Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3316002 times)

sustythemes

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2750 on: April 28, 2016, 12:24:19 PM »
Hi there,

Have been enjoying the posts for a while now, and just got in tune with the forum.  Looks like a great community.

I'm Julie ~ left my corporate job at 51, which seemed 'early' to me until I read about all of you!

Cheers

Chanel No5

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2751 on: April 29, 2016, 07:07:33 AM »
Hello to all,

I am from New England and taking bold steps to make positive changes for a better quality of life. At this time, I am looking at what I have, what I value, what is the return and what may never happen again. I tend to be a little dreamy and hope things will just work out. Maybe someday people will understand me and I will understand them. Well, sometimes, it's not going to happen.

I like a quiet life out in a quiet town. I have a job but like most, it pays the bills and not too fulfilling, not many future prospects. I love to be at home, read, cook, garden, and write. I tend to be earth conscience and make many choices in the hopes I am doing my small bit to be responsible for what I do.

I finally cut the cable company yesterday. I tried to negotiate a better rate but found I was hearing a lot of marketing crap. I got a "better" offer when I asked to cancel service, but the better offer already had strings attached. So, I turn in the equipment Monday and will be readjusting. I hardly watch, but want to be informed, hardly go on line, but sometimes want to so options will have to be considered. My town library offers free wifi and that's most likely what I'll have to do. I use my PC at work to go online as well, but I hopefully don't abuse that opportunity.

I am back in school now taking on-line courses. My employer is supporting that so I can use the work PC to do many school related projects. Not sure how much posting I will do, but the reading is so interesting. I am glad to see how many people are working at improving life quality through choices they are making.

See you out there :)

RedmondStash

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2752 on: May 01, 2016, 09:40:58 AM »
Hello to all,

I am from New England and taking bold steps to make positive changes for a better quality of life. At this time, I am looking at what I have, what I value, what is the return and what may never happen again. I tend to be a little dreamy and hope things will just work out. Maybe someday people will understand me and I will understand them. Well, sometimes, it's not going to happen.

I like a quiet life out in a quiet town. I have a job but like most, it pays the bills and not too fulfilling, not many future prospects. I love to be at home, read, cook, garden, and write. I tend to be earth conscience and make many choices in the hopes I am doing my small bit to be responsible for what I do.

I finally cut the cable company yesterday. I tried to negotiate a better rate but found I was hearing a lot of marketing crap. I got a "better" offer when I asked to cancel service, but the better offer already had strings attached. So, I turn in the equipment Monday and will be readjusting. I hardly watch, but want to be informed, hardly go on line, but sometimes want to so options will have to be considered. My town library offers free wifi and that's most likely what I'll have to do. I use my PC at work to go online as well, but I hopefully don't abuse that opportunity.

I am back in school now taking on-line courses. My employer is supporting that so I can use the work PC to do many school related projects. Not sure how much posting I will do, but the reading is so interesting. I am glad to see how many people are working at improving life quality through choices they are making.

See you out there :)

Hi Chanel -- we just cut cable ourselves (but not internet), and we've discovered that you can get decent TV reception with modern antennas as long as your TV is new enough to have its own digital decoder. Some channels come in better than others, of course. We have tall trees and an indoor antenna, so we get a few channels with strong reception and a few others with weak reception and a lot of pixelation.

Adge

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2753 on: May 04, 2016, 07:48:53 AM »
Hello all! Another long-time lurker here who finally decided to make it official ;) Started reading MMM on a boring day in the office back in the fall, and it was exactly the kick in the pants I needed! I'm in my late twenties and have always been frugal, often by necessity, and have been saving money since I was 5, but in the few months since I started reading the site I've already started to make changes, and to see the real value of frugality as a path to freedom. Glad to be a new part of the community :)

prefixcactus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2754 on: May 04, 2016, 09:00:31 AM »
Hi!
I'm Ivan, also known to my friends as Cactus, an MSU student form Moscow with a cool bicycle, a serious DIY electronics addiction and a dream of making the world a great deal better someday, either with the power of SCIENCE, or with whatever other source of power I could lay my hands on :)

Naturally frugal by virtue of never having a lot of money to spend (but forcing myself to spend less than what I'm getting and 'stash the rest anyway, since I still have some terrible habits to get rid of, like eating in fast-food chains) and went through a serious philosophy shift recently due to a breakup with my (first and only so far) girlfriend, which paradoxically made me a lot happier with my life (but still occasionally missing the good times) in the end.

Full details on my situation in a full-size journal intro post, which I am hereby challenging myself to write before the end of the week for fear of Officially Obtaining the title of Soft-Bodied Wussypants.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2016, 11:25:06 AM by prefixcactus »

GardenBaker

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2755 on: May 05, 2016, 12:42:13 PM »
Long time lurker here, I've been "smart" with money, but I really need the motivation to start pouring money into my retirement accounts to make early retirement a priority. I would like to retire at 50; my husband says he has no desire to retire ever and would be incredibly bored. He does contribute to his 401(k) though and I contribute to my Roth and my company Simple IRA. Time to start funneling more money though into my retirement accounts; I would like to save as must as possible to make early retirement feasible.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2017, 01:47:49 PM by GardenBaker »

moustachibana

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2756 on: May 07, 2016, 10:16:15 AM »
Hi, everyone.

I've been following Mr. MM since 2014 and decided to sign up. The presentation was long overdue. Just a random stranger that isn't very good at introductions.

pylonian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2757 on: May 08, 2016, 06:29:27 PM »
New to MMM, have been a Dave Ramsey follower with a love-hate relationship with his methodology and attitude, and finding this community pretty refreshing. Some recent life changes have me and DW thinking about larger scale lifestyle management along the lines of what MMM discusses - though with our own particular flare of course. Looking forward to diving in.

Kaybee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2758 on: May 08, 2016, 06:51:15 PM »
Hi, I'm Kristyn, I'm 35, single and still working on getting rid of my mortgage so I think I'm at -70k or so.

I used to be hardcore frugal and had scoured the web/library for all sorts of frugal blogs/resources, but I somehow missed MMM (it may have been timing, I think I stopped looking for new resources around when the MMM blog started).  A few personal issues came up and life was difficult in the non-financial sense so, because my income was fairly abundant, I stopped worrying about my finances and focused on getting well.  Then I moved across the country and took a paycut and realized I needed to get back to my frugal ways.  I'm so happy I found this "little" community, I sometimes felt like I was the only one making decisions that go against the societal brainwashing (You're walking? To the store??  Is something wrong with your car?!?!?).

Although I'm not deadset on early retirement (I *really* like my job...) I love the idea of being able to retire when I feel like.  I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's tips and making progress towards being debt free and then FI.

G42

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2759 on: May 08, 2016, 08:13:24 PM »
Hi everyone
I found MMM in late February and proceeded to read every post in order and then punch myself in the face for ignoring my finances for the past 15 years... since 25FEB, I paid off one credit card, killed cable, sold the TV, dropped the phone data plan down by several notches, got a library card, tuned up my bike, and started biking to work several days a week.
I'm trying to bike to work everyday (not quite there yet)... the second credit card is on a major pay off schedule, soon to be followed by the car loan (yes, MANY punches to the face, but at least it was 0%)...once I have clear title, I'll sell the car and buy a suitably mustachian used one for when I can't bike.
I'm late to the party, but it's never to late to get situated... I'm fortunate to have a good engineering salary, so FI is about ten years or less out, but that's better than thinking it would be never!
Happy to meet you all!
Cheers
G42

prefixcactus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2760 on: May 09, 2016, 02:01:41 PM »
Hi everyone
I found MMM in late February and proceeded to read every post in order and then punch myself in the face for ignoring my finances for the past 15 years... since 25FEB, I paid off one credit card, killed cable, sold the TV, dropped the phone data plan down by several notches, got a library card, tuned up my bike, and started biking to work several days a week.
I'm trying to bike to work everyday (not quite there yet)... the second credit card is on a major pay off schedule, soon to be followed by the car loan (yes, MANY punches to the face, but at least it was 0%)...once I have clear title, I'll sell the car and buy a suitably mustachian used one for when I can't bike.
I'm late to the party, but it's never to late to get situated... I'm fortunate to have a good engineering salary, so FI is about ten years or less out, but that's better than thinking it would be never!
Happy to meet you all!
Cheers
G42

Awesome M180 there! Keep it up!

whitecoatmoney

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2761 on: May 11, 2016, 03:33:02 PM »
Hi everyone, I'm White Coat Money.  New to MMM but was told that this is one of the best personal finance blogs out there.

I also run a money blog targeted at healthcare professionals.  Feel free to check it out at http://www.whitecoatmoney.com/.

SaraDante

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2762 on: May 12, 2016, 01:23:01 AM »
Hi all!!

Im new to this forum, i come from London so we can always go for tea :D

I have a post so feel free to leave your opinion.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/adidas-or-nike-or-some-other-brand/

EricNYC

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2763 on: May 13, 2016, 01:16:36 AM »
Hello everyone!

I'm Eric, a 26-year-old software engineer from New York.

I've always had some Mustachian habits. I moved back home and paid off my student loans ASAP, less than three years after graduating because the idea of debt, or some portion of the money I got in my paycheck, after taxes and deductions and everything, not being "mine" really freaked me out. I've always walked or taken public transit, but that's a pretty normal NYC thing.

Finding MMM sometime around last summer was an extra kick in the pants. I was looking for financial advice because ooh, it's NYC, it's expensive (let's be fair, rents can be pretty high), and I forget how, but I found the blog and started obsessively reading. It wised me up to some of my sillier habits (the "modest" $60 a month on take-out coffee with my coworkers), made me feel proud of some of my other habits, and got me to start biking! In about half a year, I went from not being able to keep a bike upright to riding all 40 miles of the Five Boro Bike Tour a few weeks back -- for free, actually. And I hope to learn a lot more from all you fine folks!

joey323

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2764 on: May 18, 2016, 10:35:29 AM »
I'm Joey, i'm teaching myself internet marketing, email, SEO, PPC, blog niche and amazon FBA, i have a bunch of what seems like legit resources and links. my goal is to make enough money so my mother does not have to work,and hopefully get her a house as my ultimate goal. currently 9-5 13.47$ an hour, Associates degree 28 years old. health nerd, nerd with women. PUA all that good stuff. Zen buddhist hindu rasta

kinetic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2765 on: May 18, 2016, 03:01:18 PM »
I'm Joey, i'm teaching myself internet marketing, email, SEO, PPC, blog niche and amazon FBA, i have a bunch of what seems like legit resources and links. my goal is to make enough money so my mother does not have to work,and hopefully get her a house as my ultimate goal. currently 9-5 13.47$ an hour, Associates degree 28 years old. health nerd, nerd with women. PUA all that good stuff. Zen buddhist hindu rasta

your goal is pretty cool.  i've been doing FBA for 3 yrs (though i haven't set or accomplished goals but i also haven't focused that way). tons of resources on blogs, fb, etc. let me know if you are looking for something specific and/or have questions.

rubinho

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2766 on: May 19, 2016, 02:35:50 AM »
I'm rubinho, 35 years old and I have squandered most of life, wasting my time on games, smoking weed all day until I hit rock bottom 1.5 years ago. There were circumstances that led to that lifestyle though I can point fingers but it's me that messed my life up not caring about anything. Even though I have changed mentally and physically and feel better than ever before, I still face adversity and despair every day. I am angry and frustrated because I am nowhere near I want to be, feeling like a failure a lot. I never finished any education after high school and am still in a low wage pointless job with hardly and potential. I came to MMM after some google searches for stoicism. I don't know where to begin with my path to independence of being financially stable and secure. I have a very long way to go, though it feels as I am in the position where I have nothing to lose and can only win.. in that essence I am free..  I hope I can get some information or tips here that plants the seeds today for a better future.

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2767 on: May 19, 2016, 06:41:53 AM »
I'm rubinho, 35 years old and I have squandered most of life, wasting my time on games, smoking weed all day until I hit rock bottom 1.5 years ago. There were circumstances that led to that lifestyle though I can point fingers but it's me that messed my life up not caring about anything. Even though I have changed mentally and physically and feel better than ever before, I still face adversity and despair every day. I am angry and frustrated because I am nowhere near I want to be, feeling like a failure a lot. I never finished any education after high school and am still in a low wage pointless job with hardly and potential. I came to MMM after some google searches for stoicism. I don't know where to begin with my path to independence of being financially stable and secure. I have a very long way to go, though it feels as I am in the position where I have nothing to lose and can only win.. in that essence I am free..  I hope I can get some information or tips here that plants the seeds today for a better future.

Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.

rubinho

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2768 on: May 20, 2016, 07:48:30 AM »
Quote
Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.
Yes you're right it is a good starting place.. there are always people that are in a worse position than me. I still appreciate the things I do have. I recently registered a .com domain and I am going to make a website with content that is spiritual, life lessons and motivational. I hope to reach a big audience where other people can find a little peace in a life full of stress. Eventually I hope to make enough money of it but that is not my main goal.
Secondly my dream is to produce music, perform and travel the word and leave something behind when I die, my legacy. Third I hope to become a professional poker player. Those 3 are my prime objectives for the moment. I already worked very hard on my health by working out hard in the gym and by boxing. I believe that I can make my dreams a reality and I hope I can learn something here. I don't know why I found MMM maybe it's fate but I think I found the right place to hang out here once in a while and read/learn.

ender

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2769 on: May 20, 2016, 07:53:28 AM »
Quote
Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.
Yes you're right it is a good starting place.. there are always people that are in a worse position than me. I still appreciate the things I do have. I recently registered a .com domain and I am going to make a website with content that is spiritual, life lessons and motivational. I hope to reach a big audience where other people can find a little peace in a life full of stress. Eventually I hope to make enough money of it but that is not my main goal.
Secondly my dream is to produce music, perform and travel the word and leave something behind when I die, my legacy. Third I hope to become a professional poker player. Those 3 are my prime objectives for the moment. I already worked very hard on my health by working out hard in the gym and by boxing. I believe that I can make my dreams a reality and I hope I can learn something here. I don't know why I found MMM maybe it's fate but I think I found the right place to hang out here once in a while and read/learn.

Post a journal or case study!

kinetic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2770 on: May 20, 2016, 05:34:30 PM »
i should introduce myself since i've been randomly commenting on things.  woman, mid-forties, married, have children, live in a costly paradise, 2 income family, waiting for one kid to finish high school and then we'll re-evaluate our plans about staying here or moving.  i've been using banktivity to get my financial house in order and it all doesn't look as bad as i'd thought. whew.  i plan on keeping a journal here . . . i just don't know how to start. have to go check out the first posts of other journals.

climbingbadger

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2771 on: May 21, 2016, 10:44:38 AM »
Hi. I thought I would introduce myself. I am 34 and "living" in San Diego, CA. I use quotes because I live in my 2010 Prius and by "living" I simply mean sleeping. As you might have heard rent is expensive out here. I am divorced and putting one child through an expensive pre-school. I just started up working with an electrical contractor as a laborer and I'm pretty excited to get into an apprenticeship as an  electrician. The job takes me everywhere in the area and it seemed kind of pointless to pay rent on a place to just increase my commute. Currently I just pull into a nice neighborhood for sleeping wherever I may end up after doing what I need to do after work. I've been living some badassity for awhile now but I briefly did rent a place. In that place I had nothing in my room but a bed that was already there when I moved in. Again, seemed kind of pointless to pay $1000/month for that.

My motto is "efficiency, efficiency, efficiency". Without it I would be majorly in debt and definitely unhappy. However, I live the life of a bum, with a job. It's a tough mental balance an I know this situation can't last forever. Therefore I'm looking for some like-minded individuals in the area that would be open to letting me establish some inexpensive hut or trailer living on their property. Perhaps in exchange for regular labor. I'm looking to learn more about everything but specifically about fabricating and building things.

Thanks for reading!


brute

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2772 on: May 21, 2016, 04:37:48 PM »
Well, I've joined. I've been lurking for a little while, and avoiding joining out of guilt. But I've been reading back through all the blog posts and decided it was time for some help from a community of people who have a similar goal. So, a little about me I suppose.

I'm male, early 30s. A competitive powerlifter and strongman. Software guy, not that handy around the house but slowly learning. There are lots of good things, and lots of things that I punch myself in the face over, so here are a few.

We have two incomes, over $150k combined. Holy crap. How did we even do this? I used to live on almost nothing. My life is stupidly luxurious now, even though I didn't recognize it until I started reading here. I didn't have a jet or a 10,000 sq ft compound or a fleet of humvees, so clearly I wasn't that well off.
No debt.
401k maxed out with employer matching on a good chunk
A few investments, though really not worth that much, but we're adding to them every month.

The downsides
I'm driving an 8.1L 4WD pickup. I actually printed out a picture of MMM to hang it in my truck to guilt me into not using it as much. 
We're renting. Not the end of the world, but I would like to be building equity
We're spending to damn much on things that don't matter.

I've worked a deal with my employer where I can work from home 3-4 days a week, so the truck isn't as bad as it could be. I'm trying to talk myself into selling it, but it's more connected to my sense of self worth than it should be. It's not a big jacked up thing, just an old work truck from the farm that I don't work on any more.

Food is something I'm trying to cut the budget down on. Because of the kind of training I do, I need around 250g of protein a day. So lots of meat. But I'm switching to chicken thighs over ribeye and the savings are rolling in.

I like spending money. I was poor for a while. Living on $7k a year, barely getting by. Food banks, no furniture in my apartment, that sort of thing. I feel entitled to throw my money around now. I'm going to crush that weakness out of me. It'll take time, but with the help of you folks, I know I can do it.

Red_Gold

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2773 on: May 22, 2016, 06:19:22 AM »
Hi there!

Long time lurker, pretty much life long mustachian by nature, although societal/peer pressures do get me at times.

37 y.o. female, originally from Russia but living in Sydney from 1995 (apart from 4 glorious years spent in Toronto, Canada). Married with 2 kids (17 & 14 y.o.). 2 incomes, 8 years left on mortgage (damn you Sydney property prices!!!) and about 50k in savings (AU shares, gold, silver and Vanguard managed funds). Librarian with about 55k annual salary, hubby makes about 70k. We both would like to FIRE before the newly proposed (by AU government) retirement age of 70. I am aiming to leanFIRE at 50-55. Even if that doesn't work out I'll be better off than a lot of people on similar incomes and should be able to at least work PT and devote time to volunteering and my hobbies.

I am hoping to learn much from this community and especially other Aussies out here.
Cheers!

MLynn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2774 on: May 24, 2016, 12:14:04 AM »
Hello,

Im 26, french, female, living mostly in Paris as for now.


I have no debt, no car, a useful degree so Im pretty happy.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2016, 06:11:19 PM by MLynn »

MoustachianWannabee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2775 on: May 24, 2016, 05:36:43 AM »
Hello everyone!

I'm new and very interested in learning The Way of the M(o)ustache.

I'm 35, just bought my own house. I live in the UK and have debt of about £11000 and student loans, but as student loans from the UK work differently, I'm not counting them as debt - they are more like a graduate tax.

Unfortunately, my current job is poorly paid so I need to get a better paid one, but I figure that I should try to get to grips with things as much as I can right now so that I can use whatever else I earn after that to get me into a better FI position.

I hope to learn much from you all and help you along the way as well. :)



scipsy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2776 on: May 24, 2016, 01:25:38 PM »
Hi, I have been reading the articles for a couple years now I think.  I'm a single 32 IT engineer living in Phoenix.  I just moved here from the Midwest after taking a small pay cut from doing consulting.  I live 1 mile from work and I bike everyday.  I also hike and mountain bike on the weekends.  The freedom I had financially was a big factor in being able to move.  It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I am a long way from financial independence but I have really embraced separating my money from my happiness.  I make decent money after bonuses and my new job has a pension which is rare these days.  I actually used to work for this company and got hired back.  I was able to negotiate credit towards my pension for my prior years, more vacation, better job, and more money. 

I discovered financial independence blogs around the time I finished my masters.  I have always been somewhat frugal, but like most Americans, I love cars and motorcycles.   Luckily, I always walked away from every new car I considered purchasing.  I currently drive a 6 cyc. truck with 200k miles that has been paid off for 6 years now.  I'd like to get something more Mustachian but my truck is so reliable and I hardly drive it now.

I have been maxing my Traditional 401k and Roth IRA for the past few years.  I also opened a Vanguard account and have some automatic investing set up.  I also have been using my bonuses to buy more index funds.  I love tracking my spending and net worth changes from month to month.  I got a late start compared to a lot of people on the forums, but I am doing very well compared to my friends and colleagues who always spend their money.  I am currently living off less than 25k a year in expenses.  My savings rate is about 60%.   I am planning on being completely financially independent by 40 (in  8 years) and actually retire by 45 so I can travel/hike/backpack/camp around.  I'd also like to beat my parents to retirement.

I wish I could share the excitement of investing and being frugal with people I know.  They can't fathom how reinvesting my quarterly dividends is like Christmas.  I am glad there is a forum for like-minded people to discuss FIRE strategies.


bertusg

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2777 on: May 27, 2016, 12:25:24 PM »
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...


scipsy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2778 on: May 27, 2016, 01:08:09 PM »
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...

It's all about living below your means and your savings rate.  Some people can save easier because they have a high salary already so it's easier to have a high savings rate.  It looks like you are already doing well (no car payment, cheapest rent for the area, and making your own food).  Also avoid expensive cell phone, internet, and cable plans.  I have lived without cable for 5 years and don't miss it.  I also have a $15/month cell plan with data. 

The way I put my self in the fast track to retirement was by investing in myself right out of college.  I am in IT and I spent many weekends getting career certifications.  I also job hopped 4 times to increase my salary in a 7 year span.  I also rented out extra rooms I had to people to practically pay my mortgage every month.  I am selling my home since I relocated 3 months ago for a new job so I am now in the cheap renting category like you.  Once I sell my home, I will save even more money (no real estate taxes, maintenance, mortgage interest, etc.) compared to just paying a low rent.

Keep reading information on this site and it will become easier and easier. 

CheapTrick

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2779 on: June 01, 2016, 09:59:54 AM »
Hi! I started reading the MMM blog a few months ago. I ended up here after reading travel hacking/points blogs for a while. I'm a tech consultant, 25yo single man, living in a major US city. I gave up having a car a few months after moving here, even though I owned it, because parking and insurance were costing so much. I started a 401(k) for the first time this year, but I'm not maxing it out. I put 10% gross in at the moment. My salary jumped an enormous amount last year taking this job, after being a teacher. However, my spending also increased tremendously. Although my rent is about 20% of my gross income, my total savings rate is about 20%.

I realize from reading things here that I'm spending way too much on food (eating out wasn't something I viewed as a luxury until recently). I also spend a lot on gym membership and entertainment (concert, theatre tickets). Electronics and books are another weakness. I guess by joining this community, I'm looking for inspiration. My parents were chronically in debt, and I never want to be in the same position. I was fortunate not to have any student loans, and I never carry a balance on my CC. But staying out of debt and living slightly under my means is different from aiming to FIRE, which is what I ultimately want.

nouveauRiche

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2780 on: June 02, 2016, 04:02:40 PM »
Hi Everyone,

DH found MMM a little over a year ago via Bigger Pockets (real estate investment blog/forum) and we devoured all the articles (then waited impatiently for the next new one). 

Like many people here, I wish I'd known all this stuff at age 25.  Better late than never, I guess.

We're mid-40s and both have advanced degrees in STEM topics.  We've always been frugal - never bought a new car, no car payments since the 1990s, maxed out retirement contributions early on, lived beneath our means, etc.

Since finding MMM, we've shifted into high gear.  I didn't think there was any fat to cut but we (mostly DH) found a lot of little things.  Our plan is to be FI in Jan 2020.  We live in a high COL area.  If we were willing to move we could FIRE today. 

If MMM is reading these:  Thank you for the life-altering blog!

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2781 on: June 02, 2016, 05:36:33 PM »
Hi everyone,

I'm 50 and one year post-FIRE. My DH and I spent the first year living overseas and testing how low we could go on our budget. Now getting ready to head back to a much higher cost-of-living in the US.   

Our new budget is about double our overseas budget, but half of our spendypants budget pre-FI. We will see how it goes.

Not looking forward to owning a car again, but not an option where we will be living (serious winter, steep mountain roads, very limited public transport). Hopefully the car just sits in the driveway the other 8 months of the year when bicycling is a more realistic option.

Next goals: find a volunteer role I love, hike more of the PCT, travel internationally, nap in the backyard hammock (not necessarily in that order).

nouveauRiche

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2782 on: June 02, 2016, 09:09:03 PM »
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...

I'm not sure how many of these apply to you but here are a few things we've done.  They are small things but they really add up.

Cut cable & negotiaged lower rate for internet
DH looked at our internet bill & realized we were paying $11/month to *rent* a modem from the cable company.  It costs $66 so we bought one and stopped renting.
Bring lunch & snacks to work
Low flow shower heads, faucet aerators, LED light bulbs
Switched cell phones from Sprint to Ting & bill was cut in half (maybe more)
Shopped for cheaper insurance
Removed collision insurance from the older car
Greatly reduced dining out and carry out
Got a cash back AmEx card that also gave us a $250 sign-up bonus
Generally paying attention and not buying junk we don't need

DieHard_772

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2783 on: June 04, 2016, 12:50:49 AM »
Hi All,

Great to be here.  I've been reading MMM for about 8 months or so now.  Before reading it
I always thought there was something wrong with me for being frugal, that frugal=cheap.  Now I finally see how
powerful it is!

I really don't know where to start so I'm just gonna dump the whole enchilada here.   I'm a bit embarrassed to
be candid here but I think it might help.

My Money:
very little debt now that I've paid of the credit cards. only $5700 in student loan at 3.5%
$700 in savings, $3000 in IRAs.
I'm self employed, I have earned over $4000 six times in the past year, which is a record for me... looking to reach $5000 soon.
However, I need to overcome some earnings hurdle, as my income has dropped down closer to $3000 recently.

My Relationship:
 I have a great relationship with my wife in most ways, there
are a couple areas we are still working out:

1) She is 23 years older than I am... and we are both just starting to save for retirement. 
2)  She and I have VASTLY different views about money... I'm a total frugal non-spender who hesitates to spend $10
on myself if it's not essential... she on the other hand, loves both earning and spending money... just bought herself a
$1000 iPad today... her 3rd iPad in 3 years!  Also, I have a $35/mo
phone plan, she has a $150/mo plan.  I drive a 92 corolla that gets good gas mileage, she drives a gas guzzler SUV.

On the bright side, we are getting better at communicating and working together about money.
we have a $400/month grocery budget that we have been following mostly successfully for over six months. Last month,
for the first time ever, we actually kept a log of ALL our money going in and out (inspired by Your Money or Your Life).

My frugality has sometimes bordered on being a cheapskate and self deprivation.  Her spending tends to be very
pragmatic, but she does spend "a lot" by some standards.  We have spent about $70-80K each year of the last
few years.  If she earns it, she tends to spend it... even with my coaxing, though
 she is starting to see things a bit differently. 

I get excited by the thought of Financial Independence, yet sometimes have struggled to produce enough
money to set myself up for it.
She is more and more sympathetic to my MMM-style dreams but is still skeptical of it.
  Sometimes I get stressed out about the choice I made to be with a woman so different than me.  But on the other hand,
we have been married for 4 1/2 years now (together for 8 1/2) and most of the time, I'm happier
than I have ever been.

That's pretty much me in a nutshell.  Recently I have been more stressed than usual because my wife left a job
recently and I am going to be taking on an extra $600 in monthly bills that she used to pay... and I'm still
working on manifesting it.

I look forward to a day when we have a big 'Stache... right now, I do what I can to grow a few whiskers at a time...

Best,
Chris
« Last Edit: November 19, 2016, 01:49:26 PM by DieHard_772 »

EsioTrot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2784 on: June 04, 2016, 04:55:49 AM »
Hi,

I’m a 38 year old from northern England whose been lurking around the blog and the forums for about 16 months now, and thought it about time to come out of my shell. I arrived here via a YNAB posting by MMM, thinking who’s this strange guy with a moustache making crazy statements about not spending money.  Read a bit more and what do you know, it makes sense and wasn’t an alien concept to me.

I’ve always been fairly frugal but never put the money towards a specific purpose.  I work in the public sector in the UK and my pension pot works a bit different- a mix of final salary and career average earning (a proportion of salary multiplied by the number years worked).  I’ll be interested to see how that works with FIRE-the earlier you access the pension, the less you get, so I think my stash will be being put towards bridging the gap between stopping work and claiming the full pension to maximise the returns from the pot. 
 
Family wise there’s myself, my partner and a teenager who likes saving his money and spending other peoples.  It would be fair to say they’re not moustachian, but I’ve been trying to nudge them in the right direction, and I think it’s starting to pay dividends. 

The blog and forums are great inspirations, hope I can contribute further.  Looking forward to the discussions and face punches.

Richie1

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2785 on: June 04, 2016, 05:12:06 PM »
Hi there,

Originally from UK but now in Australia after 8 years in NZ. 36 married with 4 kids 10 - 2yo. We have two homes that became investment properties after we left town and are halfway through repaying them. I currently earn 180K AUD with super in mining. Wife has established herself this year as a photographer earning 30k. This was a hobby which became a part time job that works around our busy family life. current net worth is 330k but apart from the 2 mortgages everything is paid off.

We live in a boom/bust town and so we rent at 465/wk. this is down from 600/wk 2.5 years ago. Good wages but high living costs.

I was hoping someone could point me to Aussie topics that focus on growing net worth, super, tax efficiency and most importantly how to make the most of living in this great country.

Thanks


Red_Gold

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2786 on: June 04, 2016, 05:58:16 PM »

I was hoping someone could point me to Aussie topics that focus on growing net worth, super, tax efficiency and most importantly how to make the most of living in this great country.


http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/australian-investing-thread/ Australian investing thread in the Investor Alley forum has a lot of info and probably has links to other Aussie resources.

Fomerly known as something

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2787 on: June 06, 2016, 06:23:16 PM »
Hi I'm Jane, I'm a Generation X single working woman living outside a big city in the midwest. I expect I'll mostly lurk. 

my4fireflies

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2788 on: June 07, 2016, 07:51:21 AM »
Hi. I'm a  married mom of 4. Yes, my husband is the father of all four children. ;) We get asked that a lot??? We have a lot of debt: medical, credit card, college loans, blah blah blah.  I was unable to work for the first 15 years due to the special needs of our twins so it was always paycheck to paycheck. Now that the twins are older and healthier I've been able to secure 2 part-timejobs and i've used that income to work on digging us out of debt, over 50k.  I'm super psyched to have reduced our overall debt by 11.1K since January! 6.1K of that was CC debt. We are on point to be debt free (except mortgage) in Oct 2018, but I hope it's earlier. We plan to sell this house and move to a smaller one once the other debts are gone and some of our children move out. We are shooting at putting the house on the market in 3 years.
So got any good advice for this newbie? :)

janavcosta

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2789 on: June 07, 2016, 09:44:28 AM »
Hello, my name is Janaina (but you can call me Jana). I am 19 years old and live in Brazil.
I just found out the blog and I am really enjoying it cause I have always questioned this crazy consumist lifestyle most people live. We are stimulated to spend a lot of money in clothe, acessories, make-up and etc. So its really good to see people living in different ways.
I also like the idea of early retirement so I am learning and hope to start saving as soon as I get a job hahah
So if you also live in Brazil it would be really nice to talk and also if you are at a similar age and  "level" as me, just leave a message so we can trade experiences. Actually, it would be nice to talk to anyone about their experiences, so its really good to see this forum active :D

raygor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2790 on: June 08, 2016, 04:21:15 PM »
Hi, I turned 50 last year, have a younger wife, and 3 boys in school (1 middle, 2 elementary). We have some 401k, but almost no savings. We have high salaries, but are in one of the most expensive areas (SF east bay), and not terribly frugal. I work in a creative field, and could probably work remotely, but not at the same wage level. Since we bought our home in 2007, we have a LOT of equity in the house. I don't feel the need to retire per se, but I would like to move to someplace cheaper and drastically reduce our expenses, so that I can work on my own projects. I'd also like to move to a place where we can afford several acres, so I can start building a homestead now while I still have my health. The problem is we live in what amounts to traditional paradise for kids, small town feel, but near big city, 10/10 rated schools within walking distance, etc. Convincing my wife that this is a good thing to do soon, while the house prices are through the roof, has been problematic. I have run some numbers, and feel confident of a couple things; I could make 50k in the first year working from home, probably more, but that's being conservative (and wouldn't require full time). We could clear at least 500k from the sale of the house after paying off mortgage and other loans. I have been running lots of numbers on this, but have not yet been able to convince my wife that this is more than enough to make a major change, and while not exactly retire, we could drastically reduce our working time. I will be scouring the forums for help with these issues. Thanks!

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2791 on: June 08, 2016, 09:08:07 PM »
hi all,

i'm 22 and just started my first job this year. my parents are very MMM-oriented: both immigrants, very frugal (in their late twenties, they were saving money from their graduate school stipends to send home to their parents), and have quietly invested in property for the past 2 decades. in contrast, i've been pretty profligate with spending. in high school i had a part-time job and in college i was working every summer, but i was spending most of my money on music festivals, bougie restaurants, designer fashion.

i'm not really proud of that and i want to be more responsible about my spending. i found MMM some time back but never really took it seriously. i sat down this weekend and read through the archives, and i really want to commit to this. i'm making more money now than i ever have and i don't want my lifestyle to inflate, and to get used to a casual luxury here, a casual luxury there, and start blowing all my paychecks on things that won't matter to me in a few years.

my goal for 2016 is to save ~70% of my take-home pay. lurking the forums has already been super encouraging, and i'm looking forward to reading more thoughts and wisdom from the people here

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2792 on: June 09, 2016, 04:46:22 AM »
Good for you for arriving at this new mindset at such a young age!!

akzidenz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2793 on: June 09, 2016, 06:37:43 PM »
thanks! honestly it'll be hard for me. i'm very attached to my current luxuries, but i'm hoping that being on this forum will remind me not to sacrifice my long-term goals. i just need to train myself to be conscious, aware, and frugal.

hikeandbike

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2794 on: June 10, 2016, 09:12:18 AM »
Just thought I'd stop in and say hello.

Ran across this site/forum while adjusting my investment portfolio and have been enjoying some of the info here and on bogleheads...has helped a lot, thanks!

I'm 46, and hope to leave the workforce for an extended time to get some outdoor living and adventures in. Planning a hike of the Appalachian Trail next year, followed by a bit of a US tour, then the plan is to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail and ride the Great Divide. All of this over the next 5 years. This will all be done with my girlfriend who loves the outdoors as much as I do.

Maybe jump back into the workforce between adventures. Maybe with my current employer, maybe not. We'll see.


I don't have a fortune amassed, but have some consistent income from a business of which I am a partner. That should be able to support us for the times we aren't working. We live pretty cheaply, and will even more while on the "road."

Anyhow, I'll post a bit more about the financials in another thread to get some feedback about if the community thinks it can be achieved...or if I'm being crazy.

So..hello. Talk soon.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2795 on: June 10, 2016, 12:47:49 PM »
Hello!

I'm Daniel, nice to meet you all! I'm 24 and I am from Mexico. I have a Computer Science degree, and I work as a .NET programmer.

I was introduced to MMM right this week, and it has come to me as a bucket of cold water. My personal finances are a disaster right now, but I will work to get them back on their feet, and I want to be able to share my successes with you.


See you on the forum!

englishteacheralex

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2796 on: June 10, 2016, 03:31:48 PM »
I'm Alex and I live in Honolulu with my husband and 2 year old son. I am a teacher and have lived frugally my whole life because that's just how I'm wired. I love being a teacher and have no desire to retire early, but my husband and I will probably be financially independent in about ten years (we'll be 46 by then).

Burghardt

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2797 on: June 11, 2016, 04:06:57 AM »
Hi,

i'm Stefan, 29, from Germany, and i'm currently trying to find tracks to put my life on.
I WAS a student in cybernetics/engineering, but i found courses slow/boring and saw little application to real life tasks i had envisioned for myself (robotics). I felt that university was giving students an equally low amount of interest as i ended up returning outside the 2-4 weeks per Semester i spent teaching myself in order to pass another set of what i thought were pointless exams, the courses of which i didn't visit at all after the first 5 semesters.

At the same time i was with a girl who sucked me into the life of her rich parents. Living life on a level i didn't have a taste for - big cars rushing down the Autobahn at 150mph, golf, ski, wine, fancy dinner once a week, concerts... all the negative habits of wealth, but nothing to help me become wealthy. At some point he said i'd never earn more than middl-ing 5-figures wages as employee in my field, anyway, and that didn't exactly help my already dampened motivation.

Disengaged and disheartened i didn't know what to do, didn't want to disappoint anybody and ended up doing the worst thing possible: nothing. Pretty much lost myself. Ambition, goals, passions, everything blurred and ever more distant. Helped my girlfriend finish her own degree (english literature and culture), helped out a buddy with math for his degree in CS & media.
Worked at the institute for a bit, researching computer vision for robot applications, but even there i didn't see what on earth this had to do with engineering. I was just using google, reading and programming tests of different approaches. No idea if this is the norm, but i felt like anybody could've done the job with a few weeks of training instead of 3+ years into university as was the requirement.

i drifted through life and spent my days playing video games, watching streams and looking at funny pictures of cats. For years. Until university finally decided time was up and i had not written a thesis to finish my degree with.

Currently at a real low. I don't know a single successful person. My social network is full of university dropouts and people with finished degrees in various fields who can't find jobs/work in completely different fields. I want to move to a different city and start over.
Looking at 4 potential options now to get back to studying in winter with something more suited to my goals while allowing some transfer from my previous studies, hopefully shortening the bachelors to 1-1.5years.
- engineering degree specialized for automation and robotics
- software engineering
- engineering & business
- CS & business
Until then i'm working minimum wage schlepping through the halls of a mail order business.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2016, 11:00:53 AM by Burghardt »

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2798 on: June 11, 2016, 11:46:24 AM »
^ Burghardt, welcome to the forum, and I commend your motivation to get back on track with your goals. Many of us have been at seriously low points before too. This forum is filled with amazingly smart, successful people willing to share their expertise where they can help. You may want to consider posting a case study for targeted advice and perhaps check out the meetup area for forum members in Germany too. Best of luck in your journey ahead!

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2799 on: June 11, 2016, 02:59:41 PM »
New member. Can't wait to learn about savings and early retirement

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!