Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315944 times)

Le North Dreamer

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 76
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2400 on: October 01, 2015, 11:41:44 AM »
Another one from Montreal (South-shore in fact).

Got deeply into studying personal finances over the last year and ended up reading most of MMM's blog. Finally decided to enter into the forum. Never really though about FI and ER before, but it turned out to be a life goal for my girlfriend and I.

Current life situation:
Age 26, SO is 26 too. no kids.
Both professionals, not enjoying the work much
Gross yearly income is around 180k (Canadian, of course)
Estimated Net worth: around 30k (small investments 7k , equity on triplex 45k, but 24k student loans)
Estimated Yearly Spending: $50-55k (I know its a lot, mainly because we have horses - boarding, not at home)
Identified spending problems: Horses, rented car, bus commuting to work. We took care of the other main categories and are aware that we could go further into cutting luxury.

We currently rent a small apartment but recently bough a triplex and will move in one unit in 2016.

I'm planing to change job next year (currently a lawyer) and become an independent financial planner and moneycoach (and try to put some fellow Canadians on the FI track), so gross salary might take a huge dip, but overall life happiness should be quite better!

Glad to be here, surrounded by like-minded people.

Best,
Alexno

chrisgermany

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 267
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2401 on: October 03, 2015, 06:40:02 AM »
Hi from Germany!

I read Your Money or Your Life back in 95.
The ideas made sense.
We had already started to track expenses in 82, so we knew where the money went to.
We are also LBYMs, with a travel bug. As we had good jobs we could have a reasonably good life and save to make ER happen.

Later I found the Simply Living Forums and the ER forums.
We ERed in 2013, DH was 61 and I was 55.
We still are happy as 2 clams.

dreams_and_discoveries

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 924
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2402 on: October 04, 2015, 09:35:38 AM »
Hello from London

I'm Lou, 34, and I've been a lurker here for a few months, thinking it's now time to dip my toe in the water and say hi.

The MMM philosophy appeals to me massively, some strands come naturally to me, but I do struggle with others. I'm never going to live in a small flat or cycle everywhere, and I'm fine with those decisions. I'm now making very reasonable money, and trying to get myself to a 50% savings rate - mainly going into my SIPP pension (very tax efficient for freelancers like me) and some unwrapped investments.

Have a hard goal to retire by 50, and would love to bring that in, but this would need some sacrifices, that I'm not sure I'm ready to make yet. I adore London, and it seems madness to pass up on the opportunities here when I'm young (ish). Have a serious theatre habit to maintain, and ever increasing wanderlust.

meyling

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 46
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2403 on: October 07, 2015, 09:45:28 PM »
Hi!

My name is Meyling, and I've probably been spending way too much time reading MMM's blog posts since I heard about this site, so I decided I might as well join the community. I graduated college last December, so this year for me has basically been all about learning how to be a real adult. (So far it's way easier than college!)

I think I've always had a frugal mindset. My grandma likes to mention this story a lot. One time when I was around 5 or so, I was at the store playing with a toy I wanted to buy. I asked how much it was, and it was $5, but I thought it was worth only 99 cents, so I decided that I had played with the toy enough, and didn't want it anymore. My parents went and bought it for me anyway, and when I found out I was so disappointed and frustrated that I started crying.

TechMike

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 33
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Edgewater, CO
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2404 on: October 08, 2015, 11:46:07 AM »
Hello everyone!

I'm a (n almost) 30 year old from the Denver area. I work as a systems engineer, and my wife just started a Ph.D. program. We also have two little kiddos (3yr/1yr). We only really recently got started focusing on frugality and building our 'staches. I'm glad to run across MMM and all of the badassity that he and you forumites exude. I'm glad to join you.

We just refinanced our mortgage into a 30 year mortgage from an FHA mortgage to drop the crappy PMI (thank goodness for Denver's crazy real estate market). We also have substantial student loan debt from our undergrad degree. Fortunately though, we just recently finished paying off a car loan and medical bills. Regarding the car loan, thanks to all the wonderful advice, I realize how silly that car loan was to get. At the time it seemed like a great idea.

We have a dream of retiring 10 years from now, and I'm still crunching numbers to see how to make it possible. I hope to continue to learn from all of you.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2015, 11:48:32 AM by TechMike »

Ceridwen

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 237
  • Location: Canada
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2405 on: October 09, 2015, 07:14:47 AM »
Hello! I've been lurking on the boards here for a few weeks and thought it was time to introduce myself.  33 year old Canadian, married mother of 2.  I've just returned to work following my second and final maternity leave (14 months, thank you Canada!) and this has lead me to really start thinking about our financial future.  Ultimately, I want to reduce my hours to part-time so I can be at home more for our kids.  Annual household income of 150K CND.  200K in savings.  250K in RRSPs.

DH and I have always been good with our money, but we don't invest and that's my primary reason for checking out MMM, after hearing about it from a friend.  I don't know if early retirement is the ultimate goal yet, but I'm very excited to start thinking about it.

Things we've done right:
- Bought a small house with a fraction of the mortgage the bank was willing to give us.  Will be paid-off in 4 years :)
- No consumer debt
- Student loans were minimal and paid off within a year of graduation
- Bought our only car in cash (need it for daycare run)
- Commute to work by train
- Max out our RRSPs and RESPs each year
- Contribute quite regularly to our savings
- Generally frugal lifestyle, especially when compared to our peers (but not MMM level frugal, yet).
- Kids wear all hand-me down clothes.  We don't even buy them toys because grandparents do enough spoiling as it is.  So really our only costs so far are feeding them and daycare (which is thankfully government subsidized in our province).

Things we need to work on:
- Getting a better overall handle on our finances.  We need goals.
- Investing our money instead of keeping it in savings accounts
- Open some TFSAs (I know, so terrible we haven't done this yet)
- Ditch cable.  DH is really holding out on this one because of hockey. 
- Get DH to bring his lunch to work more often
- Lower our insurance costs by increasing our deductibles

Looking forward to learning a lot from everyone! We are really nervous about investing because DH once lost a small inheritance (5K) to Nortel, and that left us feeling pretty burned.  But reading more about things like ETFs is giving us the courage to give it another try.

epiben

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2406 on: October 09, 2015, 08:52:45 AM »
Hello All,

I have just started my ride on the money mustache train.  So far it has been one month and I've really started to re-consider how I handle my expenses.  In my first month I was able to save about 40% of my take home pay.  Granted, this is short of my goal, but this is a good start.  My second child was born during this time, so that drove up costs a bit too, but I'm sure I could find any excuse for any given month, so I'll just say I can do better. 

The best part is that I really started to pull myself up by my mustache straps and have itemized what comes in and what comes out.  Although I had unknowingly been following a lot of mustachian ways of living (I have done all the work on our home myself, have all of my debt paid off with the exception of a mortgage, etc.) I really paid no mind to where my money was going to.  It turns out I was easily burning $600 on things I couldn't even remember.  What a waste! 

So, here I am, a month later, kicking myself for all the waste, but happy that I've cut it out of my life.  I have goals set, and I'm looking to hit 50% savings next month.  I'd say wish me luck, but luck is for fools.  I just better do it, right!

Thanks!

-Ben

stephQ

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 18
  • Location: CA
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2407 on: October 09, 2015, 01:53:17 PM »
Hello! I'm Steph, a recently married 32yo currently living in So. California. DINK, debt-free & looking for ways to increase our savings rate. Grew up having spendthrift parents who didn't really emphasize the importance of saving. Started reading personal finance books in my early 20s out of curiosity and started applying principles of saving chunks of my salary automatically once I started working to max my Roth IRA and 401k. Stumbled upon the MMM blog through reddit a while ago and obsessively read through all the MMM articles. I was amazed there was a whole community of like minded folks who also were saving huge portions of their income and living on a lot less. I've been a long time lurker of this forum without posting anything, till now :) I really appreciate the advice found here from all the members and hope to be more inspired!
« Last Edit: October 09, 2015, 02:09:11 PM by stephQ »

jan62

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 56
  • Location: Australia
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2408 on: October 10, 2015, 03:43:45 PM »
Hi,  I'm Jan and I've been reading MMM for a few years and finally decided to join the forum to find some like - minded people.
In our mid 50's, have been paying off credit card debt this year which is almost done. My focus will then be on paying off our mortgage asap. We have two investment properties and money in super for retirement. 
The last few years a lot of people have been laid off at work including half my original team. More getting laid off at Christmas - not me but realistically I wouldn't be surprised if it happens in the next few years. Our loose plan is to pay off this mortgage and then sell up in 4-5 years and downsize.

2 wheel $ machine

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2409 on: October 10, 2015, 05:21:58 PM »
Hello all, I heard MMM on the Art of Manliness podcast last month Sept 2015. I checked out the website / blog and am completely sold out to the MMM philosophy. Doubt me ? I now ride my bike to work in the (clown) car driving capital of the world, Los Angeles CA. Thus my nick name 2 wheel $ machine.

Tamster

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 69
  • Location: Northeast
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2410 on: October 11, 2015, 09:38:35 AM »
Good morning. I've been lurking and reading blog entries and forum posts for some time. I am 44, divorced, with two awesome boys. I happily tallied up my savings rate for this year (projected and so far) and it will be 60% ~ other than my parents and sister, there is really no one else to appreciate, hence my registering this morning. :) I'm learning a lot and hoping to learn even more. I have changed around my investments through my reading (netting some decent dividend income), and finally quit my part time job that was sucking the joy out of my life. It was very liberating.

10gallontank

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2411 on: October 12, 2015, 05:03:29 PM »
Hi Everyone!

I've been lurking this forum for a while and have started reading MMM about 1 year ago. In spite of not knowing what college was even about, I graduated with little debt and paid off my student loans in about 6 months (woot!). Now I'm trying to get used to the idea of white-collar work - and justifying the ridiculous dolla dolla bills it grants. Growing up, work was defined by actual labor, not coming up with ideas (but I am thankful that I have a job that I am actually good at. Gotta count those blessings.)

Some background, my family immigrated from out of the US and have farming backgrounds, which has a whole set of of challenges for 1st-generation-1st-born me. There was no guidance on how to prepare in high school for college, how to play the college game, the ridiculous activity of "networking", how to "office job", etc. But it did teach me to value my family, nature, and hard work - and not to take on debt. (It was my Dad's advice to say NO to $100k of student loans. Thanks Dad!)

So now, I am so happy to have found this community so early in my working life. With no debt to my name (nor assets), but full support of my family, I hope to FIRE by 2025. Or at least move on to work that actually accomplishes something. I'm hoping with everyone's help I can learn more things about the world and figure my way through it.

That excitement!

AmandaS1989

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1545
  • Age: 35
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Ferocious Accounting Beast
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2412 on: October 13, 2015, 09:24:30 AM »
Hello all!

I've been lurking for the past week or so and finally decided to join in on the fun! I found the MMM blog last month and have decided to start saving up for FIRE! I'm 26 and hope to have my FU money fully funded by the time I'm 45. I do not want to work forever and be a wage slave. If I work when I'm retired I want it to be because I WANT to, not because I have to.

I am currently in the process of paying off my last three CCs (about 3k in debt) so I can really start throwing some serious money at my SLs (63K worth). I have also started my 401k (4% on my part and 4% employer match) and have also started a Roth IRA with Betterment. I only have a little over $500 in my 401k and only $125 in my Roth with $1000 in my savings account but its better than where I was 5 months ago when I started my first full-time job as a staff accountant.

We've gotta start somewhere right?

jeelweel

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2413 on: October 13, 2015, 09:56:32 AM »
My name is Jake and I'm ready to retire in about 10 years if possible. A couple of issues:

1. I only make about 32k annually. No college degree and need to find a way to step that up.
2. I have no clue how to invest in anything because I fear losing it. But I DO want to invest. Need some help on that please. :)
3. My wife and I are expecting our 1st child next month (Wholly S*&t!!!) and she'll be out of work for a few months.
4. Have debt but it's minimal.
5. I have the frugal gene in me but could use some polishing. I've cut cable and stream.
6.I have a decent inheritance coming to me and want to know the best advice on where to put it.
7. I have no savings or 401k. My wife doesn't either. :(

Can anyone help? Y'all (yes I'm Texan) rock!!!

grantmeaname

  • CM*MW 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 5950
  • Age: 31
  • Location: Middle West
  • Cast me away from yesterday's things
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2414 on: October 13, 2015, 11:21:48 AM »
Jake, maybe you should make a case study thread for advice. There's a great stickied thread that explains what to put in it to be sure you get the most useful advice possible!

Ioakoutsiouk

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2415 on: October 14, 2015, 06:00:23 AM »
Hello to everybody.

John, 30. Engaged to the Mrs., 26. Both computer engineers. Found this forum and the blog 2 days ago. Since then so much more things make sense to us. Without actually knowing about it, we have been living quite a part of the Mustachian life. Other parts we have been missing wildly, mostly because of our ignorance. This will lead to some hilarious statements you will see below, I swear these are true. Plus side that will make things interesting: We are from the other side of the Atlantic. Recently (5 months ago) moved to the Netherlands and we are currently planning to stay here at least for 6-8 years. we are currently behind the retire-early train, as we were ignorant to much things that would accelerate our plan a lot earlier, but we have recently decided to chase after the 42-44 year old retirement. Here's some of our info:

Couple net income: 60.000 euros (approx. 69k USD). Yep it is low, we are on the beginning of our engineering careers anyways, and salaries in most of Europe are on a low standpoint for the moment. Expected to rise by 3000 annually.

Zero property taxes. That's precise, we own nothing that is taxable. No car, no house, no land.

Bank assets: 80k euros (92k USD) currently sitting completely idle (yep, that's one of the big things we have been missing -  not a single little plan for any kind of long term)

No kind of any debt whatsoever. No mortgage (obviously), no credit cards, no nothing.

We are living quite the modest life. We haven't have a TV for the last 12 years. We don't have expensive subscriptions to anything. I really really dislike new books and at the same time I love used books. I also never keep books at home, once we read them we give them away (that's right, we give stuff away all the time, we have a soft heart when it comes to taking other people's money for something that should be free in the first place like books). We use our bikes all the time (we're in the Netherlands, right?), rarely go out. I almost never shop for clothes but I do waste money on my personal computer and for my hobby of assembling and painting futuristic toy soldiers. Mrs buys clothes, but never expensive shit. We do on average 3 trips abroad per year, 2 to visit family and 1 to take some personal time. On that last one we were currently spending ridiculous amounts because it felt like we deserved it (more stuff I wisened up from during the last two days alone). With a rough estimation I would say we get by with spending 23000 euros per year. So we are saving 55% more or less.

Looking at the above, someone would say we got off to a great start and the mustachian dream can be seen in the horizon. The problem is I am not seeing it. My bank assets are too low to invest, or maybe I'm a coward. I also hate the fact that practically 50% of our yearly expenses go to pay for house rent. We plan to move in a much more affordable house come new year which would save us about 4200 euros per year (4800 USD). I am also wildly considering purchasing a house but I think I am too chicken to do it. Currently we are bleeding 1100 euros per month to stay in a 55 sq meter (500 sq ft) little apartment. Yes, I am aware that I do this wrong. I actually got aware of this 2 days ago, thanks MMM.

So my main question is: How do I un-coward myself to actually start doing smart choices when the purchasing prices are high?

runningthroughFIRE

  • CM*MW 2023 Attendees
  • Bristles
  • *
  • Posts: 378
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Ohio, USA
  • As heavy as it needs to be to make you stronger
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2416 on: October 14, 2015, 07:42:32 AM »
Hello to everybody.

John, 30. Engaged to the Mrs., 26. Both computer engineers. Found this forum and the blog 2 days ago. Since then so much more things make sense to us. Without actually knowing about it, we have been living quite a part of the Mustachian life. Other parts we have been missing wildly, mostly because of our ignorance. This will lead to some hilarious statements you will see below, I swear these are true. Plus side that will make things interesting: We are from the other side of the Atlantic. Recently (5 months ago) moved to the Netherlands and we are currently planning to stay here at least for 6-8 years. we are currently behind the retire-early train, as we were ignorant to much things that would accelerate our plan a lot earlier, but we have recently decided to chase after the 42-44 year old retirement. Here's some of our info:

Couple net income: 60.000 euros (approx. 69k USD). Yep it is low, we are on the beginning of our engineering careers anyways, and salaries in most of Europe are on a low standpoint for the moment. Expected to rise by 3000 annually.

Zero property taxes. That's precise, we own nothing that is taxable. No car, no house, no land.

Bank assets: 80k euros (92k USD) currently sitting completely idle (yep, that's one of the big things we have been missing -  not a single little plan for any kind of long term)

No kind of any debt whatsoever. No mortgage (obviously), no credit cards, no nothing.

We are living quite the modest life. We haven't have a TV for the last 12 years. We don't have expensive subscriptions to anything. I really really dislike new books and at the same time I love used books. I also never keep books at home, once we read them we give them away (that's right, we give stuff away all the time, we have a soft heart when it comes to taking other people's money for something that should be free in the first place like books). We use our bikes all the time (we're in the Netherlands, right?), rarely go out. I almost never shop for clothes but I do waste money on my personal computer and for my hobby of assembling and painting futuristic toy soldiers. Mrs buys clothes, but never expensive shit. We do on average 3 trips abroad per year, 2 to visit family and 1 to take some personal time. On that last one we were currently spending ridiculous amounts because it felt like we deserved it (more stuff I wisened up from during the last two days alone). With a rough estimation I would say we get by with spending 23000 euros per year. So we are saving 55% more or less.

Looking at the above, someone would say we got off to a great start and the mustachian dream can be seen in the horizon. The problem is I am not seeing it. My bank assets are too low to invest, or maybe I'm a coward. I also hate the fact that practically 50% of our yearly expenses go to pay for house rent. We plan to move in a much more affordable house come new year which would save us about 4200 euros per year (4800 USD). I am also wildly considering purchasing a house but I think I am too chicken to do it. Currently we are bleeding 1100 euros per month to stay in a 55 sq meter (500 sq ft) little apartment. Yes, I am aware that I do this wrong. I actually got aware of this 2 days ago, thanks MMM.

So my main question is: How do I un-coward myself to actually start doing smart choices when the purchasing prices are high?
92K (USD because honestly I don't have a good conceptual understanding of value in euros) is certainly not too small to invest.  Depending on your bank's interest rate, you could be losing upwards of 1.5-2K a year to inflation alone.  As far as getting the courage to take the plunge: Knowledge. Get some books on investing, and head over to the 'Investor Alley' section of the forums if you have questions. Welcome to the community!

wpgdude

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 14
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2417 on: October 15, 2015, 11:35:59 AM »
Well I discovered MMM sometime this past spring, and have loved reading his ideas and sharing thoughts with friends.  I'm 39, my wife is 42 and we have a 5 year old.  I never really gave retirement much thought until 5 years ago when my father past away at the age of 64.  This past spring my mother past away at the age of 63.  She managed to retire only a year before she passed away and regretted it during her past two months in hospital. 

So my eyes have been opened.  While I truly love my job as a high school teacher, I have my heart set on retiring at age 52 at the latest. (Retire when my daughter graduates from high school.)  We have been living somewhat frugal since my daughter was born as we dropped from 2 incomes to 1, with my wife being a stay at home mom.  Between my pension deductions, we save ~25% of what I bring home, not MMM standards by any means, but ahead of most of my friends. 

We have no debt, except for a mortgage (~190k on a 350k house, housing prices are much higher in Canada!).  I am now debating between accelerating our mortgage payments from 15 years left to under 10, or investing that money and making sure that our mortgage gets paid off from these investments before the day I retire.

I so appreciate all of the writings by MMM, it helps to give clarity on saying no to many not frugal things in life.  I know that I could reduce our spending further, but I am happy with a goal of retire at 52 and enjoy some luxuries (NHL hockey tickets) vs retiring even earlier. 

twisler13

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2418 on: October 16, 2015, 01:35:37 AM »
Hi Everyone,

Its the first time I've really been to the forum side of the site, but i have been following Mr Money for about a year or so now. I have made some major changes in my life because of it and on track to get student loans paid back and start investing. I am 25 and I have a 4 year old who is pretty awesome. We live in the flathead valley of Montana so in the Kalispell area. Would love to get to know some of you guys just to have some like minded individuals to talk with.

The Mrs and I work at home for Apple, so that has been a fun way to cut the costs of transportation down dramatically. We actually used to have a 2012 dodge charger which was amazing, but I came across Mr money and decided to sell it(actually made a profit thankfully) and went and bout a used 2005 Prius which has been amazing at the pump. So that was my first big step away from the traditional lifestyle and been following it getting better and better at little things all along the way. Cut cable, paid highest interest credit cards first moved the rest on to interest free until it was paid off, looked at the costs of our food, cut cable and bought an apple tv and hooked it up with netflix, etc We are actually hoping to get our first house so we can stop paying everyone elses mortgage. So I can't thank Mr money enough, and i am sure I can learn even more from you guys! 

If I can ever help with anything feel free to let me know, if you are nearby and want to meet up or just to have someone to chat with just reach let me know. :) ill be on here just watching and refining my mustache

Marcus

AmandaS1989

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1545
  • Age: 35
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Ferocious Accounting Beast
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2419 on: October 16, 2015, 05:58:19 AM »
Hello Marcus and welcome! Those are some awesome changes you've made. The little stuff really does add up. It's great that you and your wife can work from home. Some days when I get up at 6 am to make my hour commute I wish that I could do that too. Good luck on your journey to FI!

Eric222

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 902
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2420 on: October 19, 2015, 08:04:38 AM »
Hi!  I'm Eric.

I've spent most of my life as a consumer sucka - always justifying it by the fact I've been in 'training' or 'school', etc.  That was bad enough, but then I decided to get married and have two kids during medical school and residency.  Follow that by a bad divorce during residency, and I got pushed over the edge financially.  I spent a lot of time feeling like I'd been unlucky - but that isn't true.  I made poor choices and only by owning them and looking forward can I fix it. 

Thankfully, and embarrassingly, my parents came to my rescue and allowed me to use their collateral to borrow the money needed to survive the divorce, get 50/50 custody of my kids, and get back on my feet.

I've been cutting expenses, and it was enough to get to being able to start to pay back some of my massive debt, but at my previous pace I was looking at working until I'm dead.  I'm not just on fire, I'm rolling in lava.

I stumbled across this blog a few weeks ago and realized I can do more. 
Here are the steps I've taken:
1)  Dropped collision coverage on my Toyota Matrix (I already had an appropriate car) and switched to a cheaper carrier (Geico of course).
2)  Dropped my rental insurance.
3)  Got a BJs (local Costco equivalent) membership for cheap through work.
4)  Paid off the installment plan on my phone and am switching to Ting, which will be more than adequate for my needs.
5)  Got a bike lock for my road bike that was collecting dust in my house.  I biked to work today for the first time in years.  It was 30 degrees out and it felt great!  Embarrassingly, it took less time to bike than to take the bus or drive.  I should have figured this out years ago. 
6)  I'm having a no restaurant November - this needs to extend to a no restaurant for years, but one step at a time. 
7)  Winterized my apartment to the extent possible.
8)  Bought LED bulbs for my commonly used lights ($13/6 bulbs FTW). 

Next steps are to turn these changes into habits and to spend less on groceries.  It is only myself and 2 kids (half the time - I suppose I have an average of 1 full time kid?)  I still spend $500/month on groceries. 

Now to stay the course.

Thanks for reading,
Eric


adieli

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2421 on: October 19, 2015, 02:26:52 PM »
Hello everyone!

We are a Mustachian-wanna be family with 2 kids from South Fl.  Hope to learn a lot on this forum from more experienced folks.  Soon will post a case study to get a much needed advice.

Szilveszter Hansen

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2422 on: October 20, 2015, 07:29:34 AM »
Szilveszter Hansen

Good day.

My name is Szilveszter Hansen, a fellow adventurer on the path to total freedom. While I do not wish to divulge too many personal detail, suffice to say I am just beginning to come into some money in my life and I am trying to make decisions that are beneficial both for me and those close to me. My plans are as of now, still secret but I believe you will hear a lot more from me once I put them into action.

For now, I will summarize the current situation. I live in an unspecified european country. I am somewhere in my mid 20's.

Assets:
Apartment, worth approx. EUR 185,000
Savings, currently all liquid assets, approx. EUR 72,000

Debts:
Student loan approx. EUR 13,100
Mortgage, approx. EUR 85,000

Net worth:
approx. EUR 160,000

Income:
Approx. EUR 2,200 (after taxes)

Fixed expenses (rent, food, insurance, etc.):
Approx. EUR 600

Savings goal (monthly):
Approx. EUR 1,000

Looking forward towards contributing to forum and lending my expertise.

In haste,
Szilveszter
« Last Edit: October 20, 2015, 08:00:38 AM by Szilveszter Hansen »

RapidLionInvasion

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 10
  • Age: 26
  • Location: New Jersey
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2423 on: October 20, 2015, 03:10:25 PM »
Hello! I posted on the celebrations thread before I saw this thread but hello! I'm 17 years old, I am absurdly interested by these financial talks, and I hope to start solid on the beginning of my own life as I begin college next year!

I do not plan to own a car or house. I have not done the exact math yet but this blog seems to suggest to me that its alot of money that I can invest.

I strongly hope to be financially independent at the age of 30. I do not wish to retire at 30. As a kid I have always thought that work should be fun and I think that after 10 years of "real world advice and experience" from other adults, this blog has granted me a concrete way to revive and protect that vision.

Being inexperienced, I don't know what other things I can say atm haha.

Anyways hello!

AmandaS1989

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1545
  • Age: 35
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Ferocious Accounting Beast
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2424 on: October 20, 2015, 03:14:02 PM »
Hello and welcome. I wish I knew at 17 what I know now at 26.

ciamae

  • Guest
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2425 on: October 21, 2015, 10:11:30 PM »
Hello, Fine Frugal Folks!
1. My name is Cia Mae & apparently... I have no idea how to navigate a forum.
2. The MMM blog has reignited a flame I once carried that burned with desire to eliminate debt while maximizing life through beautiful simplicity.
3. I am irrationally *EXTREMELY* intimidated by investment jargon & numbers.
4. Hoping to find support & advice as I continue on my rediscovered path to financial freedom & life fulfillment!
xoxo:CM




amyj_05

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2426 on: October 22, 2015, 02:50:33 PM »
Hello everyone!

My name is Amy and I'm a 28-year-old nurse from Southern Virginia.

I found this blog about 4 months ago and I have learned SO MUCH from it! It really has changed my life! I only wish I had found it sooner. I've always been fairly frugal but learning about early retirement and financial independence really opened my eyes. I do not plan on retiring "early" by most people's standards. My goal is simply to be able to comfortably retire at age 60.

I work as a nurse and DH is a cook. We make a combined income of ~68k annually. Though this isn't a lot of money, we live in a very low COL area. We have no student loan or credit card debt. The only things we owe money on are our house and DH's car. My car is already paid off. I have an IRA which I opened several years ago and don't really contribute much to it right now, since my ultimate goal is to have DH's car and our house paid off in the next 5 years.

Looking forward to learning more about investing, saving, retiring, real estate, and lots more from this forum.

Lodjuret

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Location: Upper Sweden
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2427 on: October 22, 2015, 05:39:17 PM »
Hi I'm lodjuret from upper Sweden, just shy of 40.

Been reading mmm on and off for a year or two.

Manifold

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2428 on: October 22, 2015, 07:59:39 PM »
Hi, I'm Manifold.  I'm 54, headed toward semi-retirement in August of 2016.  I was a member of ER.org, but I don't think I fit in very well there, so I was hoping to find a better fit here. 

I've practiced simple/frugal living for a couple of decades, and it's served me well.  I plan to cut back to < 20 hrs/wk in about 10 months.  I'm really looking forward to that. 


georgec

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 89
  • Location: Ohio
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2429 on: October 23, 2015, 11:58:50 AM »
Howdy. I discovered MMM by way of both Raptitide and The Art of Manliness. Both resonated deeply with me, as did MMM once I finally gave it some attention. I'm glad I did. I find myself reading the backlog of blog posts and smiling, seeing myself among the stories, opinions and behaviors.

My path began when I first decided to go into business for myself as a freelance artist 8 years ago. I knew I needed to pay off my credit card and student loan debt first, and then pay off the ridiculous car loan I had at the time. I did so with a vengeance once I set my mind to it, and believe me I was a directionless blob prior to that. At least financially.

My first year in business for myself was extremely successful, and contributed to paying off the toxic auto loan. It also resulted in a lot of needless purchases, which I was fortunate enough at the time to quickly realize that I wasn't one single bit happier than I was when I was debt-free. I decided right there and then to maintain my strict financial behaviors and start learning about investing and planning for retirement. That was about 5 years ago.

The past few years have found me yet again re-focusing my life and priorities due to some extended bouts of severe depression. A dedicated regimen of healthier eating (full fat, no added sugar, no refined grains), regular exercise, meditation, and a realigned perspective on the focus of my art has been a massive help to get a hold on the depression and once again focus on the future, as opposed to dwelling on the past or complaining about the present.

At any rate, I found MMM to be aligned to the values I'd come to cultivate totally independently, and was needless to say a big fan right off the bat. I've been riding my bike to the grocery store, saving and investing as much of my income as possible, reducing my desire for consuming, and practicing Stoicism as best I can. I've even been working on an essay called the "Inconvenience Manifesto" over the past year, so you can imagine the smile on my face reading over the archives at MMM.

I started later in life down this path, so while I have a few years under my belt, I'm still working to learn and build my investments. I have a lot of questions still. I'm not sure I'll be retiring early, but I'm sure I'll be aggressively aiming to do so.

I look forward to communing with the like-minded folks here. I'm an avid non-fiction reader and podcast listener, and a big part of signing up for the forums was to hopefully share and discover recommendations in these areas.

Aeowulf

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 19
  • Location: VA
    • Aeowulf Forums
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2430 on: October 24, 2015, 07:18:43 PM »
Found MMM through a Facebook post this past week and have been reading the blog ever since. I'm already semi-mustached in many ways, but I still have a LOT of room to improve. I've had the idea of retiring early, but my wife just shrugs it off.

Me and my wife are two sides of the coin. I spend minimally, making only a few purchases a year, except on food which is the majority of my expenses. My wife loves spending money on trinkets and useless junk that ends up sitting on a shelf, in a drawer, or getting tossed in the trash. Just trying to find ways to get her to stop being emotional about money and materials and see reason.

Either way, glad to be here and learn what I can to slow the money drain.

Freedomin5

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6462
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2431 on: October 25, 2015, 06:49:55 AM »
Hi, I'm FreedomIn5. Hope to gain FI in 5 years.

MrDelane

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 618
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2432 on: October 25, 2015, 04:46:23 PM »
I've been lurking on here for quite a while now and figured I'd finally register.
I really put my best foot forward by registering with a typo.

Is there any way a Mod could change my username to MrDelaney instead of MrDelane?

If so, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.

pekklemafia

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 46
  • Location: Canada
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2433 on: October 25, 2015, 04:51:09 PM »
Hi everyone,
I've been a MMM lurker for several months now, and have finally decided to join in on the conversation. I'm also new to posting on forums in general, so this is slightly terrifying...

A little about myself:
- age 29, living with my awesomely frugal partner of the same age in Canada
- I'm a pharmacist and my partner is in grad school, working on his phD... take home income is close to 100k. Net worth for the both of us is likely close to 250k, not including my work pension. Currently saving ~50%, but we don't budget really strictly (budgeting feeds the anxiety and guilt centre of my brain)
- We're both on the early retirement train, with a wishy-washy goal of FI age 40. Still have to work out the numbers.
- Most of our investments are sitting in mutual funds right now and it hurts my soul :( I still feel like we have a lot to learn about investing before we start doing it ourselves, although a lot of it is really logistics around how to use online investment platforms. I'm really bad with that sort of thing. I'm hoping to gain some insight as well as tips from some like-minded folks (Canadians especially!!)

I have so many interests outside of work (cooking! gardening! art! music!) that I would love to pursue further... if only I had the time! Come onnnnn FI.



Marie13

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2434 on: October 26, 2015, 12:13:46 PM »
Hi, I'm Marie! I live in the suburban Midwest. Mid-40s, single with no kids, no pets. It's hit me recently that I really need to get cracking on retirement savings, since I only have myself to rely on. I have a pretty decent job I enjoy in an industry I've been in for 20+ years. I've got about $55K in retirement savings (rollover IRA from previous job and 401K at current job). I have a small emergency fund in a savings account.

I have about $9500 in credit card debt (one cc) and about $13,400 on a car loan (Ford Focus). Concentrating on eating out less and taking my lunch to work will really help.


geodude

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 50
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2435 on: October 30, 2015, 09:52:15 PM »
Hello everyone. I'm a 25 year old graduate student. Single, no kids, no pets, no debts! Very small mustache. Stumbled upon MMM recently but was already on this path anyway. The dream is to retire at 35 and travel the world on a motorcycle. I've taken a couple of big motorcycle trips across the US and Canada already. Will probably continue to do so in the near and distant future. Maybe I will have the opportunity to make some like minded friends through MMM!

Thanks!

Misstachio

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 13
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2436 on: November 02, 2015, 07:15:02 AM »
Hi from Michigan!

I'm a 23 year old MechE fresh from university. Born in Florida and moved north for a change of scene.

After the first few weeks at my shiny new job, I realized that spending the next forty years in a cubicle would kill my soul. Then I found Mr. Money Mustache and realized I could be free in ten(ish) years! Suddenly my vision of the future changed from office politics and TPS reports to raising my own kids and writing god-awful fiction, and all I had to do was not by a bunch of random crap. Luckily my family was frugal by necessity and gave me a good foundation to start with so I avoided amassing any debt and now most of my income is split between the FI fund and the cabin by the lake fund :)



FrozenAssets

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 52
  • Location: wayyyyy up north
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2437 on: November 02, 2015, 04:24:37 PM »
I finally registered after several years of MMM reading and forum-lurking!  My hope is that participating actively in this community will help me to stay focused on our financial and lifestyle goals and plans.

About me: mid-30s, married 13 years, four children ranging from 12 to 1.  I've been a SAHM since our eldest was born, and my passions are homeschooling, homegrowing, homebirthing, homemaking...  Generally all things HOME.  My husband and I are both Alaska-raised; we love to camp, hike, ski, bike, fish, hunt, and anything else outdoorsy.  We have a golden retriever, a fat ragdoll cat, and 10 spoiled rotten chickens.  :)

xdan

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 9
  • Age: 47
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • If not for Pete I'd still be in a cubicle
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2438 on: November 03, 2015, 11:07:28 AM »
A few years ago I was working as a contractor in Afghanistan (doing computer support type work).
I was fortunate enough to be making more money then I knew what to do with (hazard pay and overtime really stack up) and blowing it on silly things like extravagant vacations and a gigantic new house. I was actually trying to decide how to option my new porsche when I got home when I discovered MMM.

Needless to say, it was a complete eye opener for me. I read the entire blog from start to finish and started to make FIRE plans. I put all my money into Vanguard index funds and underwent an epic frugal transformation.

When I burned out with the overseas work I came back home and sold my big house, moved back to my old condo (which I had previously converted to a rental) and used the proceeds from the house to completely pay off the condo's mortgage. At this point I was theoretically FI but using a more conservative withdrawal rate (I'm not comfortable with 4%) meant that the lifestyle was a bit too austere for my tastes. I was fortunate enough to meet my future wife at this point, and she has been amazingly supportive of me through all this (though she is a bit jealous of my man-crush on Pete).

So 1 year ago I went back to work as a Software Engineer, but this time it is for a different company that is only 6 miles from home and allows me to ride my bike to work instead of fighting rush hour traffic. I have continued to save and invest nearly everything that I've earned and now the 'stache has grown to a more comfortable level. That, combined with DW sharing household expenses with me, makes for a post-FIRE lifestyle that I am much happier with.

Yesterday I resigned from my job! I'm staying on through Thanksgiving to finish things up, but after that I am free! The paycheck is nice and it's hard to walk away from a cush job, but I just don't want to sit in a cubicle anymore. I want to enjoy my life while I am still young enough to fully do so. DW plans to work for a couple more years at least, but she plans to do the same eventually (she has her own 'stache and an admirable savings rate to go with it).

I credit MMM with completely changing my life! I would have spent the next 25 years sitting in an office but thanks to MMM, I am now retired at 39 and happier than I've ever been.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2015, 11:11:44 AM by xdan »

San Dawg Stubble

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2439 on: November 03, 2015, 01:27:53 PM »
Hello, I'm a recovering consumer sucka.

This is my first post after three months of reading all the articles and I've started to go back through the comments now that I have to wait a few weeks before new posts, so I've decided to become active in the MMM community.

I have never really been materialistic, but I spent the decade after college in search of the never-ending party (booze, bars, clubs, traveling the world, trying to impress girls, etc.). Meanwhile, I managed to run up triple the average American's credit card debt amount, and had a similar amount left in my student loans.  I had absolutely nothing to show for 10 years of making a really decent salary, and the worst part about it was that I knew better.  I was a finance major in college and a stock broker for a few years after, and I knew the exponential power of investing, but I did not follow the advice I gave to my clients.

Then about four years ago, I met my (now) wife and everything changed.  She didn't care about shoes and purses and she only wanted to spend time with her daughters, to the point where she walked away from a manager job because it was causing her to stay late a lot and work one-fourth of the weekends. She taught me what true happiness is, and now we love spending time with our family, not spending money unnecessarily.  Now, we have no school loans, even after I got two masters degrees from a private university over the last three years (thank you GI Bill), and no car loans or other consumer debt.  Our mortgage is our only debt, and thanks to the crazy real estate market in Southern California, my house has appreciated 45% in the last couple of years.

I am saving about 50-60% of my net pay (housing is kinda outrageous in SoCal - but we are choosing to live in a huge house with a nice view and a good school that is walking distance), and I plan to FIRE in just under 10 years.  Reading about other people pulling the trigger gives me more inspiration to lead a somewhat less-ridiculous lifestyle, and try to save more.  So thank you MMM and everybody else on here.

** Ideas for MMM articles / discussions:
1) How young, single mustachians can meet other like-minded people to start their journey to financial independence together.
2) A look at unlocking home equity through the new home appreciation-sharing companies (Equity Key in San Diego and FirstREX in San Francisco *I have no affiliation with either company*) as an alternative to HELOCs, 2nd Mortgages, Reverse Mortgages, or selling your house.

gliderpilot567

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 178
  • Location: US
Hello!
« Reply #2440 on: November 04, 2015, 11:24:53 AM »
I discovered the concept of FI through happening upon the MMM blog by accident a few months ago, and it has changed my life already.

Short backstory - I lived a very facepunchworthy lifestyle for a long time, and last year everything came to a head when I realized that payments on debt were sucking up almost all of my income, leaving just a couple hundred bucks a month with which to feed my kids. And I came to this realization only after having maxed out the credit cards and being forced to spend "real money" on food. Real money of which there was very little.

Over the past year, after selling literally TONS of stuff and making many spending changes, we've paid off about $100k in debt. There is about $30k remaining besides the house, and then we're never doing that again. By next fall, we'll be positioned to save/invest 30-40% of our income, possibly more. I've been running spreadsheets and calculations and scenarios ever since I discovered MMM (which was my gateway to many, many other FI books, blogs, and resources).

Thank you - to MMM and all the other FI authors and bloggers out there. You've changed my family's life tremendously and it continues to improve. I now invite everyone to line up and facepunch me as my penance for all my past financial stupidity; following that, I am looking forward to participating in this community!!


danipani85

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2441 on: November 04, 2015, 01:27:36 PM »
Hello everybody!


I've been reading MMM for about a year and have finally convinced my husband that this is the way to go. We're paying off all our very silly consumer debt and we're tackling it like the emergency it is. We'll be done by June and then we'll only have our house to pay off. Yay!

PGailB

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Age: 58
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2442 on: November 04, 2015, 01:40:46 PM »
Hello all:

First off, I am leagues behind many on this form regarding income and investments due to the fact that I was the primary caregiver for my mother for several years until 2012 when she passed. Those years were tough physically, mentally and financially for us both. In that time I did manage to continue to set aside as much as I could in a Roth 403(b), with employer match, and put money in a small emergency fund. I have no kids other than a sweet, goofy little pooch; she doesn't need much and won't go to college.  The only debt I have is $63K on a mortgage at 2% and $6000 on a car loan.  Actually, I wouldn't even have a car loan had it not been for my old beater giving out on me this year.

Anyway, at the age of 50 I am still looking for ideas and ways to save, invest and "catch up."   Which is why I am here.








Debonair

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Age: 33
  • Location: Taiwan
    • DebonairDylan
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2443 on: November 05, 2015, 09:46:22 AM »
Hello,

Just a 25 year old lurker who after a few months has decided to join.

I hate introductions

Dartwa

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 35
  • Age: 34
  • Location: Belfast
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2444 on: November 05, 2015, 01:42:44 PM »
Hi everyone,

26-year-old software engineer here. Recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado from metro-Detroit, Michigan, and am in a whole heap of debt from living a typical ultra-consumer lifestyle. I've been reading MMM for 6 months or so, and am totally inspired to stop buying stuff and start buying our freedom. Bonus: I've got my girlfriend excited about early retirement as well!

I think I'm going to start a journal here to keep myself on track, with the eyes of lots of internet strangers keeping me honest.

asch

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 42
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Seattle, WA
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2445 on: November 05, 2015, 11:19:48 PM »
Hi,

It has been so exciting to find a whole community of people like me!  I've always been the most frugal one among my family, friends and coworkers, and sometimes it felt like everybody else was looking at me rather pityingly (like I don't know how to have fun). I just like riding my bike and find high priced cocktails to be largely overrated. I found MMM when I was doing research on Betterment a few weeks ago and I've really enjoyed reading through the blog. I'm looking forward to learning from everybody here, but mostly I'm just happy to have a place that reminds me I'm not the only one who'd rather bring their own lunch or take a bike ride instead of going to a movie.

MrRicheRelax

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Hello from the North
« Reply #2446 on: November 06, 2015, 10:09:53 PM »
Hello !
 
We are a mustachian family from Canada.
 
We've always been on something like a FIRE track, but without really paying attention to it.
Now that we have a kid we have decided to get more serious about it !

Part of it is due to finding MMM and realizing that other people like us exist.
It is great to see other people having a sane vision of money !

younggunner

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 59
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2447 on: November 07, 2015, 11:29:33 AM »
hello all-

Im a 25 year old very interested in early retiring.  Aiming to achieve my goal of retirement before age 50 by taking advantage of time v compound interest.  Ive been lurking on the forum for about a year.. dropping by occasionally to read good articles and posts.  Figured I should just sign up so I can comment as well. 

FI-42

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 38
  • Location: Bedfordshire, UK
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2448 on: November 07, 2015, 03:59:46 PM »
Hi all,

I'm UK based and I've been a lurker here for a while.  I was actually directed here by a Jalopnik post.  I'm going to try and not bore you with the particulars of my life (plenty of time for that later!) but please allow me to say what has changed since I've been reading MMM.

1)   I will save 1200 GBP over the next year just by analysing and renegotiating my bills (home insurance, gas, electricity etc.)
2)   My wife now has a job – seems an odd thing to say but she is Japanese and has been grapling with the English language, but since having 'the talk' she took it upon herself to get gainful employment.  It's only temporary factory work but 90% of what she brings home goes into the pot, and will hopefully be a stepping stone to greater things.
3)   We have no more debt – in-fact we have 1300 GBP in savings and are targeting 3000 GBP the end of this year.  This is despite paying 1200 GBP to renew the wifes visa.
4)   I now eat rolled oats (and I love them, the wife thinks they are bird food.)
5)   I now brew my own beer.  The first batch of ale was absolutely steller.  For the second batch I tried a lager which wasn't so good, but I hear it improves with age.  I'm pretty sure that I'll never buy another beer from the supermarket ever again.

Financial Ascensionist

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 117
  • Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2449 on: November 08, 2015, 11:07:25 AM »
Hi, everyone.

I discovered MMM a little over two years ago.  I always thought of myself as frugal, but discovering this community gave me a whole new benchmark and opened my eyes to a more ambitious definition of early retirement.  I stepped up my game in terms of knowing where my money goes and being conscious about which types of spending was bringing me true satisfaction.  Today I feel more in control then ever.

I'm a few months away from FI and I expect to work for another two or three year, no so much for the cushion but because I want to accomplish a few great things in the work place before turning the page and moving on to my next project.

I've been lurking for all this time, but reading your stories have been very helpful and I now feel like it's my turn to contribute a few ideas of my own.  I'm glad to be here.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!