Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3316019 times)

FOtheM

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1900 on: January 23, 2015, 08:34:08 PM »
Hi,

I have been reading through all the blog articles and now I am up to date I feel (almost) competent to join the forum. I live in NZ and I have some difficulty accepting that I might have to work at my job for another 20 or so years so the sooner I am FI the better!
« Last Edit: January 24, 2015, 09:09:29 PM by FOtheM »

syoung1700

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1901 on: January 24, 2015, 11:32:23 AM »
Hello everyone,

 Long time lurker first time poster. I came over here from the ERE website where I first learned about the concept of FI and early "retirement". I am a 25 year old Physical Therapy student living in Boston. I am interested in learning all kinds of new skills and meeting people who are looking to do the same. Goals are to become a competent handyman, fix my car/bike, improve my cooking skills, learn how to juggle 4 balls, understand finance and investing etc. Glad to be here and participate! Would be interested to meet up with anyone in the Boston area.

Sam

professorgoose

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1902 on: January 25, 2015, 10:08:48 PM »
Hello all. I am a 32 year old guy living in Sydney Australia. I'm self self-employed working on a fledgling business in the IT industry. It was been the struggle with the business which has prompted me to learn more about finance. But this education process has been really worthwhile. Every negative has a positive :-).

For the last few months I've been enjoying reading about early retirement and personal finance. I like how it connects together many things that I think are important in life including opting out of consumerism and materialism, voluntary simplicity, consideration for the environment, and seeing a viable way out of wage slavery to focus on what is really important in life. I've particularly enjoyed reading the MMM and ERE blogs.

I wouldn't say I'm in a bad financial position and have managed to accumulate a bit of a 'stache. My goal ideally would be to FIRE by the age of 40.

Living in one of the most expensive cities in the world I am interested in how others living in similar situations manage to reduce their costs of living, even if it requires a bit of out-of-the-box thinking. For example the idea of living in a RV or tiny house is something which is quite appealing to me.

I've been fine-tuning my expenses to reign in my budget, and would like to adopt some larger lifestyle changes, e.g. selling my car and riding a bike to commute. I've also started educating myself about investing, but have some way to go in my financial education.

I look forward to interacting with other Mustachians on the forums :-).

ThatEnglishGuy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1903 on: January 26, 2015, 09:59:29 AM »
Hey guys!

First, a little bit about myself. I'm currently 18, in my final year of Sixth Form and live in England. I'm not sure if they have Sixth Forms in America, but I've essentially completed my 5 years of secondary school and am now in my final year of a two year course of A Levels.

I've finished applying for University, and have 5 offers out of 5 applications (to Brunel, Queen Mary's London, Oxford Brookes, Westminster and Bath Spa), so I'll be starting university this September. I will be doing a Business & Management undergraduate degree with a placement year between my second year and final year of the course, to give me some experience and get into a good relationship with a potential employer :P

My parents are relatively well off, if I'm honest. My Mum is quite young (younger than 40) and is doing her postgrad at uni, having just completed her undergrad degree. She's hoping to become a teacher at the beginning of the new academic year. My Dad used to own a few businesses and invested his money in properties that he rents out as a source of income. He is relatively frugal, though does enjoy some luxuries (recently bought a villa in Spain on golf course lol - could be classed as an investment?! ;) )

I've been reading through the forums for the last few days, hope to contribute to them now, and read about otheres/my own financial opportunities and stories! :D

Dabblingman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1904 on: January 26, 2015, 10:49:18 PM »
Hi, I am Peter.

I'm 48, live i the suburbs of Seattle with my wife and 6 year old son.

I am late on a lot of things in life (marriage, home ownership, parenthood), and as I changed carriers from corporate IT to being self employed in my 30s, FI is a little far off for me right now.

I come to this after having been a little bit of a Prepper for a few years. Weaning off that now, and love the idea do strength, whether it's knowing how to DIY, or having good community, or knowing how to have fun without spending dough.

I am glad to have found MMM, and wish you all the best.

jmcarminati

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1905 on: January 27, 2015, 09:01:08 AM »
Hello everyone, I'm new to MMM and not sure how far into the future FI may be yet.  I'm 33, recently married, and in IT like so many of you here.  My DH is the farm manager of a local vegetable farm.  We're in Tampa, FL.  So much to learn here.

MikesMoniker

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1906 on: January 28, 2015, 11:19:30 AM »
Hi Everyone!

Just a very quick hello from a 46 year old English Mustachian convert (very quick : chilli chicken's in the oven!)
's
Like many I think stumbling on this site may just have turned around my life after far too long with my consumer head stuck firmly in the sand so a big "Thank You" to Mr Money Mustache from me - the site and other websites I have discovered thorugh it have really caused me to focus on where we are going with our lives (I've been a parallel traveller lite by Hobson's choice for the last few years now since redundancy in the Credit crunch but I'm starting to turn things around a bit!)

Apologies for this but a cheesy alternate strap line for the site has just occured to me :-

"MMM : turning the WWW upside down!" :-)

Sorry...

Best wishes to all!
Mike

« Last Edit: January 28, 2015, 11:26:10 AM by MikesMoniker »

kmt88

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1907 on: January 28, 2015, 09:15:28 PM »
Hi all!  I'm a 26 year old single woman living in Long Beach, CA.  I've always been naturally frugal as I dislike shopping and don't understand very fancy things.  When I graduated public university debt-free and started working as an engineer, I knew I had to save but for what?  After I built up a respectable emergency fund ala Dave Ramsey, I let the cash stores keep growing out of ignorance.  Finally I was linked to MMM from Ask a Manager and thus learned how to handle my savings responsibly.

My passions are travel, hiking, and bike riding.  I am aiming for FIRE so I can travel around the world for as long as I want.  I spent two months backpacking SE Asia between jobs and it stoked a huge fire inside me (pun intended?).  I can't wait to do long term travel like that again.

I have a lot to learn about investing, taxes, etc but I look forward to it.  Aiming for FIRE around 10 years from now, depending on how things change as I learn what the heck I'm doing!

Katie
« Last Edit: January 28, 2015, 10:11:50 PM by kmt88 »

martin_kw

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1908 on: January 29, 2015, 10:17:30 PM »
Hi Everyone,
I'm a married guy with two little kids. We immigrated to Canada and finished university debt free. Currently living an absurd lifestyle and spending 95% of take home pay. I'm trying to learn guitar and I'm doing ballroom dancing with my wife (which is rather expensive).
I'm 30yo and have by now figured out that consumerist lifestyle doesn't make me happy. A couple of months ago I've discovered ERE and MMM and now I've decided I will give mustachian life a shot.
We're kind of starting from square one (no debt, very little savings). I'll need some serious advice from folks around here on how to become badass reach FI before I'm too old to care.
Cheers!
Martin

rocam

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1909 on: January 30, 2015, 06:48:57 AM »
Hi, I'm Rocam - I live in Denmark, but come from Scotland originally.

Me and the misses are quite keen on early retirement from the regular wage-slave work that at least I've been otherwise quite happy with for the last 20 years of our working careers. We are happy DINKs.

I guess were not too far off despite spending like it was our last days on the planet for the first 10 years, but that's youth and romance for you, so no regrets. It's great to find some sparring partners out here to check for improvements in the strategy, and to help make it all... well, a bit more fun and interesting :)

WiscoGringo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1910 on: January 30, 2015, 01:02:20 PM »
Hey all! Made my post #1 as a journal, so I thought I'd drop in here and say Hi. Been lurking for a while, decided to get on this train. Check out the journal in my signature if you are in the facepunch kind of mood!

tlars699

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1911 on: January 30, 2015, 02:31:17 PM »
Hello!!

Been reading the past few weeks whenever time presents itself. I've really enjoyed reading, and MMM really appeals to me, as I graduated a math/physics major, and data and problem solving excites me. MMmmm, numbers!!! So crunchy!:)

I am an avid crafter(knitting, sewing, quilting, baking, cooking, and some woodwork/painting expertise), but considering my child-rearing hobby(3 boys: 5,3,& 5mos) takes most of my time/$$, not as many hours dedicated as I would absolutely love.

We are nerdy people by culture, and will always take you up on a MtG offer, whether it be free cards or playtime.

We are also getting married on Pi Day (3/14/15), because Pi Day is a day for all things round, and for the universe to come full circle. :)

We recently moved to better enhance our ability to eventually become FI, before we knew there were even terms for this sort of thing.
Relatively thrifty by nature, but starting out on low income, so it's hard not to have all those employees fly out the window with basic needs.
And I really do mean basic- I try to cut out anything wherever possible, mostly to keep a tushy-cushion of 1K, but sometimes that doesn't work out as well as I would like.

Anyway, I know there are face punches lining up, so before I get too complainypants, I will retreat into my dungeon, and nestle on our horde of books to watch some Star Trek on Netflix. :)



reformist101

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1912 on: January 30, 2015, 09:44:54 PM »
Hello,

Just joined ! This will be a great commitment for me but I know it is possible  - new immigrant , single salary with dependents. Thanks MMM for the encouragement. Will let you know when its done - hopefully I will be able to document the journey .

Genevieve

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1913 on: January 31, 2015, 10:06:31 PM »
Hello everyone! I've been lurking for awhile but I've decided to join the fray.

I'm Genevieve. I wrote my current situation as a first post in my journal. Feel free to check it out.

In summary, I'm 26, currently self employed, moving to Houston, TX ASAP for my husband's job.

Annitti_Promotions_LLC

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1914 on: February 01, 2015, 10:43:50 AM »
I'm Lisa. Just signed up and very new to MMM. My ex brother in law recommended the site. I live in the one of the most highest cost of living states. I'm in Northern NJ.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1915 on: February 01, 2015, 08:24:38 PM »
Hey all! Finally joined. Here's my intro: I started out life with a great trajectory. I worked and invested all through middle school (family businesses) and high school and college, and graduated with no debt. I found a job, but with rough hours and rougher pay. After getting very sick my SO (now fiance) talked me into following my gut and quitting and going back to nursing school. This has been a great experience, and I graduate in May. Unfortunately, the school I got accepted to is in the downtown of a large(ish) city, and tuition is crazy levels of high. So a lot of costs later, and I've wiped out all those lovely investments I had laid down in high school and college. Luckily I'll be back to making money again soon, and the SO and I can move to a cheaper area (hurrah!).

Things I'm doing pretty good on:
I cook everything from scratch and always take meals
I have a lot of useful skills- canning, dehydrating, gardening, hunting- but I can't do these while living in a downtown apartment with no porch and a tiny stove =( Once we move though, I'm set up to go back to better practices
We love frugal entertainment- hiking and streaming shows from comedy central
We totally do weather machismo- don't have an AC, have never turned on the heat in our apartment
We walk everywhere we can, including the grocery store (even in the pouring rain. See: weather machismo)
I actually have earning potential now!
SO and I have still managed to save ~20% of his income, in spite of really high costs and one income right now

Potential face punches:
I had never lived in a city or anything close, so we live in a new building with lots of fancy security measures. As a result, we have very little square footage (500) and a very high rent
I grew up in the country, so my car is a pretty new truck. (It literally never occurred to me not to own a truck. I know, I know). I own it outright though.
I have stupid, crazy, insanely high food budget. My excuse is that we're health conscious, very active, and I'm passionate about the sourcing of my meat and dairy. (I help minimize this cost with hunted game and family is very generous with fish, but when we don't have these inputs, costs skyrocket)
Our "dogter" (read: daughter, who is a dog) is really expensive... she's older now, and while we finally found a diet that resolves a lot of her health issues, it costs an arm and a leg (and I cook it also, which again takes time)
We're getting married! That's not a face punch per se, but good lord do weddings cost an arm and a leg. It's looking like we can get the shindig done for $5000, which while is a lot less than the average, is way more than I like.


So that's where I am! I've enjoyed lurking and learning from you guys over the past few months, and decided to finally join the conversation.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2015, 06:59:10 AM by ToLiveToLaugh »

Desigirl

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1916 on: February 01, 2015, 08:32:21 PM »
Hello from India.

Have been following MrMoneyMustache from some time. Indians are very frugal by nature and I out-frugal most people anyway , so being able to learn a few things (from the blog and forum) and the right attitude about choice of life-style is really awesome.

I have been following Post-Fire and seeing the comments about ER forum and fact that only $2+ Million portfolios are considered worthy of ER made me laugh. In some ways that applies to us, we are 42 with 2 kids, I'm already at home and DH is trying to get out in next 2 years. With $1+ Million net worth (including Primary residence & kids college fund) we are focusing on retiring younger (relatively) and enjoying these years instead of building layers and layers of security.

Hope to learn and contribute more in this community of like-minded people. On a side-note I don't and can't drive (after spending many years in USA) and use public transport :-)
« Last Edit: February 01, 2015, 08:34:02 PM by Desigirl »

Ocelot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1917 on: February 02, 2015, 02:45:53 AM »
Hi kids! Long time reader, first time caller (almost). I've always lived a pretty frugal life but instead of saving/investing the excess, I've used it to fund mountainbike and train running racing. Now it's getting squirreled away...

DagobertDuck

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1918 on: February 02, 2015, 04:18:17 AM »
Hi there, Dutch guy here.

Quite some years ago the the book How to be free by Tom Hodgkinson (sold in the US under the title The Freedom Manifesto, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/603848.The_Freedom_Manifesto Great book by the way, recommend it) sparked my interest and made me think about being free from the treadmill of work, mortgage, debt, car ownership and consumerism.

I discovered the MMM blog some months ago and read it with great interest.

I'm nowhere near FI, and I don't even know whether retiring at 40 is my main objective, but I DO know I would never want to be enslaved by a too high mortgage, too expensive car and silly consumerism.

Most recent achievement: selling my car.
Pretty easy choise since gas our prices are among the highest in the world, while our cycling infrastructure is probably the best in the world.

Topic that have my interest:
Downshifting, living car-free, energy-efficient micro-homes, affordable healthy eating, cycling, outdoor life.
Though lots of tips and tricks on the MMM blog and forum specifically apply to the US tax system etc I hope to learn from it.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2015, 04:35:06 AM by DagobertDuck »

Happyback

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1919 on: February 02, 2015, 08:32:17 PM »
I'm Christie, and I'm working on being retired in 5 years.    I have 7 children (one marriage), and am now single.
I have sold my big house, bought a piece of land in the sticks (on the river.....) for the future retirement spot.  Paid cash.
Then used the rest of the profits to buy a small house (1/3 the size!) in town until all kids are grown.
I get to ride my bike almost everywhere now.  Sold my second vehicle (a Suburban).
When they are grown, I'll move to the country on the river.

Paid off $400K worth of debt in the last 6 years. Added $200K to retirement fund. FEELS GREAT! 
Just a little left to go on a couple of rentals, then I'm 100% free, with an income!   Am very glad I found MMM's site that let me know I'm not the only nut job on FIRE out here! ;)



kander

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1920 on: February 03, 2015, 01:52:16 PM »
Hi, I'm from Holland and I have found the site of MMM 3 weeks ago and I am very inspired too live way more frugal then we did before!

Daffs

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1921 on: February 03, 2015, 02:10:35 PM »
Hi all,

I've just joined, read through the entire blog archives over Christmas and been pootling round the forum ever since - thought it was about time I joined in!

I'm 34, live in the UK, and do MUCH better with money than I ever did before, but I reckon I can do even better than this!

Looking forward to getting to know you all better :)

The Money Ninja

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1922 on: February 04, 2015, 05:09:50 AM »
Hi, I'm Gareth and I'm a Business Analyst and Martial Arts Instructor. I'm just embarking on my Mustachian journey at the age of 32. If my figures are correct, I have a flat I rent out that I could pay off in 3 years and approximately 8 years to FI after that. I have some CC debt and a student loan and I'm just trying to figure out which debt to tackle first then where to put my money. ISA, Pension Tracker etc. Based int he  UK so I'd be interested in any UK based news too.

mamagotcha

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1923 on: February 04, 2015, 07:58:57 PM »
Greetings! I'm Katje, and I live in Chicago. I'm an at-home mom of a 10yo kiddo who is homeschooled, and I also bring in a little cash by writing, editing, and hair braiding (think Renaissance Faires). My husband is a biology professor at DePaul University, and he's up for tenure this spring (fingers crossed! Promotion would be great for his career, his ego, AND our money situation).

We were kind of canaries... we were one of the first foreclosures due to collapsing banks back in 2008 (grr, Wachovia!) and we've been sliding towards chaos ever since. We had several big events last year that evaporated our small savings (two older sons graduated from college, one moved to California to start his PhD and the other moved to France to teach for a year; we moved closer to my husband's work to cut down on his commute and rent, but moving is still expensive), and we've been scrambling from paycheck-to-paycheck ever since, still carrying some of the foreclosure debt. My sister invited my son and I on a cruise in 2016, her treat... but the transportation and other costs are still going to be over a grand and I don't want to put it on credit cards.

My friend highly recommended both YNAB and this forum. So I'm going to give them both a shot. Here goes nuthin'!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1924 on: February 05, 2015, 03:48:47 PM »
I'm Christie, and I'm working on being retired in 5 years.    I have 7 children (one marriage), and am now single.
I have sold my big house, bought a piece of land in the sticks (on the river.....) for the future retirement spot.  Paid cash.
Then used the rest of the profits to buy a small house (1/3 the size!) in town until all kids are grown.
I get to ride my bike almost everywhere now.  Sold my second vehicle (a Suburban).
When they are grown, I'll move to the country on the river.

Paid off $400K worth of debt in the last 6 years. Added $200K to retirement fund. FEELS GREAT! 
Just a little left to go on a couple of rentals, then I'm 100% free, with an income!   Am very glad I found MMM's site that let me know I'm not the only nut job on FIRE out here! ;)

Hello, fellow Oregonian!

Jamcas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1925 on: February 06, 2015, 06:58:11 AM »
Hi,

I'm James and I love luxury with value.

andystkilda

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1926 on: February 07, 2015, 02:57:36 PM »
Hi everyone!

Just checking-in from Melbourne, Australia.

Me my wife, toddler and baby due in April are Mustachians through and through, and have a plan to reach Financial Independence in July 2017.

Cheers,
Andy

KD

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1927 on: February 07, 2015, 05:24:33 PM »
Hi ya'll!  KD here.  Retired at 26 years and years ago.  Like to keep my finger on the pulse of financial info so MMM is the place to be. 

Marian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1928 on: February 08, 2015, 09:03:27 AM »
Hello all,

I'm Marian, 25.  3 furbabies.  Currently live in the Mustachian Nightmare town Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  I wish I had discovered MMM years ago- I might not be as bad as some people out there, but I was dumb enough to buy a brand new car and max out a credit card!  Time for me to end my bad habits!

plherrin

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1929 on: February 10, 2015, 08:54:52 AM »
Hey, I'm Peyton and my wife and I plan to attain FI in August of 2018 (or hopefully sooner). We have two kiddos and a third likely on the way next year! I'm planning on using these forums to better educate myself on financial and investment strategies.

celticmyst08

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1930 on: February 11, 2015, 12:07:59 PM »
Hi everyone! Been reading the MMM blog for about a year now. I'm 25/F, husband is 31, and we live just north of Seattle; I work in bank operations and he's a web developer. I'm just about to go back to school to finish my degree so I can significantly increase my earning potential. We hope to retire in under 20 years, which looks pretty doable -- right now we're saving ~55% of our income and that will only increase since we both expect to receive significant raises in the next 5 years. We have no debt other than <$2k left on husband's student loan.

Secretly Saving

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1931 on: February 11, 2015, 12:36:43 PM »
Hi All,
We've been reading/lurking for about a year now... Finally made an account to make things official!  Had been saving in mustachian terms since right out of college, but didn't have a term for it.  Now we do!  Living in the southwest currently. Looking forward to more conversations instead of just reading what everyone has to say!
« Last Edit: February 15, 2015, 07:15:45 AM by Secretly Saving »

manatee1991

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1932 on: February 12, 2015, 08:04:09 AM »
Howdy, I am Patrick. A recent graduate. I have a B.S. in coastal resource management and a Masters in Urban Planning. 23 years old. I paid (and borrowed) my through 5 years of school. Just landed a full time job as a planner in the Florida Keys. This blog has transformed all thoughts of finances over the past couple of months.

I paid down $7000 in CC debt over the past six month of being employed full time. It is a great feeling. Unfortunately I bought a car on loan about 2 weeks prior to discovering MMM ( a terrible feeling), but I bought a reasonable vehicle (2010 Elantra w/ 35,000 miles) for a reasonable price ($8000) with a great rate (1.65%, as far as rates go). I am over worrying about financing the car. I will pay it off in 12 month or less.

I am here for the support and inspiration. I hope to be able to reach FI by 35 so I have about 11 years to reach a lofty goal (seems that way at this point), but I have accomplished a lot in six months and will continue to. I am already investing 13% of my income while paying down all of my debts (~ $29,000 or 70% of my annual take home pay).

I live a very luxurious life right now, largely in part to living where I live (the Florida Keys) and having a girlfriend that is slow to accept the MMM way. She is working on it.

I can't wait to get involved! I want be a part of this great community. I want to embody BADASSITY.

CHEERS to MMM!

Debtless in Texas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1933 on: February 12, 2015, 01:02:26 PM »
Hi, I am Brian and I hate debt.

Candace

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1934 on: February 12, 2015, 02:31:34 PM »
Hello,

I'm Candace. I'm yet another software developer/engineer. I'm 48, live in Virginia with my semi-Mustachian boyfriend and my non-Mustachian cat in my non-Mustachian 2000 square foot house. In spite of that I've been focused on early financial independence for quite some time now. I found MMM through ERE, and found I like reading MMM much better. Since finding this blog a couple of weeks ago, I've cancelled a bunch of services (cleaning, tax preparer, pest control) and made other changes so I can increase my percentage of salary to save and invest.

I've always done all my own investing, am a huge fan of Bogle (Vanguard), and while my job is okay, I am aiming to FIRE in something like 5-7 years.

Looking forward to participating in the discussions. Thank you to MMM and to the moderators for making this all possible.

EfficientN

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1935 on: February 12, 2015, 08:31:02 PM »
Hey Mustachians,

I'm a new grad, early 20s, soon to move to NYC the begin the (hopefully short) path to retirement. If anyone knows additional tricks to managing a low expense life in high COL area, feel free to share!


Candace

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1936 on: February 13, 2015, 09:45:44 AM »
Hello all,

I'm Marian, 25.  3 furbabies.  Currently live in the Mustachian Nightmare town Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  I wish I had discovered MMM years ago- I might not be as bad as some people out there, but I was dumb enough to buy a brand new car and max out a credit card!  Time for me to end my bad habits!

Hello Marian,

Looks like we're neighbors. Good luck in all your endeavors. See you in Ghent (where we'll be having a stroll or just buying one drink, of course).

Lnspilot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1937 on: February 13, 2015, 03:46:45 PM »
Hey folks,

Nick here. I came across MMM after a google search for something personal finance related. I've been stashing away cash for the past seven years and needed to do something with it. Now, after reading multiple FI blogs, I'm set in the right direction.

Cheers to those who share their badassity via the interwebs for all to learn from.


CFL_SaveTheDough

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1938 on: February 14, 2015, 06:48:21 AM »
Greetings all!

I have book marked MMM for some time and love reading the articles but never went much further. I live in FL with my wife and 4 year old daughter and 4 dogs. I can't say I am in the best financial shape, but hopefully not the worst either. At this point we are trying to make the right choices between getting out of a car loan on a full sized truck that isn't necessary to figuring out how much savings we need in order to successfully achieve our goals.

Looking forward to getting our finances together so we can retire at a "reasonable" age.

J

ChrisEE

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1939 on: February 14, 2015, 02:07:28 PM »
Hi all.  I've been lurking for awhile and just decided that I should introduce myself.

On track for FIRE in 2 years.  My wife and I have benefitted from the MMM posts and board for about 2 years now and so figured I should start to chime in try to pay it forward.

Cheers!
ChrisEE

Joshua.Snider

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1940 on: February 15, 2015, 11:00:16 AM »
Hi guys. I'm Josh. I'm a 21 year old computer scientist.  I found this blog about a month or two ago, but have been a fan of frugality for a while. I only started saving significant amounts of money a year ago when I graduated, but am on track to retire in 15-20 years.

PatStab

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1941 on: February 15, 2015, 11:11:03 AM »
Hi from southern Indiana!

I have been on other money forums through the years.  My husband and I are getting ready to retire, likely end of year, maybe before depending on his work.  By the way we will both be 69 this year, he wanted to work till 70, to max SS, plus he has a well paid job working overseas.  He is gone 8 weeks and home about 3.  I'm just tired of living alone.  We also have a 44 year old mentally challenged DD so that has impacted some of those decisions. 

We lived previously in Texas for 30 years, this is moving back home to help with MIL who either is getting dementia or alzeheimers, not sure what.  Our son lives in S Korea, he will be 46 this year, wife is from Russia, she is 36, they are having their first baby in June, a little boy.  They hope to come home in 2 years.

We had almost 10 renters in Texas so we lost most of our retirement income by moving back, but we have no relatives down there and got very concerned about leaving our DD in a group home there with no one that would even know her.  Distant relatives here but at least they can check on her on occasion.  That was a very hard thing to do.  I still have a duplex and lot rented there and am selling a small TT and lot on contract.  We have bought 1 rental up here and may add more after hubby retires.

I had to quit work way way early to care for my mom and daughter, I was devastated, I was an accountant for a major oil company.  That is why hubby went overseas as our savings ability was not going to get us where we wanted, so he has done this for 15 years, it made up for what I would have added.

We have no debt, I put out a garden, sew, can, cook a lot at home.  I can sew but haven't been doing much the last 2 years as we moved and honestly are still settling in.  My one indulgence that is a money pit is an older motorhome, DD and I travel some, I would love to more but she is having issues which has stopped us for awhile.

We have no debt, net worth about $1.4M.  A 2006 Lincoln truck, 2013 Cadillac SRX.  Our house is on 4 acres with 1800 sq ft upstairs and the basement is 1800 sq ft with a 2 car attached garage.  The basement is half finished out and we will finish it out ourselves  We want to partition the ends off for storage, I put flooring down on the rest, there is a electrical room with all my canning, a mechanical room, sewing room, separate bedroom, and a large room for seating, exercise, and just a huge family room.  We need to put in doors and frames, may drywall the outside like the inside, lighting and receptacles are in, will add a dropped ceiling.  All is heated and cooled.  My husband is able to do anything, wiring, Hvac, plumbing, dirt work, you name it.  We added a 44 X 46 garage here with circle drive and may add another building to store all his trailers and things.

The house is very economical with foam insulation and geo thermal heating and cooling, only 10 years old. We added a 40 year metal roof and our garage is all metal too. The cost of living here is reasonable, though groceries and insurance are about the same as the city.

We think we will be ok.  We really don't have many expenses to cut except those relating to the motorhome and will if we have to and eventually will due to age.  I like to travel and we have thought about a lot for the motorhome in Florida or a fixer up house, but nothing definity.

Anyway, that is our background.  We are pretty thrifty but I'm sure not as good as we could be or once were but honestly we don't see a need for pinching every penny anymore. 
« Last Edit: February 15, 2015, 01:25:18 PM by PatStab »

Useless Plastic Crap

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1942 on: February 15, 2015, 11:50:05 PM »
G'day from Australia. Specifically Canberra.
Looking to cut my retirement date by ten years through violently saving.
I enjoy reading MMM and have a similar blog myself (with only a little less swearing). [PA]

Frugaltobe

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1943 on: February 16, 2015, 09:36:50 AM »
Young kids from Indiana here. I'm 25, married for almost 2 years to my wonderful wife who is also 25. I'm a machinist and she is a behavioral therapist for children with autism. We make good money but currently live the consumer lifestyle more than we would like. We both come from very consumer driven homes. One upper middle class and one lower middle class. No cc debt but I do have student loans and we have two car payments. Been lurking a week or so and have learned a lot just in this short amount of time and hope to learn a lot more!
« Last Edit: February 16, 2015, 09:40:33 AM by emeeks »

slschierer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1944 on: February 16, 2015, 11:18:05 AM »
Long time lurker, but just my second post!

I'm a married 29F with 2 children (ages 3 & 2).  We live in Illinois in a ranch home on 7 acres of land.  The home was built by my grandfather in the 1950s.  We have a garden, fruit orchard, and a few head of beef cattle. 

I work as an accountant at a large manufacturing company while my husband works at a vault company and farms. 

Finding and internalizing MMM has been a huge blessing for me!  I now stop and think before every purchase "do I need that or do I just want it?"  We have cut our expenses and consumerism drastically in the last few months which has allowed us to increase our savings.  I think that I can realistically retire with in 12 years (after paying off all of our debt in the next 6 years), but I hope that I can move that time frame up even more.  I would love to be home every day when the kids get off of school or to be able to attend all of their sport events that will occur immediately after school.  My husband is the classic farmer and has no plans to ever retire but does not mind most tenants of frugal living.  Luckily for me, that attitude may allow me to get us to FI sooner than later!

nncybntn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1945 on: February 16, 2015, 12:18:24 PM »
Hi

We are a happy family of three humans and one dog, living in beautiful California. We do all kinds of things but, what drew me to this site was the philosophy, which is similar to ours. Just joined because I like sharing ideas with other people and always looking to learn.

We are 42 and aiming to "retire" in about 10 years. Although, honestly, I feel retired already. I think it's because we are able to really enjoy life, such as travel, paint (I'm an artist), enjoy beautiful California with jobs that don't pay that much, relatively. Largely, because we don't want much, save like crazy and have no debt, other than a low interest mortgage.

I'm hoping to go part-time next year (I'm a teacher), just waiting for approval. My husband hopes to go part-time in a couple years (he's in inventory control). I feel blessed because we have the freedom to work less (paint more) because of our good financial planning. My husband grew up dirt poor and taught himself out of poverty. He now writes a financial website with a friend and his philosophy is very simple. Buy low and buy dividend paying stocks.

I see people making bad financial choices and I just want to spread the word! Life doesn't have to so stressful.

Anyways, that's us in a nutshell.

MustachIowan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1946 on: February 16, 2015, 10:10:57 PM »
I’m Karen and I am from Iowa.  I have only discovered MMM and mustachianism in the last few weeks, but I couldn’t resist the name of MustachIowan, since I haven’t seen anyone else from my state.  I’ve been interested in personal finance since I was in grade school, though, when I was nerdy enough to track the money my mom gave me for doing chores.

I’m a 41-year-old mother of two boys and about to be divorced from my husband of twelve years.  It’s a mutual decision, and the more I read on this blog, the more I see more examples of just how opposite we are in our approach to money, saving, spending and living life.

I work from home as a financial analyst for a software company that is based on California, which is some pretty great geographical arbitrage.  I’ve used that to stash as much as possible in various savings accounts, and am focusing on the likelihood of early retirement to get me through this limbo time of not-married but not-yet-divorced. 

Olivette

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1947 on: February 17, 2015, 03:52:13 AM »
Hello,
I'm olivette and I'm a 56 empty nester.
Most of the year, I'm in France and about 3 month per year back the US.
Lawyer by day and writer by night, I would love to ditch the day job and write full time.
Voilà!

Wupper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1948 on: February 19, 2015, 05:58:53 PM »
Greetings. My name is Wupper.

I'm a 40-something retired dude that lives in Ohio.

I love Financial Porn.

fetzer85

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1949 on: February 20, 2015, 01:43:23 AM »
Hello Everyone,

I'm John, a 29yo husband and father of four and current stay-at-home dad. My wife makes more than enough money to support us however we've been living paycheck to paycheck for quite some time now. We've sort of had the 'buy what we want' mantra which feels good when you buy it and bad the days leading up to a payday when you're trying to stretch the money.

She's always been more of a saver and I more of a spender however I'm changing my ways. I don't like seeing her disappointment in us squandering our money that she works so hard for. I'm dedicating myself to creating an effective budget and getting our family on track for the financial success we deserve. MMM is helping me to do that and I look forward to learning from everyone and also contributing whenever possible.

John

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!