moving into a smaller townhouse.  I am looking forward to putting the difference toward real savings and reducing our environmental impact.

It's been frustrating breaking free of the old money ways.  When we put our house on the market we had to put a lot of money into making the house ready to sell.  It feels like in making the big switch there is still pulls at us to spend, spend spend.

I am looking forward to interacting with more folks in the community.

breakfast

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1503 on: July 31, 2014, 09:23:50 AM »
Considering some friends read this place. Im surprised I hadnt heard about it until now.

Ive dabbled reading some other places which help with spending and investing. But I am quite used to forum layout so I hope to stick around and gain some more tips, tricks and insights.

I had never thought about retiring early, and god knows Im way behind on that one...but overall I think I do ok so far. Would be nice to set up a bit more structure and "force" things to happen a little better.

Pennywisemom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1504 on: July 31, 2014, 02:29:44 PM »
Hello, I'm a mom in my 40's. Hubby works I stay at home with our 2 kids. We were doing pretty well until my daughter was diagnosed with cancer and my son with epilepsy and cerebral palsy. My daughter beat cancer and is a survivor! With all the medical for both kids, our savings was wiped out and debt accumulated. But both of our kids are still here and thriving so we are grateful.  We are now digging out financially so I'll be in the challenge section a lot trying to rebuild step by step. Looking forward to moving through the "hair on Fire"  stage and into a more secure position. Hoping for encouragement from like minded folks. :)

-PWM

sneeria

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1505 on: July 31, 2014, 06:45:40 PM »
Hi guys,

About to finish up my student loan debt of ~50k after living the least mustachian life possible.  Already read through like 95% of the blog posts and I'm excited to get some things rolling, including signing up for Ting (vs. Sprint!).  I've been honing my free thinking and mindfulness skills so this will be a great exercise of those.  I have a D-BF of 15 years (we've outlasted many of our friends' first marriages, lol), and 2 adorable mini-mustaches that haven't learned what that means yet.  RUDE AWAKENING TIME!!!  :D 

brizna

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1506 on: July 31, 2014, 09:20:08 PM »
I'm brizna. I'm 31. I started out living an extremely mustachian life post college but my chosen route to FIRE has been to climb the corporate ladder in an obnoxiously profitable industry (finance). Now I'm not so mustachian but it doesn't matter since the household income is so high.

I'm still deadset on FIRE though and could probably pull it off now if we moved to the midwest. But for now, I'm targeting 40.

Rygor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1507 on: August 01, 2014, 03:54:09 PM »
Hi, I'm Ryan aka "Rygor" (of the Hill People).

I just moved to the Denver area a little over a month ago.  I'm 36, married to my beautiful wife, and we about to have our first child.  I work for a large homebuilder that builds right here in CO as well as all over the rest of the country.  My wife no longer works, although she will again after staying home with our child for a couple-few years.

I became obsesses with the Mustachian lifestyle after discovering this blog about 4-5 months ago, and it caused a wholesale change in our lives and in my personal outlook.  I've read every single article in the blog and have been reading the forums for about 2 months.  Sadly, we have a lot of debt to over come before we can start really improving our positive net worth (mostly in the form of a home and student loan debt).  I estimate though that we should still be able to "retire" in 12 years or so (will be tougher with a kid).  That is our goal!  Thanksfully we have some savings built up but right now just enough to have a little cushion.  Right now everything extra is going towards paying off the debt.  After that I can't wait to get started in investing!

Anyway, great community.  Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you and Mr. & Mrs. Money Mustache at a local meet and greet someday!

mhufft920

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1508 on: August 02, 2014, 10:49:53 AM »
I'm Melissa and new to MMM.  Loving the site and articles.  Working my way toward FI.

thecornercat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1509 on: August 02, 2014, 11:03:19 AM »
I realized I never introduced myself here! I just went from Guest to User yesterday. I started a journal: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/welcome-to-thecornercat's-little-corner-of-the-world/

That has a bit of background about me. Essentially, I want to keep on keeping on with my goals and staying on track and building a good lifestyle. I find this community really supportive and motivating so I want to stay connected. Nice to meet you all!

Mike N.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1510 on: August 02, 2014, 03:19:44 PM »
Just wanted to say 'hello' to the community:

I'm Mike, already 40 years old and from Germany... So you can't call my approach ER anymore :( Found the blog on my path to minimalism and simplicity a few months ago. So I was already enlightened before I read MMM :) But since my turnaround last year I'm saving nearly 50% of my income. But after long years of shameful spending I'm still at the beginning of my way to FI.

The Falcon

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1511 on: August 02, 2014, 05:33:46 PM »
Have enjoyed reading the intros on this page, what a diverse bunch.

I guess my goals are a bit different to many, in that I am in no rush to retire, as I enjoy my job (director and co-founder of a private company) and the cut and thrust of the capitalist game. I certainly want to ensure I maximise our family net wealth however, so if the day comes and I say "enough!" then we don't have to worry.

As an investor I see value in the thoughts of Bogle, Malkiel, Munger & Buffett.....I've learned of the smoke and mirrors involved in the game of parting investors from their money through experience, so these days I am just playing a long game. I look forward to picking up some mustachian traits :)

David Lurie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1512 on: August 02, 2014, 08:22:58 PM »
Hello.

My wife and I are 26 and live in Texas. We do not have children, but want them someday. I was motivated to join this forum because I am eager to become more mindful of my spending and consumption patterns and save and invest more of our money. I'm not so sure that I want to keep my career forever, so that is the biggest motivator for wanting to get the act together. I'd like to have some security when I get completely fed up so I don't end up languishing forever doing something I don't like.
« Last Edit: November 21, 2014, 08:57:02 PM by David Lurie »

2ndTimer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1513 on: August 04, 2014, 09:03:06 AM »
Hi:

As you can tell by my name we did this all once before including retiring in our 40's.  Then we were derailed by a major health issue and wound up back in the system in our 50's.  Now that my brain works well enough to add two numbers again I am digging into our finances to make sure we are on track for a "normal" retirement age. 

Have been lurking for a while.  No question about it, this place is an INTJ paradise.

2ndTimer

nicetry

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1514 on: August 04, 2014, 12:12:17 PM »
I joined today. Looking to achieve FI soon.

Sam

dz1087

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1515 on: August 04, 2014, 04:40:39 PM »
Hello!  Dz here.  I just finished reading the entire blog this week after finding it about three weeks ago!  Been really enjoying learning about the word of badassity and frugal living.  I'm very motivated to start changing my consumerist ways right now. 

Missk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1516 on: August 05, 2014, 10:53:19 AM »
Hello! I found this site a few months ago and I take time to visit everyday. Always something fresh and new to read. Thank you all!

I'm 35 years old, married, and have three children (9, 5, and 1). We are a dual income family and we are being killed with daycare expenses. My goal is to be FI in ten years. As far as debt, we have one smallish auto loan (gotta work with the Mr. on this one - baby steps) and a mortgage. I've always been very frugal but I have fallen off the wagon at times (silly coffee habits and fancypants clothes). Right now I am contributing 18% (with hopes to get to 30%) to 401k.

Looking forward to more good reading here on the site and in the forum!


res

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1517 on: August 05, 2014, 09:06:40 PM »
Hi, I have just joined.
I have read the odd block of posts in the main mmm blog over the last few years.
I'm currently 32 and waiting to be a stay at home dad(only 3 weeks to go) and legally can't work for the next five years due to weird visa rules.
My partner and I have just gone from two well paying jobs to one very well paying job. We own 2/5 of a house in our home country that is rented out while we live a rent free expat lifestyle.
We have always thought we would return home mortgage free but I have a strongly growing desire to achieve more than that.  This forum will hopefully be part of that story.

Res     

JG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1518 on: August 06, 2014, 02:07:30 PM »
Hello everyone,

Been lurking around here a bit and it seems to be a friendly place alright.

I'm 29, living in Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. If I recall correctly I found MMM after browsing the ERE website and immediately started reading all the MMM articles. For me it really seemed like this guy was on to something :)

In short I've been feely pretty bored lately with a stable job but nothing interesting happening in life. I've always known I did not want to end up in the rat race that most people seem to find themselves in, buying more and more expensive houses, cars and boats. I want to do something else.

Working with computers I've always felt pretty bad at anything practical (home improvement, car maintenance, etc) but lately I've realized that learning practical (currently some gardening, beer brewing and bike maintenance) things really works wonders for the self confidence.

My current plan is to use my high-paying job to increase my stash, which consist largely of index funds, and to move to another part of the country. I have realized that this large city has little potential for someone like me who wants live a simple life. So lately I have been spending part of my looking for jobs and housing.

I'm working to be FI in 10-20 years, but not entirely sure I will retire early if that is possible. I'm probably leaning more towards working less, but we'll see what happens when I get there.

Jenny1974

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1519 on: August 06, 2014, 02:40:35 PM »
Hello!  Name is Jenny . . . .live near Tulsa, OK.  I'm 40 . . .DH is 48.  We have one child together (12) and DH has two from a previous relationship (16 and 18).  Hoping to have DH retired within the next 6-7 years and myself within 10.  I'm a tax accountant . . . DH is in sales. 

LOVE . . .LOVE . . .LOVE this site.  Been lurking for quite some time but figured now was good a time as any to step up and introduce myself.

Spent a good portion of my life feeling like some oddity because I actually spend wisely and save money . . . and don't use my kids as an excuse to be knee-deep in debt.  Feel like I have met my people!!  Looking forward to learning a little more every day.

Jenny

JetBlast

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1520 on: August 06, 2014, 05:03:57 PM »
Hi everyone!

Decide to join after lurking for about six months. I've always thought a little differently about money than most of my family and coworkers. It's nice to find a place where the subject isn't taboo and people don't look at me funny for not wanting to buy endless amounts of stuff.

DW and I have always been savers and the only debt we have is a mortgage, but slowly we've been making changes based on ideas from both MMM and this forum to build our stache even more quickly.  Looking forward to contributing what I can to the MMM community.

Outlier

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1521 on: August 06, 2014, 07:32:32 PM »
Hello everyone

The financial honesty and general kindness in this forum is so refreshing I just had to join. I've been working on nailing down my budget and getting some old loans dealt with so I just kinda stumbled here through an internet rabbit hole a few days ago. I wish yall the best and good luck with the mustachianism.

magickelly

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1522 on: August 06, 2014, 08:10:38 PM »
I've been obsessed with this site for a few weeks now, had to sign up when I saw I just missed the Philadelphia meetup. Early 40s female in a high-paying but soul-sucking corporate job with a 'stash of FU money and about 3 years from edging over the border to FI.

I'm the child of a frugal mom and a super cheap tightwad dad so being Mustachian has always come naturally. I've loved watching my 'stash grow from the time I was 10 years old and had a set of little piggy banks as a kid. Relatives would give me money and instead of spending it immediately on candy and crap at the 7-11 like all the other kids, I'd rush home to store it away in the properly colored bank corresponding to the denomination of the bill. Not quite ironing them like MMM but...

I really identify with minimalism/voluntary simplicity and to some degree things like the tiny house movement and off-grid living. But never felt like I fit quite right with those crowds because I'm compelled to save and invest $1M before I move on to a more authentic and natural way of life. I found ERE then MMM last month. This feels like my tribe... my goals are coming into focus. I love this place.

Mrs. Iceland

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1523 on: August 07, 2014, 01:56:34 AM »
Hi,

When I was pointed to MMM site it was like finding a secret map that pointed out the way through the field I have been wandering aimlessly all my live!

And now when I am foreigner in a new country (Icelandic in Norway) this site has come one of my best friends :)

kecosj

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1524 on: August 07, 2014, 04:32:21 PM »
hi everyone,

    i am a spanish guy from canary islands and i have been reading the blog for about a year or so. i find it a great inspiration to realise that some of my frugal thoughts are not alone in this world.


  i hope to join and participate in the forum with some ideas i have, and some traditions that here in spain would seem mustachians in the US, such as the one that a car below 45-50 mpg is a very expensive car to keep.

see you,

CanuckExpat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1525 on: August 07, 2014, 10:39:22 PM »
Kecosj,

Welcome to the forum. If you have some time I think it would be great if you could make a post with your experiences living the frugal life in the Canary Islands. I am very curious about that location , and I am sure others would be as well.

olly

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1526 on: August 08, 2014, 05:01:03 PM »
Hello! I'm Olly.

I'm 18 and live in the UK. Well, to be precise, I'm on an island called Guernsey which is between England and France - but we're still British and use GBP etc. The cost of living and groceries is a bit more expensive than you can get at the likes of ASDA in England, and the cost of housing is much more expensive - but at the moment I'm still living at home and recently started a paid internship which I'm loving.

I joined MMM as I was recently speaking to a colleague about starting to save money, and he gave me a few suggestions and directed me to this site. I figured that I've got a prime opportunity to learn to save (and save well) whilst I'm still 18, and whilst I don't have credit cards/mortgages to pay for now's a good time to start saving. Currently aiming to save ½ of every payslip but paying off a family holiday too

BigEasy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1527 on: August 08, 2014, 07:16:48 PM »
Hi...

Found out about you guys on Bogleheads...Hung around there for a while, but some of them are wound a little too tight for my taste. Background...parents survived the real Great Depression and learned a great deal from them about life and finances.

My wife and I are semi retired... All the kids are college educated and on their own. We have no debts and sufficient income to enjoy life on our own terms.

Looking forward to contributing....and meeting you...

Big Easy

Philosophers_Wrench

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1528 on: August 09, 2014, 06:42:35 PM »
Greetings,
I've been reading MMM like crazy for a few months now. A good buddy of mine sent me the link, and I got hooked.

My lovely wife and I are a part of "The Tiny House Movement". We live in a 200 square foot cedar cabin built on a custom trailer frame. We started out on this path to follow a dream while rejecting the gluttonous excess of the normal consumer world. It's been a lot of work, and it's also been rewarding. Our minimalist living approach felt somewhat incomplete until I began to read the gospel according to MMM. Now, we are on the fast track. I actually didn't realize that it was financial independence I was searching for, but once I got a hold of the idea everything clicked.

My wife and I are early 30's, recently married, stable modest income, active in backpacking, biking, climbing, and small scale homesteading.

I'm loving the positive can-do attitude of the MMM forum. It's a breath of fresh air from the usual internet trolls.

I'm looking forward to further education on MMM, as well as adding a bit to the discussion where possible.

frozzie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1529 on: August 10, 2014, 03:11:29 AM »
Hi,

I'm Hugh, a Frozzie (a frog, born in france 40+ years ago, migrated in Oz in 2003), married with 2 little ones (6 & 4) and living in Sydney on the northern beaches.

I came across MMM while looking for tips on simple living/minimalist. So glad to have found this community !
Still early days (still need to convince the wife) but already working on reducing some bills (health insurance, groceries etc) and probably fixing some mistakes (like the 11l/100km 2001 subaru forester) and the interest only mortgage.
Recently realised that something needed to happen on the mortgage and expenses front to live a better life : 275k mortgage on a 100k income.
Biggest expenses on special school (French program so that the kids can speak to the family back home), childcare for the younger one and 12km commute to the school.

Little mustachian things started a year ago :
- 12 km bike commute ($36 weekly saving)
- lunch from home ($30 weekly saving)

More recently :
- health insurance renegotiation $150 monthly saving

To do:
- mortgage
- superannuation extra contribution
- other investments
- decision to move closer to the school to reduce commute

bassman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1530 on: August 10, 2014, 06:15:43 AM »
Hey frozzie... Welcome to the forum. I too came to Sydney in 2003, although from the uk, and now have two kids here and loving the Aussie life. May I ask how you negotiated the health insurance down? That sounds like a great saving each month. Also, a 275k mortgage sounds very small for Sydney, well done.

Gunny

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1531 on: August 10, 2014, 06:23:07 AM »
Hi everybody, I'm Ron.  I'm about four years from ER.  Found this Blog through another ER Blog.  Looks to be some real good info hear.  Look forward to conversing with everyone.   

dhw85

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1532 on: August 10, 2014, 09:22:27 AM »
Hi to everybody from England,

I'm Dawn, 29, married with no kids. Debt free, no mortgage on the house, car (or should I say 1984 Honda Acty pick-up truck) bought outright.

We have 2 cats (Lyle & Lucy who are brother and sister), a Bull Mastiff called Honey, 5 fish and two snails.

Loving life, just not loving work. Trying to figure out how hubby can retire when he's 55 (he's currently 53) and wondering if we can manage on just one wage, or, hopefully, one part-time wage. I would love to retire at about 40/45, something like that. Obviously earlier if that were possible.

We don't drink or smoke, most of our money is spent on our Lambretta scooters (again, all paid for) - our main hobby and the reason we met in the first place, and... travelling. We love to explore.

Looking forward to learning from others as I explore this forum. Great to be here!

Dawn x

frozzie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1533 on: August 10, 2014, 06:15:27 PM »
Hey frozzie... Welcome to the forum. I too came to Sydney in 2003, although from the uk, and now have two kids here and loving the Aussie life. May I ask how you negotiated the health insurance down? That sounds like a great saving each month. Also, a 275k mortgage sounds very small for Sydney, well done.
For the Health Insurance it was just a matter of checking what me and family were actually using and dropping/reducing cover on things we don't/no longer need. Things like hip replacement, pregnancy etc ..
Then using some corporate rebates on health (I work for a healthcare provider so we have some rebates with various funds), HCF reduced my bill by $100. Bupa came back with $150 less and a $200 eftpos gift card ... Still tempted to ditch bupa considering they did nothing for me for 10 years until I decided to leave them.

As for the mortgage, I asked a broker how much I could borrow while repaying what i was considering to be a safe monthly expense (about $2000 or 1/3 of my income as my wife study and do casual work), then worked out what my deposit would need to be (about 40%).
Made the switch in 2009 but switched to interest only with the arrival of baby number 2. To make it somewhat safe, I had stashed $100k on an offset account so I'm effectively renting from the bank at about $700 per month.

What got me thinking recently was that I  would have to pay eventually and the need to probably move closer to the school to avoid unnecessary commute. Only problem, anything up in Killarney Heights and around costs around $1M ... not the kind of mortgage I want.

So currently I'm doing spreadsheets after spreadsheets to check if I could rent out my current place while renting closer to the school with the hope of balancing everything to be debt free within 5 to 10 years.

bassman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1534 on: August 10, 2014, 07:11:17 PM »
Thanks. I'll do the same and review our cover and get rid of anything we don't need. Last time I did that was 3 years ago.

We are looking to buy at the moment, and are faced with $1m for something in St George area. I refuse to join the rush of fools taking out enormous mortgages and pushing up the prices even though we could. I have MMM to thank for stopping me get carried away in that regard!

Good luck working out those spreadsheets!

PCSailor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1535 on: August 11, 2014, 01:24:05 AM »
Hello All,

My name is Phil, 45, a marine engineer, active investor, and looking for a career change to get me on land and bring more creativity into my life.  Plus a girlfriend who wants a home, garden, dog, cat, and kid.  And not necessarily in that order.

Cheers,
Phil

AshStash

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1536 on: August 11, 2014, 02:59:43 AM »
Hello! I've been reading MMM for about two years now and have lurked on the forums for a year or so. I wish I'd had this site and the whole FIRE concept back in 2011 when I was making some big career decisions! Instead of sticking with my industry and working the extra 7-10 years to FIRE from that point, I went back to do a PhD for a fraction of my old salary. Luckily I'm in the physical sciences so I'm being paid for 3 of the 4 years of my degree (UK system 3 years paid research + 1 year unpaid to finish research and submit a thesis).

It's been a great experience overall but will probably cost me 7 years of FIRE freedom, which no longer feels worth it to me. Hopefully the PhD pay bump and the FIRE strategies I'm learning here will let me grow my 'stash fast enough that I can reduce that time some.

AJT

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1537 on: August 11, 2014, 06:53:35 AM »
Hi,

I'm Andy.  I work part-time as a lawyer, and live with my wife in England while she goes to graduate school.  We have a two year old, and a new kid on the way in a few weeks.  Up until three years ago, I save roughly 40% of my full-time income.  Then we moved to England, and I have covered expenses with part-time work for the last three years, but not saved much.  I'm looking to get back into saving, and getting closer to financial independence.

larmando

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1538 on: August 11, 2014, 10:31:30 AM »
Hi!

It's great to join the MMM forum. I've been following the blog for a bit more than a year and find it very interesting and inspirational.
I live in Germany with my wife, we are 32 and 29, and save more than 60% of our income. We are still figuring out how to best invest it around here.

Great to talk to everybody!

AH

madame librarian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1539 on: August 12, 2014, 11:50:32 AM »
Hi everyone!

I'm 25, starting as a grad student next month (library studies), living with my boyfriend and 2 cats. We started living Mustachianly about 6 months ago when we were both working corporate jobs. At the time we were able to save about 60% of our income which has gone a long way towards reducing debt that we need to take on in school. 8) Current goal is to make it to graduation with as little debt as possible + maybe even some savings.

Nice to meet you.

ecmcn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1540 on: August 12, 2014, 02:22:44 PM »
Hi all -

Been lurking here for a while and thought I'd join more of the discussion, as this whole community/life style/philosophy has really resonated with me and I'd like to become more involved.

I'm 44, in Seattle with my wife and two young kids. We've launched a concerted effort to get our savings and spending in the right balance. We're not too far off the mark, though with Seattle house prices and a desire to live close in so I can bike most places it'll be a while before FIRE.

I love the spirit and intellect of this place. Keep it up!

Eric

YoungConsultant

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1541 on: August 13, 2014, 04:18:43 PM »
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1542 on: August 13, 2014, 06:34:55 PM »
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

stlbrah

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1543 on: August 13, 2014, 08:39:16 PM »
I am Jeff.

I came across this forum from an article on marketwatch.

I am a network engineer in the IT field and live in a low cost of living area. I enjoy my work, but I feel that I would enjoy it more if I didn't depend on the paycheck.

I have always been a bad spender, but after I spent money I always felt bad about it. I was kind of brought up with the mindset to work hard and buy nice things with the profits, but I never cared much for the things I bought, and most just created more work for myself (examples: hot tub, german car, modern-fitting clothes that are outgrown easily as a weightlifter). I knew there had to be a better way so I started researching investments. If I had this mindset since I got out of school at 20 years old I don't even want to know how much my net worth would be now, but I still feel fortunate to have got into hardcore saving at 25 (im 26 now rather than 10 or 20 years from now.

My portfolio is basically 17,500/year into 401k which I picked a blend of index funds about 90% stocks and 10% bonds. Mostly s&p 500 index. I have a taxable account too with stock and bond funds, and a reit fund, and  some savings in a high interest savings account which I am holding until a better time to jump into the market w/ it. I also have some equity in my condo which I won't sell for a while.

I'm always looking into new ways to invest and save money so I finally made an account.

dragon

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1544 on: August 13, 2014, 11:10:55 PM »
Hi,

I'm Dragon.  I love the idea of retiring early.  My wife doesn't get it.  We have 2 small kids, are in our late 30's.

We have always done a good job of saving (maxed on 401k, Roth); live in a house we can easily afford; drive older cars.  Neither of us grew up with a lot of money.
In the last few years though, as my income has increased, I've allowed our lifestyle to increase: new car, private school, summer camps every week for the kids, 25 cases of good wine in my home, eating out, lots of travel...

I've been reading the blog for 3 weeks now, and we've done the following:
Bought bikes for everyone - I haven't driven my car in the 2 weeks since we got our bikes (80 miles on them so far)
Cut out unnecessary insurance (removed LTD, lowered the term life policy, removed UM auto coverage) - this was 4,000 in annual savings with 2 phone calls.
Going to the Library for books now (Food Rules, The Life you can Save); learning to use Cragslist.

Now we are attacking the discretionary expenses that weren't tracked very well.  I'm trying to spend as little as possible in the month of August (no eating out, no Amazon purchases - just because something looks cool).

I make good money, and based on the first draft of an adjusted budget, I think we can get savings to be 75-80% of income this next 12 months.
With the stash we already have, I think we can be FI in 2 years.

I have a teaching job on the side (online course), so I plan on continuing to do that for a few years.  It's only about 300 hours of work a year, but more than covers our new expense level; so I could let the stash grow untouched for a while.

I'm looking forward to having time to volunteer, spend more time with the kids, sit around and contemplate, read, cook more; travel more (in a frugal way), and maybe become half as handy as MMM.  I'll be glad to have the stress of a job removed.

It's no understatement that this site is going to be life changing for my family and I.

-dragon

Mwstas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1545 on: August 14, 2014, 04:26:28 AM »
Hey folks,

My name is Sam and I hale from the valleys of Wales in the UK. I'm 25, on £16k a year and have about £15k in cash sat in a low interest bank account (soon to be rectified) and I have maybe £18k in student loans. My expenditure is generally very low with my main expense being fuel/car for my 36 mile round commute. My mother is very frugal and both parents are very responsible when it comes to financial dealings and this has definitely rubbed off somewhat!

Now that I do have some spare cash, and after buying a new second hand car, I'm looking to invest the majority of it. I'd like to achieve financial independence as soon as humanly possible as the thought of working in an office for the rest of my life fills me with dread! I've got a few ambitions - such as building a tiny house and buying a few acres of land - but that can wait for now.

Anyway, it's good to be here and, as I'm relatively new to all this, I look forward to reading as many forum posts as I can in an effort to get my FIRE plan established and under way.

Cheers,

Sam

YoungConsultant

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1546 on: August 14, 2014, 07:51:14 AM »
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1547 on: August 14, 2014, 09:15:06 AM »
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.

I was hoping it was something like that. Glad to have you here.

YoungConsultant

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1548 on: August 14, 2014, 09:27:39 AM »
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.

I was hoping it was something like that. Glad to have you here.

Thanks! I'm happy to be here.

Mr. Bullion Beard

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1549 on: August 14, 2014, 09:52:27 AM »
Hello all, great to be here :)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!