Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315953 times)

tc_traveler86

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #200 on: August 10, 2012, 04:23:23 PM »
Hi!
I'm Tanya, I'm an international grad student in the US.
Love the blog and will probably post a long version of my financial situation shortly looking for specific advice.  So far the general advice I've obtained from MMM blog posts, comments and forums has helped trim some fat from an already lean budget.   

kkbmustang

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #201 on: August 11, 2012, 01:21:25 PM »
Hi-

I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and two kids. I found MMM from No More Harvard Debt and read it from post number one through present day in the last few days. I dream of FI but we have a long way to go and a lot to learn from MMM and you all.

« Last Edit: September 21, 2012, 11:26:10 AM by kkbmustang »

JasonB

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #202 on: August 15, 2012, 11:06:02 AM »
Hello,

I'm Jason, a 25 year old in the Northeast US. I graduated from a Big 10 school 2 years ago with over 57K in student debt. I'm down to about 52K now. I'm off to grad school in about a week. Luckily, my tuition is paid and I'll have a cozy stipend (more than my full time job paid). While I doubt I'll erase my student debt while pursuing a masters, I am determined to at least make a huge dent in it through all the badassity I can muster.

-Jason


Jaherman99

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #203 on: August 15, 2012, 07:12:01 PM »
Hey there!  I've been lurking around for quite a while.  I'm in IT like many of you here, down in the Tampa area. My name is Jeff, and I started seriously cleaning up my financial life about a year after getting a divorce from a marriage of 20 years.

I came out of the divorce with a boat payment, dock fees, a car payment, a two mortgage house and barely a break even budget.

In the the Last 3 years, I dumped the boat, paid off the second mortgage and car, refinanced my primary mortgage, read MMM end to end, and found myself a lovely new wife, I'm getting married in March.

I'm commited to retiring within 5 years.  Even though my new bride is more frugal than me (!!) she needs some convincing that we'll be FI so soon.  I'll get her on board, I'm sure :)

Looking forward to becoming freinds with you all.

Yellow Desert Dog

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #204 on: August 16, 2012, 03:29:15 PM »
I live near Phoenix, Arizona with my wife and 2 teenage daughters. I started getting interested in FI last December when I was offered a VSP. I declined then but when the VSP came around again in May I took it.  Still don't have our monthly expenses where I want them but making progress.  We used to spend at least $7000 per month, we have cut it down to a more reasonable $5,500 per month. So far things we have cut: 

  • Canceled Cable TV
  • Dropped landline phone for VOIP at Anveo
  • Got a $10 per month discount on our Internet access
  • Reviewed all of our insurance policies - Saved a lot here (dropped collision on our 11 year old Subaru and Chrysler Van)
  • Since I work out of my home office now doing contract software development - we cut our fuel costs by not commuting 40+ miles a day.
  • Forced the kids to spend within budget for back to school.
  • No more school lunches.  The kids almost always brown bag it.
  • We have been keeping the house closer to 80F this summer.   
  • Cutting the power to most of the electronics in the house at night.
  • Replaced some lighting with LED bulbs. This has helped keep my office area cooler.

I feel like we are slowing reducing our expenses but the big one that we are having trouble with is groceries.  My oldest daughter and I eat gluten free and she is a very picky eater.  We spend around $1,200-$1,500 per month on groceries for 2 adults and 2 teenage girls.  That cost includes cleaning supplies, paper towels, cat food and litter, etc.  We also overspend on miscellaneous stuff ~$400 per month (my wife still hits Starbucks occasionally, there is always something at school we just have to buy, etc.)

A big concern I have at the end of the year is health insurance.  As part of my severance package the company paid cobra the rest of 2012.  My oldest daughter has type 1 diabetes and the insulin/test strips are expensive! (~$3500 per year in medication). I am pretty concerned about this since she got the stomach flu in May and had a 3 day hospital stay.  I don't believe we can be denied insurance but suspect that they will charge us a lot more.

I stumbled across this site about a month ago and really like everything I have read so far.  I really am looking forward to learning more from everyone here.

elindbe2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #205 on: August 17, 2012, 09:07:38 PM »
I'm a 25 year old guy who just moved into the city to start my career.  I feel like I have a great base to start from, so I hope to achieve FI fairly quickly.  I started with 0 debt, luckily my parents paid for my schooling, and I was never the type to abuse credit cards.  I work as a software engineer for a great company in downtown Chicago and make about 80k base plus an end of the year bonus depending on my performance.  So far, I've saved up about 25k and every time I put a few thousand more in I can feel my mustache starting to sprout.

I'm interested in financial independence for many different reasons, but some of the main ones are: freedom to work as I please, dislike for consumerism, a desire for simplicity, and being able to wake up every day to make a big, lazy breakfast and sip coffee while reading for a couple hours.  I also have become very interested in music and would like to devote more hours every day to practice.

corcoran

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #206 on: August 27, 2012, 08:44:30 PM »
A huge "Thank you" to both MMM and Mrs. MM for creating this website and sharing your stories and thoughts.  I have to say when I read the blog posts the thoughts feel like they're my own. Over the last 2 weeks I've read all of the posts from the beginning to May '12 and I figured it was time to register.

So about me: I'm a 32 year old California dude that has been dreaming of the stock market (and compounding interest) since I was 11 (watching the DOW break 3000). Glad to see that the goals I've been idly striving to meet are already a proven course of action thanks to the MMM Master Plan.

Thanks again for the providing detail, motivation, and focus that is helping me develop my frugal muscles and my badassity!

StashinIt

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #207 on: August 28, 2012, 11:58:27 AM »
Greetings mustachians,

My name is Tyler, I am 28 years with a beautiful wife and our first child on the way!

We currently live in southern California but plan to move in the next year to somewhere more affordable. I then plan to start my own business and never work another day in my life (for someone else that is).

I've been reading for about a month now. I enjoy reading MMM because it is entertaining and it challenges me to look at things differently and consequently actually change my behaviors. I found this forum from a comment on Get Rich Slowly.

NunyaBidness

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #208 on: August 28, 2012, 06:13:05 PM »
Hello Everyone

New Whiskey Forming Mustachian here residing in NYC. I was frugal and a heavy saver but I went through it with heavy partying during  the recession and unfortanetely lost the rest to grad school.
 Well I am graduating in December with a Dual MBA and  some debt but it is interest free (engagement ring and furniture).

I am looking forward to being car less in february when my girlfriend's lease ends in February. We are also ending our $180 per month gym membership in October and using that to pay off her debt quicker.  My girlfriend is not on board with some of the mustachian techniques such as getting rid of cable. Does anyone else live in a Half-Stachian homes?


madage

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #209 on: August 30, 2012, 07:51:48 AM »
Matt, here. I'm 31 with a stay-at-home wife and two children aged three and five. We reside in Texas but are originally from Michigan (Go Blue! Roll the Tide!). I earn a good salary as an engineer for a large corporation, and although we do a better than average job of saving money, MMM's early retirement has inspired me to make several lifestyle changes to more quickly grow the 'stache. Also, the average American's rate of savings is worse than horrible, so comparing to average is crap.

My wife is typically supportive of proposed changes, though would prefer to generally spend the extra money freed up by said changes than supercharging the savings. It will take some work to break all of our antimustachian tendencies (about halfway through a 3-yr loan on a new vehicle (1.9%), a lengthy van-pool commute to work for me), but I'm looking forward to that sweet, sweet day when I achieve FI and no longer have to work for a living.

Thank you, MMM and Mrs MM for providing this excellent resource. I'm looking forward to participating in the great discussions here.

dunks

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #210 on: August 30, 2012, 01:04:21 PM »
Hey Mustachians!

I'm dunks, and I live in New England. My dream is to get to that magical place where my investment dividends can replace my income, and then I want to become a farmer/homesteader!

Would love to hear anyone's story if they have done something similar.

kkbmustang

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #211 on: August 31, 2012, 04:34:30 PM »
I've been posting elsewhere in the forum for a week or so, but just read this string. I found MMM through No More Harvard Debt.  I'm married, 39, the Hubs is 42, and we have two kids (7 and 9) and one dog. We live in Texas. 

« Last Edit: September 21, 2012, 11:29:24 AM by kkbmustang »

Tradies wife

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #212 on: September 01, 2012, 05:24:19 PM »
Hi Out there,
Chris (34) and Belinda (32). Two lovely kids, 5 and 3. Checking out how you Americans do things differently, and what are the 'universal' badassity traits are. We are living in country Victoria, Australia.

From Mrs. Tradie. We are probably at a whole different stage, and I haven't found anyone yet who is doing a similar thing. We have been really frugal with our money, and managed to accumulate 'stuff' that generally makes us money. Like a couple of investment properties. I am currently on family leave from teaching Secondary students. This allows me to do casual relief work, while maintaining my job for up to 7 years while my babies grow up. Just got asked to make the decision if I want to return to work next year. To be honest, although the money would be handy I love spending time with my kids more.

Mr. Tradie is a Diesel mechanic, and we operate our own buisness. So work times are flexible. A huge amount of effort goes into the buisness, particularly around hay season. But then, it does allow him to do the occasional Kinder drop off and pick up, and have lunch at home a few times a week most weeks.

Our income is very small, but we live life BIG! I buy things with cash not credit. We grow food, we go fishing and camping. We are frugal. And I would also add that after reading MMM we have brought a family cargo bike, to become even more frugal.

Wendyimhome

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #213 on: September 04, 2012, 08:56:55 PM »
Hi All,

I've been reading for some time; finally registered.  Really cool site here.  I like the Mustachian philosophy and writing style.  I'm a lawyer by trade -- believe me, it's no easy way to the Mustache.

I'll be posting from time to time, especially for moral support in the face of a spouse who is a bit of an Anti-M.

I'm trying to convert her with daily blogging on the subject, but, so far, with no success.  By the way, in a shameless, but Mustachian, pitch at free publicity, my website is http://practicalfrugalliving.wordpress.com/   It's a far cry from MMM, but I think it complements it well.  Looking forward to some interesting chats...




« Last Edit: September 04, 2012, 09:05:27 PM by Wendyimhome »

cambridgecyclist

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #214 on: September 06, 2012, 11:26:36 AM »
Hey everyone; I'm cambridgecyclist, I'm 37 years old and I stumbled across this blog about two months ago. It really resonated with me since I've already been living well below my means, and it's inspired me to reach a new level of badassity by cutting down expenses even more! The most limited resource I have right now is time; the idea of getting more time to pursue my interests is incredibly appealing.

I live and work in Cambridge, MA. By day I work as a network designer and help build the Internet. I have a side hustle providing web hosting and programming services, which creates a small mostly-passive income stream, pays for my home Internet and cell phone, and generates the occasional lucrative but brief consulting gig. I've been commuting by bicycle for over a decade, with a break of a few years when I moved out of the city for a while. Outside of work I spend time learning new skills or practicing the ones I have. I'd rather create something than passively consume! In the last year I've learned how to TIG weld, built a crazy bicycle with eccentric hubs, built a bike trailer from scratch (in the process learning how to use a hydraulic tubing bender), built several bicycle-mounted stereo systems, learned CAD in order to make a 3D printed control panel for two of those stereo systems, rebuilt a half dozen bikes and sold them on Craig's List (not profitable -- break-even -- but fun), built an irrigated urban garden with ridiculously productive vegetable plants, converted a busted 9 speed bicycle into a slick singlespeed, made a bicycle with an electric plasma taillight and built a custom case for it (learning how to use a bandsaw in the process), and reconditioned a bicycle frame jig with the help of some friends. I've also built three huge workbenches with shelves and one freestanding shelf, picking up some structural carpentry knowledge in the process. I built a ZFS-based file server from mostly spare parts. I make award-winning homebrewed beer, cider, wine and mead (great for barter and as gifts, and easy on the wallet too).

My partner and I's biggest challenge financially is that the cost of living here is really high -- however -- we really love living here, our friends and community are here and family is close enough to visit on the weekends. We rent an apartment that is much nicer and less expensive than anything we could buy around here. Fortunately we both share the same outlook on frugality, although she's less comfortable parking money in dividend-paying investments than in standard savings accounts (we maintain separate bank accounts and personal finances, although we don't split hairs with joint expenses). She's got side hustles teaching Suzuki piano and as a hula hoop performance artist, and by day works as a project manager. We both make good money at our day jobs and have backup interests that can be spun up to generate more income if the primary jobs disappear (although that's unlikely to happen).

Reading MMM inspired me to track expenses more closely by signing up with mint.com and we've dropped over 50% off our monthly grocery bill in the last two months by being smarter about where we buy groceries. Otherwise it looks like we're somewhere between 4 and 6 years to complete FI with a comfortable buffer, although I'm itching to get there sooner!

JoieDeVivre

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #215 on: September 06, 2012, 09:57:53 PM »
Hi, I'm JoieDeVivre, 26-year-old wifey to a wonderful guy and chief herder of 2 rascals under 3 years. I get the feeling we make quite a bit less than MMM's target audience, so by the time our income kicks up, we're gonna be freaking frugal ninjas!

Life is interesting around here with 4 generations under one roof--we rent a room from my parents, and my grandparents have recently moved in as well. It's not for everyone, but so far we scratch each other's backs and get along pretty well. I'm also quite amused when we go out someplace together; we make quite a procession.

I'm a recovering Dave Ramsey follower, although I'll never get over my allergy to debt (nor do I want to!). We have about $9000 in student loans to knock out, and then I'll start to breathe again.

Aside from keeping the kiddos from tearing the place apart, I like to make science experiments in my kitchen (kefir, anyone?), and I'm working toward becoming a natural childbirth educator. Yep, I'm one of those crazies who had her babies in her bedroom--and it was awesome! Ciao.


SilverForge

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #216 on: September 10, 2012, 09:46:34 AM »
40-something fellow "waking up" from the "American Dream"... to the reality of serious issues... Gonna start a family- just bought the "MiniVan" (no kids yet- but if you build it- they will come philosophy!)... and wondering How to STOP digging the holes I am in... already learned one lesson- STOP DIGGING! HA!

Pollyanna

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #217 on: September 10, 2012, 12:03:45 PM »
I found this blog a couple months ago, but just registered today to participate in the forum.  I'm 55, married for 29 years, two grown sons 24 and 27 who are fortunately out in the workforce at good jobs.  We always thought we were being pretty smart money-wise, but if I knew "then" what I know now (and am still learning), I'd be FI by now.  We did pay totally for our boys' 4 years (each) of college, always participated in 401K (to the max after a few initial struggling years).  But we had a somewhat spending lifestyle and even now need to work on weaning ourselves from it. 

Solo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #218 on: September 10, 2012, 09:29:08 PM »
Hi everyone. I've been following MMM for about a year now, ever since Lifehacker (if I remember correctly) linked to one of his posts and drew me here. Since that day, MMM has been one of my required reads each week as it overlaps with many of my own interests and values.

A little background; my wife, newborn son, and I (37) live in a fully paid off house the NY Metro area. With hard work, a little luck, and a lot of self control (I love technology, gadgets, and home theaters, all of which can eat into any well laid financial planning if not careful), we're debt free outside of a mortgage on a Manhattan studio apartment that I purchased in early 2001. We consider it our retirement home, or if that doesn't pan out, a very nice long-term investment. Even with the real estate bubble, it's worth double what it cost. :-)

I'm not one for getting involved in online communities, but considering the topics and lively discussion MMM generates, the genuine spirit to help one another, and the shared interest in FI and DIY, this seems like a good place to get my feet wet. I'm truly looking forward to participating and I hope I can help even half as much as this blog has helped me over the past year. See you around!

vinaeco

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Gday! .. an aussie version of Hi
« Reply #219 on: September 11, 2012, 12:28:46 PM »
Gday All

new to the forum, I'm an Aussie in the US making software so people can make better decisions financially..  we believe the key is to get your income, spending & debt under control.

Super interested in studies into the link between money and happiness and the difference it makes when people choose experiential consumption over material consumption

We hope our tools will help people get better connected to their financial reality (constraints!) and in doing so work out how to be happy living within their means

Look forward to connecting with people here and sharing my experiences!

Vincent

namimomoftwo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #220 on: September 11, 2012, 07:16:23 PM »
Hi, I'm Nami, a mother of two toddlers, married to a wonderful hubby for over 10 years.

I found MMM through Jacob's site and have been lurking till now.

MMM and his community are great! We can change the world~.



josephpg

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #221 on: September 12, 2012, 10:23:31 AM »
Hi, im joseph, im 20 and im living with my parents. I discovered this site through hacker news, and latched on recently as my family has experienced financial difficulties. im currently trying to save up money, i have 2000 right now, trying to get it to 3000 by the end of the month while learning how to live as cheaply as possible in order to attain a 50% savings rate when i move out. I have two jobs, one of which is looking to hire me full time in a few months. I also have a lot of family and some good friends. Im here for advice on how to grow faster and be stable, as well as what i need to buy and how to spend my time. I used to want to retire by 35 after getting a degree by 25 and working 10 years in software to save up all i needed, but my mind has been changing a lot lately. i hope i learn a lot here.

Ryan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #222 on: September 12, 2012, 07:27:33 PM »
Hey all

I am 20 years old, my wife is turning 19 on Saturday .  We plan to be FI around age 30-35.  Our current goal is to buy a fixer upper house and turn it into a rental.  Neither of us had plans for college so we went straight into the working world.  We currently bring home 40-50k and save 50-60% of that.  I grew up poor with a father who made poor financial decisions and she grew up on a farm.  So we are both very frugal and happy with the simple things in life. 

maryofdoom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #223 on: September 13, 2012, 10:24:44 AM »
Hi friends,

I'm Mary, as you might have guessed from my username. I'm 30 and my husband Spencer (name changed to protect his paranoia) is 32. We live in southwestern PA, right outside of Pittsburgh...or, as the locals like to call it sometimes, Pennsyltucky.

We are farther along on our FI journey than many people I know. Spencer's always been a saver, as evidenced by his holding two jobs right out of college and paying off his student loans before we even met. I went to cheap state school and had money left in my college fund for grad school, so when we got married in 2009, it was refreshing to not have student loans to worry about.

Right now I make $48k/year as an editor and technical writer, while he makes $40k/year plus an annual bonus as a draftsman/one-half his office's IT department. Our financial goals mostly revolve around paying off our house and car loan (I know, it's a dirty word around, but we're working on it as fast as we can).

I think we differ in our approaches to money. I think of money as a tool that allows you to do the things that you want to do, while he views it as a necessary evil that you need and can keep you from doing the things you want to do. He is very much of the mentality that "Once you get a job, you hold on to that job for DEAR LIFE AND NOTHING WILL TAKE IT AWAY," whereas I don't see the point of sticking it out in a miserable work situation until I'm 65.

We are also firm believers in the side hustle. I do freelance editing projects, while he plays drums in a moderately successful local swing band. His gigs paid for a lot of the activities we did while we were dating, and now they pay for him to get lunch at work throughout the week. I'm looking to expand my editing work through a variety of avenues, but we'll see how those work out.

Spencer's hobbies include woodworking, riding the unicycle, and playing bagpipes, while I enjoy reading and embroidery. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of the Mustachians around these parts!

(And yes, I was on Jeopardy! in 2010. I only won $1,000, but I had a blast.)


Angelfishtitan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #224 on: September 14, 2012, 02:04:43 PM »
Guess I should have started here, but whatever!

Hi, my name is Justin. I am 24 (going on 25, innocent as a rose), and hope to be FI at about 35. I will probably continue working part-time (at least for a little while) after that just because I do like what I do, just not being forced to do it. I live in the middle of Connecticut with my lovely wife, currently renting, but soon to be buying a house. I am part of a company that designs military engines as a project engineer (for people who don't know what that is, I manage project financials and make sure the project runs smoothly with all the other disciplines on it).

I enjoy brewing (when I wasn't renting), gaming of all the various types, and cracking things open to know how they work. I am happy to have found this site and the community that comes with it, it is a refreshing pace from most of the other finance sites.

Dr. Doom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #225 on: September 15, 2012, 02:50:05 PM »
Hey

  Really happy to have found this community.  I'd been reading FIRE posts for a couple of years but realize my philosophy is closer to MMM, which is that I don't want to retire, but instead move toward meaningful and varied work which doesn't lock me in to 40-50 hour weeks. (which, after you've lived through enough of them, start to feel like an endless forced march toward death.  Probably because they are.)

I live in the Boston area, just hit my 35th birthday, and co-own a home with a great gal.   No kids.  We both have been working in computers (IT and software development) for 14 straight years and it's been old for at least 11 of them.  It's not that the work itself is completely horrible, but the politics, 24/7 system support, and relentless demands of the business grind everybody down over time.   

The good news is that, despite job hopping a few times, we've never had any gaps in employment and we're both on the frugal side, saving around 50-60% of our salaries yearly.   

However, we're in a period of limbo because
a) money hasn't been an issue in a long time
b) we've stockpiled a ton of assets in our 401(k) accounts, as well as outside investments (she has a paid off rental condo in Boston and I have a decent portfolio with Vanguard)
c) it's no longer exciting to just watch the money pile up.  We're confident and calm but also somewhat bored and need to make some decisions as to how to define and approach the next phase of our lives.

I have a feeling that the way to find the path forward is to embrace badassity. 
« Last Edit: April 14, 2015, 07:09:47 AM by Dr. Doom »

PJ

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #226 on: September 15, 2012, 02:52:52 PM »
Hi all! 

My name is Pam and I've been lurking on and off for quite a while, but finally decided to connect into the community.  I'm single, no kids, and I live in Toronto, Canada.  I have a very un-Mustachian number of pets (4 cats, 2 dogs), and live in a house rented from my parents.  I'm a vegetarian, an amateur artist, and I love to read.  Oh, and while trying to get my financial house in order, I'm also working hard on decluttering my home, and am active in the forums on the website unclutterer too (I'm PJ there too).  I actually think that the work I've done to declutter has been instrumental in clearing my head enough to tackle my financial mess too. 

I've spent most of my working life in the developmental disabilities field, but a few years ago I went back to school and got my Masters of Divinity.  I was ordained as a priest in the Anglican church in January, and have been working in a church in north/central Toronto since June 2011.  While going to school I made a lot of poor financial decisions and have accumulated a bunch of debt, which is spread between a line of credit and a relatively low interest rate credit card (why yes ... I have run around screaming as if I'm being attacked by killer bees, and I do find myself punching myself in the face repeatedly!) 

I'm not sure that I see myself even wanting to retire early, but I do want to have a better quality of life while spending less money and being more mindful of the environment, and also provide myself with financial security for when I do retire.  I'm definitely on board with some of the Mustachian ways of living, and can probably take on more of them in order to dig myself out of debt as quickly as possible.  Looking forward to the journey!

pippingeek

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #227 on: September 15, 2012, 03:43:01 PM »
Hello to all the gang here

Been reading for a while, wanted to get caught up before I hit the forums.

I'm Pip, 37, single in NYC, $30k in grad school student loan debt (and of course I didn't complete the PhD, so I'm currently overeducated and underpaid) and about to take on $75k more, but that will put me in a program that will give me a $100k starting salary in a recession-proof health care career, so I think it's a good move overall. Rent could be cheaper as I only share my apartment with my cat, but I don't own a car, I bike to work 3 days a week (the other 3 days I take the subway into the city for school with multiple stops and often 14 hour days, so I feel entitled), don't have a tv, wear jeans and a tshirt to work every day, and generally don't really spend on anything nonessential but drinks with friends. And as a lightweight, the bar bills are not so bad, though I'm trying to cut out the drinking at least for a couple months.

Just starting to get a handle on money as it's only in the last few months I haven't been living check to check (was making about $18k when I started my job a year ago, am now one of the people running the place and making at least twice that, but it took a little time to get there), I was without a home for two months over the Christmas holidays, it's been a crazy year. And I just want to not be poor anymore, and be able to have the opportunity for crazy (to me in the past at least) ideas like investments and passive income. We'll see, I've got a long road ahead of me, both with school on top of a 40 hour work week just to get into a grad program, a massive loan to do it, and probably 4-7 years before I am out and working. But meanwhile at least I love my job and can choose my own hours, so that makes it a lot less like work while I'm trying to pay down my debt and find time to study and occasionally have a social life.

So hi! Glad to come somewhere with an automatic team on my side!

WootWoot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #228 on: September 16, 2012, 12:01:32 PM »
Hi, everyone!

I am 48 years old, married, college graduate who has no debt (woot woot!). I was unemployed for two years and am just getting back on my feet. I am happy I found a job but it pays less than my last job, and I'm afraid I won't be able to meet my obligations. Luckily I have a cheap home and paid-off vehicle. I'm wondering if I can make some changes that will lower my monthly bills, though. I *THOUGHT* I was living quite frugally...but maybe not (just posted about phone bills in another thread).

Nice to meet y'all!

Darrell

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #229 on: September 19, 2012, 02:08:03 AM »
Hello fellow forum fans.

My name is Darrell. My wife and two kids (17 & 13) and I live in Inuvik, which is in the Northwest Territories, Canada. I (and the kids) are Inuvialuit, and my wife (Stacey) comes from a Danish-Canadian heritage and was born in the beautiful province of Saskatchewan. I love Canada and have seen almost every inch of this country - from coast to coast to coast.

I'm in my early 50's (actually considered an elder in my culture, which fact still amazes me) and am working on overcoming a peculiar condition ... I've never, ever, worried about money. My family is completely debt free ... no mortgage as we rent (although we have owned a home before - loved the experience but will never own again - would rather invest our way to FI) and we are now discussing the concepts of "badassity" (I love the whole idea but am facing some resistance) and how to begin implementing this as our household culture. I've been reading the MMM blog (and it's varied tangents) for a couple of weeks now and am enthusiastically enthralled. I appreciate everything about the blog and especially love reading the comments sections - I hope to start contributing soon.

If any of you fellow Mustachians ever make it to my end of the world, let me know and please stop in ... I'll provide the low cost (five-cent) tour ... all are welcome here eh!

oxide23

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #230 on: September 21, 2012, 11:19:17 AM »
Hi Everyone, I'm 44, no college debt, but I do have a small mortgage. I do my best not to waste money on anything silly. I've always been interested in efficiency and high quality. To reduce my need for money I ride my bike as transportation(most places, but I do own a small car), installed PV solar panels and thermal solar panels on my house. I had my house insulated and sealed to save on heating. I heat my house with wood as much as I can. I also bought the smallest house I could find in town, within biking/walking distance to work and stores. I did about 90% of the fix up work myself. I replaced my yard with a vegetable garden and I keep bees and sell a little honey. I save (and invest) a bit under 1/2 of my after tax income. I like to live small because I really don't need all the stuff my culture tells me I need. I also enjoy fixing things. I don't really plan on retiring, but at 52 I should have enough to do so. I began saving seriously at 26. I live far below my means. In the event that I die before I retire, I know my family will be stronger for my lifestyle. I'm very happy knowing that. I have everything I need. I feel lucky and very happy with life. Good Luck everyone.

10moreyears

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #231 on: September 21, 2012, 06:27:03 PM »
Hi, I found this site back in the spring and have been reading every post. Thanks MMM for the punch in the face! I have been reading PF blogs for several years but the content and discussions here are unmatched anywhere else. I have always been somewhat frugal but this site has lit a fire in me. I'm 50, married with 2 high school age kids. I'm ready to plan my exit strategy from the corporate rat race. Looking forward to participating in the discussions here.

J.O.S.H.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #232 on: September 23, 2012, 03:13:56 PM »
Hi, I'm Josh. I'm 19, about halfway to FI, and plan to retire on my 21st birthday, if not sooner. This stuff is pretty easy, no? :)

ClimbingRocks

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #233 on: September 25, 2012, 12:20:51 PM »
Sweet! People who won't think I'm psycho for ditching the car and buying a bike!

Hi, I'm Rebekah. I'm 30 and in the process of rebuilding from a divorce (I wanted nothing and that is exactly what I got). I'm planning to return to college in January to keep working on my engineering degree, and I have just found a full time job in addition to my part timer, so hopefully I'll be able to stop couch surfing and start building up some savings and retirement within the next few weeks. I've lived on nothing for the last couple of years and am looking forward to continuing that habit while I (finally!) start to re-grow my 'stache. It's nice to find people with a similar mindset :)

Laina83

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #234 on: September 26, 2012, 06:49:49 AM »
Hi! I'm Laina. My husband and I are in our late 20s and are on our way to FI!We have a 15 month old and have been having fun proving that you can have kids without breaking the bank. We both work full time which is hard since we wish we could spend more time with our kiddo. At the moment we are chipping away at student loan debt and an auto loan (used 2008 prius), contemplating selling our second car (2007 yaris hatchback) and squirreling away all of our extra cash into index funds. We look forward to proving that we can retire before 40!

KulshanGirl

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #235 on: September 26, 2012, 10:46:07 AM »
Hi all!  I'm Megan.  I followed a FB link to a post here and then sat and read the entire blog from start to finish.  WHEW!  I am glad to report that I am pretty good shape at this point, but I could use some help from here forward for sure!

I'm 41 and bought a house right before the boom, in 2002.  It's a tiny 600sf cottage with a low mortgage amount refinanced at a great rate, and it's within 2 miles of absolutely everywhere we need to go in an awesome pacific NW college town.  I couldn't rent for what I pay on my house now.  Score!  I am unmarried but live with my husboyfriend and our 2 year old.  We have separate finances, it's a long story but it's best for us. 

I have no consumer debt and paid cash my used 1998 Volvo XC70.  We both work full time so daycare is our biggest expense right now.  I know it's seen as unmustachian to have a child in care, and it was difficult at first, but now I have to say that it's wonderful for us.  She is happy, bright, independent, creative, and she LOVES her school.  She comes home every day looking like she got dragged through paint, gravy, pine needles and smiles.  I really do see it like she spends her day with "the village" with friends and beloved and trusted adults.  I know it's not perfectly ideal and I would love to stay home with her.  YMMV but I heart our daycare, and right now we both do need to work.

I make $40K per year, plus bonuses that end up being around $8K.  Between my contributions and my employers, I put 21% into my 401k. ($51k in that as of now) I am pretty frugal, and after all the bills are paid (husboyfriend pays half of expenses) and some is set aside for things like property taxes and insurance, I have around $600 per month left over, and about $1500 per quarter also from the bonuses.  In the past I have added to my "F-this" savings/emergency fund, ($12k in a savings account) but then it kind of piddles back out for this and that.

My biggest leak is that I am adult fan of LEGO.  *hides*  It is a hobby that brings me a huge amount of joy and happiness, and it's something that I can share with my child when she is older.  But man, it is spendy.  I have toned it way down though.  *punch self in face, etc etc*

The big question is ... What should I do with my roughly $13K per year?
1.  Max out my 401k or
2.  Pay off my mortgage in about 5 years or
3.  Stuff it into a Vanguard fund and let 'er rip or
4.  Some combo of those things

I'm not looking to leave my job any time in the very near future.  I love my life how it is now although I'd like to go part time when my daughter is in grade school.  I just want to know how best to deploy my employees.  Right now I have quite a few of them, but they just sit around.  :)

So gald to find this community! 

deselby

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #236 on: September 28, 2012, 03:34:17 PM »
Hello forum! My name's Brett and my fiancee and I currently live in Boulder, Colorado, though we're originally from Northern California. After my unsuccessful PhD experiment came to an end in February, I was saddled with a big chunk of student loans and no job. Around this time I discovered MMM, and my fiancee and I both adjusted to a more Mustachian lifestyle, with the goal of eliminating our combined debt by year's end.

Now things are looking pretty good. I've got a full-time job (and some part-time work) and we're less than two months from being completely free of our debts, and we see no reason to change our habits in the future.

I'd say the most profound thing we've learned in the past several months is that living a life of delayed gratification, low consumption, hard work, and self-reliance isn't just a recipe for getting your finances in order. It's a recipe for leading a happy, fulfilling life, and early retirement is the byproduct!

Thanks to Senor 'Stache and family for the inspiration!

ErinG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #237 on: September 30, 2012, 06:46:27 PM »
Hi, I'm Erin! I'm a married mother of 3. I work full time outside the home and spend the majority of the rest of my waking hours parenting and running the household and worrying about the bills. I'm still trying to figure out what other interests or talents I have.
I've been reading the blog for a couple of months and just recently discovered the forum. Yay! I'm happy you're all here and I'm happy to be here! I think it's a great place!

GuitarStv

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #238 on: October 02, 2012, 09:38:01 AM »
Hi!  I'm Steven, and have been reading the blog for a couple of weeks.  I'm currently living in the east end of Toronto, Ontario (Canada) with my wife.  We're both software engineers, and have worked hard to live debt free up to this point (excepting our mortgage, which we hope to have paid off in the next five years).  None of my friends, and few of the people in my life are very frugal, and MMM's blog has really made me feel better that there are other cheapies out there like me!

crajoh71

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #239 on: October 04, 2012, 01:42:44 PM »
HI! im John,
Graduated college last year. I got a great job right after graduation and I am trying to retire by 40. Damn student loans.

Kamikaze Emu

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #240 on: October 04, 2012, 01:56:49 PM »
Hi, I am Jason.

I found the blog a few months ago and the timing could not have been better!  I just turned 31 and I am three months away from eradicating a $20,000 debt wall that I have been working on for the last 21 months.  The blog has been great for me as I was already in a semi-frugal mindset with my debt repayment goals and it has given me great motivation to put that debt away asap and start planning my exit strategy.  I hope to be semi-retired and living on my not yet purchased homestead in 15 years or less!  Keeping that in mind I find more and more motivation to push my savings rate higher and I am really looking forward to keeping my savings instead of seeing it go to debt repayment.

Cheers, and thank for all the help so far. 


Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #241 on: October 05, 2012, 10:57:08 AM »
Hi, I'm Erica.

I'm really good at growing my own food, not taking on debt and not wasting food. I really suck at getting my electricity usage down and I live in a house that is more than we need but we love it. Oh...and I have an SUV. So, you know, maybe I have stubble, maybe not. :)

We're in a good place financially, which is something that became apparent from reading MMM and re-working my definition of "enough to retire". We are debt-free. I want to cut out waste from the budget and our lives for financial, philosophical and environmental reasons. Although I've never been the world's biggest shopper, for about the past 5 years I have become more and more disenchanted by *stuff* (buying it, maintaining it, cleaning it) and we are at the point where there is nothing we want more of except time.

We are shooting for ER (or perhaps semi-retirement) because my boy is two and we realized that my daughter mostly got the benefit of two SAH parents for her early years. It was *great* and I want the same for my son. We figure it's kinda now or never. Making that shift is more of a psychological thing at this point. ("Oh, you mean I *don't* have to play the bullshit corporate climber game? You mean I can just opt out of that whole system? AWESOME!")

I write a blog called Northwest Edible Life (www.nwedible.com). It's mostly about gardening, home preserving, cooking from the garden, keeping chickens, DIY home hacks, urban homesteading, etc. The gardening stuff has a strong Pacific NW bias because that's what I know. We talk about frugality and values-based spending too sometimes, but mostly it's how-to's and garden porn. :)

Thank you for this really excellent resource and all the inspiration that is built into the MMM blog and community. Solid work, Mr. & Mrs. MM.

Nurse Frugal

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #242 on: October 05, 2012, 03:30:16 PM »
Hi, I'm nurse Frugal.  Trying to fight the daily struggles of my alter-ego: Mrs. Complainey pants, and trying to stay on track to be a bad-ass mustachian.  Husband and I are currently trying to pay off our house, hopefully by this time next year ;)

prudence

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #243 on: October 09, 2012, 01:09:27 PM »
Hi All,
I'm Beth and discovered Mr. Money Mustache about a month ago and have since read this blog from start to finish. At 50, I'm late to this game but eager to get to the finish line.  I have always been frugal but spent almost 20 years with a partner making bad financial decisions and I lost a lot of ground. Ive been divorced 6 years now and have gotten myself back on track.  I'm debt free except for a 15 year mortgage on a house I bought 4 years ago. I live in the very expensive northeast and work in IT.
I'm looking forward to more inspiration from all the badasses on this blog!


yolfer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #244 on: October 09, 2012, 03:47:56 PM »
I'm Joe. I've been reading MMM and posting on the forums for a little while but forgot to do an intro.

I'm 32, married, 3 kids. We live in Seattle, WA at our "Urban Homestead" (with chickens and a garden).

When I'm not reading MMM, I enjoy being a dad, cycling, running, music, video games. For paid employment, I'm a software developer. Calculators say I'm to be FI in 10 years, but who really knows? I'm just enjoying the journey for now.

wagonwheeljr

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #245 on: October 09, 2012, 05:59:30 PM »
Hello, my name is Gerry and I am in pretty deep but with some sacrifice and planning I intend on winning my FI! This will happen!

savingtofreedom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #246 on: October 11, 2012, 03:21:07 PM »
Hello,

I have been lurking on the site for some time now and I am looking forward to finally join the community.

I have always been a rather frugal person - other than my clothes hoarding shopping tendencies (always at 70 - 90 % off).  Husband and I have put away a pretty good amount but would like to build up as much as a savings cushion as possible and continue to cut the expenses to allow ourselves early retirement.

I am 32 and I am pretty confident I can make this happen by 40.

Looking forward to hanging out with some other frugal folks.

-savingtofreedom

frompa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #247 on: October 12, 2012, 06:34:28 AM »
Well, I've been poking around here for months, and posting once in a while, so I guess I should introduce myself.  I am middle aged, been pretty frugal my whole life, but have been dealing with the financial consequences of big health problems for one of my children (I have two) a few years ago, followed immediately by a quite unexpected divorce after 25 years of marriage.  Wahoo, what a ride it's been! Also, because of my ability to live on next to nothing, while I was dealing with this mess, I really didn't have to make much money, so I didn't; now, I'm facing reality and looking to mega-ramp up my income and 'stache. I'm debt-free, including owning my house free and clear.  I really enjoy the quality of MMM's writing, and the depth of insight I find in his pieces as well as in the comments and forum entries.  Thanks all, you have already been an excellent source of information and support!

flyfamily

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #248 on: October 12, 2012, 10:27:50 AM »
'Hi' to everyone.

My husband and I have been together 20 years. We have two, school aged children.
We made a conscious, motivated change approximately 3 years ago to live more simply and prepare for husband's retirement from his 1st job.  We had relocated the year before, which meant that I had to leave my career of 10+ years.

I became a homemaker, which has helped our family downshift. We sold 1 of our 2 vehicles, and we paid cash for a motorcycle for husband to commute to and from work on. He's been riding for 2 over 2 years now. We also scaled back our housing costs to well below our monthly allotment and began paying off debt, to where we have now been able to live on less than 50% of our net household income! We still have more debt to repay (along with the 1 auto loan). However, we're on track to be completely debt free, have savings, all before his retirement. He'll have a pension (gov't), and we do not have long term plans as husband is in Aviation.. so we could go anywhere around the world. With that in mind, it's opened us up to the realization that we can live life on our terms, that it doesn't have to be defined by working 60+ hours per week or both of us working full time and spending it all on lifestyle and expenses.

A year after we began making changes, I was diagnosed with two incurable diseases, which my specialists are still trying to get under control. It really reinforced for us that the decision to simplify and carve out a future with less stress, was the right move.

We also have a family homestead, with our portion being 10 acres that we have a 1 bedroom cabin (electric only) sitting on. We don't have long term plans there, at the moment. However, wherever in the world we may end up after his retirement, it will give us a home base. The land has been in his family over 100 years, so it's an important part of their heritage.

That's about all.. enjoying the boards!

inthebiz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #249 on: October 12, 2012, 11:46:44 AM »
This community is amazing. Thank you for building such a great resource.

I'm in the financial services industry and and recently moved from downtown Chicago (and the rat race if there ever was one) to a very rural part of the country - all in the name of the Mustachian way, I'd have you know.

I enjoy this blog/forum because it helps me stay grounded and learn ways to help the financially savvy and not-so-savvy alike, which is one of the main reasons I chose the career I did.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!