Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315999 times)

summer.ruth2013

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2900 on: September 10, 2016, 10:44:21 PM »
Hi I am Summer. I am a married mom of 3 (10, 4, and 3). I came here to learn how to get a handle on my debt so I can help my husband with his.

Markk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2901 on: September 11, 2016, 10:45:57 AM »
Hello, my name is Mark K and came upon this MMM community a few months ago.
My wife and I have been working the Mustschian lifestyle and didn't know there were so many of us.
I have worked for the same company for 31 years, enjoyed my job...didn't love it, but enjoyed it...until a few years ago, the company merged with another and I now exist in a cubicle about two days a week (work at different field office the rest of the time).
The cubicle/office atmosphere is just soul crushing to me. I can retire in about three years and if I get laid off next week, that is ok. This website has enlightened me enough that I can walk away from my job if I need to.
The one thing that keeps me working is the health insurance issue. I am not ready to spend $1000 dollars a month, but I am educating myself on that also.
This forum and website is very informative and helpful.

GreenShirt

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2902 on: September 11, 2016, 07:07:54 PM »
Hello all, meet me!

I'm an infant in the adult world. I graduated college almost debt free about a year and a half ago and started working full time in the big city. My wife and I initially budgeted but stopped after a few months because it didn't seem to get us anywhere (silly us!). I enjoy my office job and what I do but it doesn't give me the warm fuzzy feelings that I experienced while working part-time as a tutor in college - though for obvious reasons, the difference in pay is night and day. I somehow discovered MMM 2 or 3 months back and since then have started budgeting again with my wife in an attempt to better the lives of our future selves.

evearino

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2903 on: September 12, 2016, 06:17:16 PM »
Hi. My name is Eve. I found MMM about 2 months ago and am working my way chronologically through his posts (almost to 2014). This is my first time actively 'reading a blog' and 'joining a forum.'

Background: I'm a medical student, so will eventually have 250k debt, but equivalent earnings in 10 years. Medicine is a life goal, but now FI is as well. In 10 years, my Mustachian toolbox will be ready to kick that sucka debt to the curb.

Mustachian cred: I already ride my bike to and fro, small Saturn Ion in driveway has no loans and rarely used, live close to everything, actively reducing my lifestyle inflation, thrift shop advocate.

FIFoFum

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2904 on: September 13, 2016, 01:04:30 PM »
Hi everyone!

This is my second take on this forum. I lost my log-in info and wanted to ditch the weirdly specific/identifying info I dropped in about myself in a few hundred posts. Been reading for a few years.

Middle age, single guy that just recently stumbled into semi-FIRE life. Still not sure if I'm going to take another job or build my own business with a focus of earning income or not vs. growing a skillset that I care about developing independent of all that. Still working out all the investment math to see just how risky or exposed I am. Still unable to use the R word with my family or social circle even though I voluntarily walked away from a secure job a few months ago. About to move back to the PNW (where I have lived before) and hope to figure out life, the universe and everything before I hit 42.



geebz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2905 on: September 13, 2016, 07:54:48 PM »
hi, I read my first MMM article a month orso ago after hearing someone mention the name and thinking "what an absurd name, i will have to google him".  Now I've read most of the articles and I am trying to become more of a disciple of the Mustache.

I've been living in the san francisco bay area for a while.... but despite spending all my salary I have built up some decent savings thanks to stashing my bonuses over the years.   I've realized from reading the blog I can do so much better! I feel like an idiot looking at my Mint summary.  Only so much face-punching you can do to yourself in a day though.   

I've been starting small - I ride my bike every day to work now, I have automated some savings from each paycheck, started cooking for myself (only for 2 weeks though, the challenge for me is going to be to stick to it), and I listed my ridiculous sports car for sale. 

newelljack

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2906 on: September 13, 2016, 08:34:27 PM »
Hi, I'm Jack. I have been reading for over a year but am still working on my DW's conversion. Thanks for everyone's help in the Ask a Mustachian thread! No more face punches for me...

MightyMauler

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2907 on: September 15, 2016, 01:26:25 PM »
Hi All-

I’m in mid-30’s and living in Indiana. I’ve been reading the MMM articles for a few years now but I’ve just recently started digging around in the forum.  I’m a frugal-by-nature type so the articles have always resonated well with me, although I’ve fallen a bit short of epitomizing the MMM lifestyle. 

I’m hoping that joining the MMM community will give me the inspiration I need to get fully on board and tighten up any slack in my budget.   It can be hard to stay frugal in a spendypants world and I’m hoping to use your collective wisdom for encouragement!

Lucky Recardito

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2908 on: September 15, 2016, 01:56:38 PM »
Hello! Been reading/lurking for the past year... just about to post my first question to the boards, so thought I'd drop by with a quick intro first!

I'm a 33-y-o Chicagoan making the swap from "single" to "married" later this year. I work in product development for a software company. I like eating pie, drinking wine, and diving whole-heartedly into time-consuming hobbies/side gigs for a couple of years at a time (most recent: playing roller derby... current: on the market for something new).

Though I've long loved my budget spreadsheets and lecturing my friends about credit cards, I didn't know retiring before age 65 was a thing that anyone but the super-rich could do. Hanging out here has gone a long way to changing my thinking on that front, and my partner and I are slowly getting our financial house (which we previously thought was pretty awesome) in even better shape. While we both feel pretty good about our careers and work lives at the moment, and aren't in oh-my-god-get-me-out-ASAP mode right now, we'd love to give ourselves the flexibility to feel that way later.

Very much enjoying this blog and forum!

Eilonwy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2909 on: September 15, 2016, 03:12:01 PM »
Hi all.

I'm a Californian, living in an extremely expensive area. Married, teenage son. Homemaker.

Maybe 18 years ago, my husband picked up a copy of _The Tightwad Gazette_ at a garage sale and it changed our lives. We went from "we'll never be able to afford a house here, so let's just spend everything on fun" to "we can do this." And 16 years ago we did. After several refis, our house is a few years from being paid off and the mortgage is now less than half what it would cost to rent a place here.

Money was tight for awhile, but then the mortgage eased up and my husband started earning more. And we were both intimidated -- I grew up very poor -- and didn't know what the heck to do with any of the extra money. So I asked a friend who I knew managed on a small income and he pointed me to the MMM blog. So now I'm managing money and buying investments and stuff, and it's all still somewhat terrifying, but also satisfying.

zoomzip

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2910 on: September 16, 2016, 02:14:19 PM »
Patent attorney in an expensive urban center - 37 years old with two young children.  I've been lurking for a while but have decided to join the fray on these message boards.  I have always been pretty frugal and a good start on FI (currently have half my FI goal in investment accounts and I have a good amount of equity in my home) - looking towards 2019/2020 for FI/RE.

sharonpope

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2911 on: September 17, 2016, 11:29:50 PM »
Hey everyone, 35 here with kids, looking forward to learn new things from this great community.

MissMustache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2912 on: September 18, 2016, 05:18:01 PM »
Hey all!

I'm 23, live in Sao Paulo, Brazil and work as a software developer intern on an IT company.
I study on a public university so I don't have tuition fees.
I've been paying all my bills and living in shared apartments since I was 19 because I had to (lost my mother, father made my life hell).
It's had its ups and downs but things are starting to go well. I like my job and I'm neutral with small savings moving towards saver.
My total debt right now is $120 from a loan I took from my father and $300 from my credit cards (paid fully, no interest).
I'll pay it by the end of the month and become a saver.

I want to move out because I don't like the weather, the politics, the violence, the jammed subways and the dangerous lanes for cyclists (especially for girls).
And due to our weak currency I'll always earn way less than I could, which would delay my FI/RE goal.
I like Europe but it seems that their higher taxes would make North America more appealing.
I still have 3 years until I finish college but I'd like to build up my skills, get a job abroad and leave earlier.

I realized I'm more frugal than I thought, in comparison to the people I know but I know I can improve a lot.
I'm really enjoying learning with this community, let's keep it going :D

BrokeLawyer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2913 on: September 20, 2016, 04:41:07 PM »
Hi all!

Finally delving into MMM after three years on the periphery. I'm 29, practicing corporate attorney in San Francisco, salary of 170k. Approximately 210k in student loan debt remaining from undergrad/law school. In the process of refinancing the bulk of these down from 7.2% average to 4.2%. I own a rental property that I purchased two years ago for 40k. It rents out for $500/month. I owe 20k on that mortgage. House is probably worth 45-50k. I also own my primary residence in Oakland, purchased 9 months ago for 635k. Put next to nothing down. Due to appreciation, looks like it would sell today for somewhere north of 700k. Redfin/Zillow estimates put it at between 735-835k. Attempting to refinance as we speak to reduce interest rate from 6% to somewhere around 4%.

I purchased the house with my girlfriend (soon to be more than girlfriend). She makes 85k and has no debt. We are so very excited to get started in earnest as mustacheans!

Martin04

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2914 on: September 21, 2016, 06:53:53 AM »
Hi everyone!

I'm 27, french, live in Germany. I work as mechanical engineer for a service supplier, doing development for car makers.
I'm happily married and don't have offspring.

Don't know much what to say if not that today is THE day I try something to get closer to retirement : I joined this forum :D

heyitsryan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2915 on: September 23, 2016, 09:39:17 AM »
Hello everyone,
     I'm Ryan.

I stumbled across the MMM blog and have spent a great deal of time expanding my knowledge of badassery in the realm of FI.

I've been learning about FI for awhile and have previously been a fan of Dave Ramsey. I'm not the hugest fan of his religious additions or the products he tries to sell, but have always been a fan of trying to eliminate debt.

Since reading the blog, we've eliminated nearly $700 a month in payments ( and eliminated all of my credit card debt in the process)! Now are attacking my student loans and am hoping to be at a positive net worth by 2018!

I'm a Healthcare Administrator and married with 3 kiddos.

DailyGrindFree

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2916 on: September 24, 2016, 07:53:14 AM »
Hi everyone, we are Mr. & Mrs. DailyGrindFree , I am in my late 40's and she is in her early 40's. We just got started to get serious about early retirement several months ago. We already have some accumulated for our retirement and hoping to retire in the middle of 2020 or some time in 2020. I didn't do the specific math and read about portfolio theory until just a few months ago. Since We realized that it was attainable if we lower our expenses and be smart with our money we decided to shoot for 2020. If we need additional income I can always work part time for a few more years. My ultimate goal is to be done with cubicles and 9-5 routine as soon as I can.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone better and getting some good advice. I will be posting about our progress and I am sure I will have plenty of questions for MMM blog members.

Here is where we stand as of today: http://www.dailygrindfree.com/net-worth/

The Owl and the Pussycat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2917 on: September 28, 2016, 07:19:16 AM »
Hello,

I hope no one minds if I join in from England, UK?

We live in the rural North East of England (think old churches, green fields with sheep and pretty looking houses).  We have been debt free for years (expect for the mortgage) and save more than we spend.

We would love to be FIRE as soon as possible, but it will be a few years yet.  Things in the UK are very expensive so it is a bit harder to retire early here, but we will get there.

I have been looking for a FIRE forum for some time, but there is very little in the UK so I have been happily reading the posts here.  Looking forward to joining in with the chat.

The Owl

MarcherLady

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2918 on: September 28, 2016, 09:19:08 AM »
Hi Owl, welcome from a Midlander!

There are a few of us UK people about on the forums - and also a few who are escapees turncoats expats and are now in the US and other locations.   

The Owl and the Pussycat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2919 on: September 28, 2016, 10:40:42 AM »
Hi Owl, welcome from a Midlander!

There are a few of us UK people about on the forums - and also a few who are escapees turncoats expats and are now in the US and other locations.

Hi there,

(I am in Yorkshire so a few hours drive north from you.)

Thanks for the welcome.

Hideous Hog

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2920 on: September 28, 2016, 05:13:09 PM »
*shuffles into the forum and looks around*

I'm Hideous Hog (y'all can call me HH for short) - fans of the immortal Victor Mollo may recognize my name and my pet hobby by extension.  I'm 54 and married.  Came here by way of another forum devoted to financial mismanagement.  I've got a kind of exasperating situation going on with our mortgage, and that's one of the things I hope to be getting advice on here. My coworkers' advice has all been along the lines of "get an Uzi and..." which, while satisfying, wouldn't really resolve things.

Ahem.  Sorry about that digression.

By day I fix computers.  By night, I'm an author.  At least, that's what I tell myself.  I hope to have my novel completed by the end of NaNoWriMo.  My wife is an attorney - not silk-stocking; she works for the government.  We live in Florida with two cats.

BalanceLife

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2921 on: September 29, 2016, 12:42:53 PM »
Hi,

I am 37 years old, married, stay at home wife and 2 kids (3 yrs and 2 yrs - 15 months apart), working in IT. I have come from family of frugality (my grand father and father) - good at saving, not spending money but never in to investing except agricultural land 30-40 years ago which appreciated 300-400 times. For some reason I have drifted away from savings to little bit more on spending side may be after seeing extreme frugality from my father, thinking I never enjoyed my childhood and have to live well now. But lately started realizing importance of savings, money for future - even though I touch 6 figure in salary - my expenses are on high side - 2 kids, bought new car in 2014, 2nd car (mini-van) in 2015, home in 2016. I have started 529 for both kids, started investing little bit into current employer 401K . After all this I have very little or none to save or invest into anything else. I think I fell into vicious cycle of suburban life trap where I am 100% dependent on my job and I will be broke if I don't have a job. I want to change to mustachian life style as much as possible:

Immediate Goals:
My goals would be to max out on 401k, FSA and any other tax-free benefits - I pay too much in taxes
Pay off the car payments (I pay close to $1100 per month on my car and mini-van) as soon as possible
Reduce some of the expenses which never paid attention - reduce number of car trips, reduce water/electricity/internet bills etc.,
Sticking to Need vs Want - buy only things that are needed (no more just-in-case buys)

Short/long term goals:
max out in IRA as well
Start investing in after-tax funds - Which I think I need to learn a lot
Keep track of the NW  month to month basis
Have goals to every year in NW - I have set one for 2020 (750K) and one for 2040 (10M) - I don't know how realistic and achievable are these, need to evaluate. I am not planing to early retire though - would like to work as long as I can - thinking about financial security of grand kids as well.

Thx

doug111

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2922 on: September 29, 2016, 11:32:36 PM »
Hi everyone,

I've started this thread to get some introductions going.  If you haven't posted anything on the board yet, this is a great place to say hi.  If you have posted, then say hi anyway.  :)

I'll go first.

Hi!  I'm Mrs. Money Mustache.  I'm married to this awesome guy that some of you may know and we have a great 6-year old kid.  We live in Colorado and life is good... very good.  :)

Who's next?
Hello my name is Doug, nice to meet you. I pretty much live in Portland Oregon or 5 minutes from there and I was soooooooo sad that I heard that your husband was here 2 nights ago !!!! I want to get a selfie with him soooooo bad !!!! Is he still in Portland right now on vacation maybe ?

Roundy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2923 on: October 02, 2016, 12:33:26 AM »
Hi, all. I've been reading the blog for a few weeks and taken a hard look at my current state of affairs in the process. Currently dealing with a huge pile of debt I placed myself under, but looking forward to accelerating the payoffs and stasching all of those workers in better places.

camry78

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2924 on: October 02, 2016, 02:03:38 PM »
Hi, I read about Mr. Money Moustache when I was reading articles online about frugality (can't remember where exactly).  I've been reading the board for a while without signing up, so I finally signed up.

Troutskigolf51

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2925 on: October 03, 2016, 08:56:33 AM »
Hi MMM community,
Brand new poster interested in getting my financial house in order.  I've recently have been doing a lot of reading on investing and more importantly retiring!
My spouse really would like to retire but isn't interested in finances and planning, so I have taken it upon myself to do the research and figure out a realistic plan where we could actually make it happen.
I've read a lot of posts here and like the tone and energy of the community.  I have lots of questions and especially clarifications and hope to find some answers and perspectives here.  Hopefully I will also be able to add something to the community from my own life experiences.
Thanks in advance,
Brandon


hajade

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2926 on: October 03, 2016, 03:16:36 PM »
Hey Mustachians. I'm a 22-year-old recently converted to Mustachianism by my 26-year-old fiancé. We are both lucky enough to have jobs we love, but are trying to configure our lifestyle so that we can A) be less wasteful and more badass, and B) be able to retire before having kids. See you around!

Tavish

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2927 on: October 04, 2016, 11:19:56 PM »
Hi, I'm a long-time lurker, finally ready to join in the conversation.  I'm recently (mostly) FIRE'd, and look to MMM forums for advice and inspiration on frugality, investing, work, and most importantly,  how to live a good and meaningful life. 

I'm a Seattle native, now living on an island north of the city.  I'm in the empy-nest phase of life, which I find to be glorious yet unnerving after spending so many years parenting DD, then taking care of my parents.

I love/value:  friends, freedom, nature, wildlife, dogs, intelligence, humor, honesty, the sea, a well-written phrase, and (unfortunately) potato chips.

I'm working on:  fitness, updating/improving my house/property, learning how to be a good/smart landlord, and doing things outside my comfort zone (like joining a forum!)

I'm looking forward to being a part of this community.












erinw

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2928 on: October 05, 2016, 12:53:21 PM »
Hi, everyone!

I've been reading MMM for a few months now and lurking here a bit, and figured it was time to join in. I'm a 24 year old single female, originally from NC but moved to DC for college and stayed here after graduation. Thanks to generous parents/a grandfather, financial aid, and the attitude that I was going to pay more than my monthly required amount, I'm down to about $4k in student loans at pretty reasonably low interest rates so nothing there to complain about. I grew up learning from my parents that saving is a good thing to do, but they can't be considered Mustachian by even the most generous of standards, so now I'm working on breaking years' worth of spending habits that I never gave much thought to. A few months ago I realized I was feeling like I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, decided no way in hell was I going to continue down that route, and started looking up budgeting advice. I stumbled across MMM in the process and reading through all of the posts has been eye-opening! My biggest issue right now is how much of my income goes to rent, but for the time being I'm willing to work around that considering I walk to work and have a nice apartment for what is sadly a reasonable price in my neighborhood. It's pretty ridiculous that as of a few months ago I got a car despite living in this city, but to be fair, it's 10 years old, was formerly my mother's, was a free gift from my parents, and I only have it so I can go hiking on weekends and go to Costco. I feel like that means I only deserve a small punch in the face? I deserve much larger punches in the face for the truly staggering amounts of money I've spent the past few years on clothes and drinking/eating out, and I am valiantly striving to cut those expenses down to zero as a first step in the process of dramatically upping the badassity of my lifestyle.

I'm kicking myself for not having found this site while I was still in college or soon after I graduated, but I'm excited to get started now!
« Last Edit: October 05, 2016, 01:07:27 PM by erinw »

stein79

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2929 on: October 06, 2016, 08:32:23 AM »
Hey Folks, I've read through the forums on and off for the last year or two. 

I'm 29, in sales, have been investing to some degree since I started working in 2010 but I still spend a lot of money on too many hobbies and expensive intangible items.

Trying to become more intelligent with investing, see my post and help me out: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/hello-consider-my-portfolio/msg1253727/#msg1253727

Also trying to be more responsible with spending and reduce on some key areas to enable faster FIRE.

Luckily, i'm debt free other than a mortgage at a pretty low rate in an area that I should have no problem selling the house at a profit or renting it. 
But, I own a Harley (that I rarely ride), drive an SUV (i'm tall), have a gun collection, drink expensive whiskey and beers, enjoy meals out on the town, don't mind traveling, and dream of owning 5+ acres of land to live on.  But, I am trying to cut down on some of these and put more into my investments.

Look forward to learning more from everyone here.

Cheers!

filescopying

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2930 on: October 06, 2016, 08:13:41 PM »
Hi I'm Marcus and I am learning to want what I have instead of buying more things.

redturtle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2931 on: October 08, 2016, 10:42:15 PM »
Hi guys, my name is Rob. I stumbled across this site through reddit. It seems to have some great resources! Looking forward to saving with all of you.

doodlebug77

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2932 on: October 11, 2016, 10:51:32 AM »
Hi, I'm doodlebug. I'm a 39-year-old divorced female who is going to graduate in May 2017 with an MBA... and tons of student loan debt (100K). I'll be moving to Boston next summer and making a good salary, so I'm interested in figuring out how to save for retirement and pay off my loans as aggressively as possible. I'm worried about being able to do so in such a high cost of living city. Any tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

monocleman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2933 on: October 11, 2016, 01:21:06 PM »
Hi, I'm Chris.

I like beer.

eyerishgold

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2934 on: October 12, 2016, 04:12:29 PM »
Hi Ya'll,

I'm now closer to 40 than I am 35. I'm also getting closer to retirement. I'm married with one child and he's finally in school so no more daycare costs! My wife and I make a great deal of money but we could do better saving it. We don't do a terrible job, we have a net worth approaching 700k with only about 75k of that as equity in our house. We'll save over 120k this year but that'll still only be about 40% of our income so we could be doing a lot better. But, on the bright side, other than a mortgage on our house and rental property, we have no debt. I drive 15 a year old car and my wife's is 7 years old.

On the not so bright side, we pay for lawn care and have a house cleaner come in twice a month. I'm not sure how I currently justify that. We eat out more than we should and we like to travel. We have 2 trips planned currently. There's a lot we can cut out but we just need to force ourselves to do it. Overall, I'm happy with where we're at but I know we can do better.




Jankle NSS

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2935 on: October 13, 2016, 09:36:29 PM »
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

My wife and I are a combined 27.9 years old and we have a FIRE date of 2026. We live in the beautiful Texas hill country. Can't wait to get to know everyone!

-Jankle

marty998

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2936 on: October 14, 2016, 04:48:50 AM »
Hi, everyone!

I've been reading MMM for a few months now and lurking here a bit, and figured it was time to join in. I'm a 24 year old single female, originally from NC but moved to DC for college and stayed here after graduation. Thanks to generous parents/a grandfather, financial aid, and the attitude that I was going to pay more than my monthly required amount, I'm down to about $4k in student loans at pretty reasonably low interest rates so nothing there to complain about. I grew up learning from my parents that saving is a good thing to do, but they can't be considered Mustachian by even the most generous of standards, so now I'm working on breaking years' worth of spending habits that I never gave much thought to. A few months ago I realized I was feeling like I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, decided no way in hell was I going to continue down that route, and started looking up budgeting advice. I stumbled across MMM in the process and reading through all of the posts has been eye-opening! My biggest issue right now is how much of my income goes to rent, but for the time being I'm willing to work around that considering I walk to work and have a nice apartment for what is sadly a reasonable price in my neighborhood. It's pretty ridiculous that as of a few months ago I got a car despite living in this city, but to be fair, it's 10 years old, was formerly my mother's, was a free gift from my parents, and I only have it so I can go hiking on weekends and go to Costco. I feel like that means I only deserve a small punch in the face? I deserve much larger punches in the face for the truly staggering amounts of money I've spent the past few years on clothes and drinking/eating out, and I am valiantly striving to cut those expenses down to zero as a first step in the process of dramatically upping the badassity of my lifestyle.

I'm kicking myself for not having found this site while I was still in college or soon after I graduated, but I'm excited to get started now!

Hi! You'll be amazed at how quickly the progress you can make. And best of all, it's a habit and a mindset that gets easier the longer you do it.

What are you going to do when those loans disappear?

Hi, I'm Chris.

I like beer.

I do too. I may have had a few too many tonight...

Enigma

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2937 on: October 14, 2016, 06:26:23 AM »
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

My wife and I are a combined 27.9 years old and we have a FIRE date of 2026. We live in the beautiful Texas hill country. Can't wait to get to know everyone!

-Jankle

Combined 27.9 years?  or average 27.9yrs?  I mean if it is combined does that mean you are both roughly 13.95yrs old?  Welcome to MMM

Enigma

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2938 on: October 14, 2016, 06:29:33 AM »
Hi Ya'll,

I'm now closer to 40 than I am 35. I'm also getting closer to retirement. I'm married with one child and he's finally in school so no more daycare costs! My wife and I make a great deal of money but we could do better saving it. We don't do a terrible job, we have a net worth approaching 700k with only about 75k of that as equity in our house. We'll save over 120k this year but that'll still only be about 40% of our income so we could be doing a lot better. But, on the bright side, other than a mortgage on our house and rental property, we have no debt. I drive 15 a year old car and my wife's is 7 years old.

On the not so bright side, we pay for lawn care and have a house cleaner come in twice a month. I'm not sure how I currently justify that. We eat out more than we should and we like to travel. We have 2 trips planned currently. There's a lot we can cut out but we just need to force ourselves to do it. Overall, I'm happy with where we're at but I know we can do better.

Good luck!  I think I did better at saving when I started monitoring where I was spending money and why.

Chris88

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2939 on: October 14, 2016, 01:41:52 PM »
Hi, I'm Chris if you couldnt tell by my really imaginative name <<<.

I am 28 from Tampa, FL and a long time lurker but new contributor.  My wife and I are very fortunate to own our own home, have over $700K in total net worth (including our home paid for) and a savings rate of around 70%.  I feel like we should be close to FIRE in a few years but my wife worries about an increase in lifestyle when kids come into the equation.  I'm wary of us falling into the "One More Year Syndrome".  After all I love my job. I work at a tech startup and get to wear shorts and flip flops with free food every day. Perfect for a Florida Mustachian!  Glad to be part of the community. I love biking to work and the looks my rich neighbors give me as they pull out of their driveways in their brand new BMWs.  It's refreshing to share a community with like minded individuals. Hard to find in my neighborhood.

Jankle NSS

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2940 on: October 14, 2016, 03:57:06 PM »
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

My wife and I are a combined 27.9 years old and we have a FIRE date of 2026. We live in the beautiful Texas hill country. Can't wait to get to know everyone!

-Jankle

Combined 27.9 years?  or average 27.9yrs?  I mean if it is combined does that mean you are both roughly 13.95yrs old?  Welcome to MMM


Yes yes average...I got so caught up in getting the age right that I just...

Glad to be here!

Shockers

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2941 on: October 14, 2016, 09:36:23 PM »
Hi I am Jeff.  I am 42, married and we have two girls. 

We currently have a 900k net worth with 2/3 in the form of real estate.  Our apartments cash flow at $1500/month, we just closed on storage units at $10,000/month cash flow but we owe a significant amount of money on it, my wife has disability of $1400 + 2 kids at $300 each, my wife also has a side hustle of about $600/month.  I have been an IBEW electrician for the past 18 years and normally meet 100k/annually.

Not counting what we owe on apartments or storage our personal expenses are $7k/month.  Our largest hits come from our mortgage, food and entertainment.  I am here to find out ways to cut our expenses, learn how to set a FIRE date and figure out insurance. We would need very good insurance for an infusion my wife needs every two weeks for her AHUS.  We have great insurance through the IBEW.  Should I decide to transition to passive income and leave my current job, insurance would be high on my priority list.

Looking forward to learning from all of you!

JimboJones31

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2942 on: October 16, 2016, 03:42:25 AM »
Hi All

New here (right forum for that I guess!).  I'm 38 and male, and live in the UK with my wife (36) and 2 kids, 7 and 3.  Aim is to be largely FI by 50, although I'm not following the most frugal/efficient path to FI and could get there quicker if I committed to doing so.

Currently we're doing pretty good.  6 years ago we bought a big house (I know...), and with interest rates in the UK at an all time low we've been concentrating on paying off that mortgage by making extra payments.  The outstanding loan is about $250k (a huge number but significantly less huge than 6 years ago), but we're paying it off by almost $2k a month, so really maxing that out.

Savings wise I've saved hard into a pension, and have about $165k already.  The aim now is to tone down pension contributions and let compounding do it's work, and instead push money into tracker funds.  We've got about $60k saved in cash and investments currently, and that needs to grow to at least $400k over the next 10-12 years to let us execute our plan.

We're relatively good with spending.  Not super frugal but we don't buy frivolous stuff like gadgets, we don't need new cars and we don't spend much on going out (with 2 small kids our going out days are largely behind us).  We could definitely do more to pull back on spending though.  And I'd also like to get a side hustle up and running.

Looking forward to being involved in the forum!

tssuila

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2943 on: October 16, 2016, 02:55:19 PM »
Hi Fellow Mustachians,

I have been following this blog for quite some time, but only recently found the forums. A little about myself:

- My name is Noel
- 42 yrs old, married, 1 son (4.5yrs old) - wife is currently staying at home
- Originally a career academic, then musician, then ESL teacher, now city employee
- Live in the frigid north (Canuckistan) city of Winnipeg, MB
- Spent my youth (up until 37) gallivanting around Asia, both teaching English and travelling
- Upon returning from Asia to my hometown of Winnipeg (at 37) , we not only had no savings, but were close to $20k in debt
- I then took it upon myself to attempt to get into a city job for 3.5 years (while working an entry City job for those years), putting us further into debt (we were about $40k when I finally got the job)
- I took transferred some debt to a Credit Card transfer that is due in August 2017
- Discovered FIRE and MMM about a year and a half ago

Our situation now is that we are about 1 month away from paying off our $40k debt completely, 8 months from paying off the credit card transfer (no interest until August), and then the only debt we will have left is our mortgage ($150K or so). We have about $15K in our TFSA, and approximately $10-20K in house equity.

A big pro and con for me is my "Golden Handcuff" pension situation. The earliest I can retire is 50, but with pretty significant penalties. Without even considering our TFSA situation, retiring in June 2025 ( I would be 51)I would have around a $25K/year pension.

We would likely move away from Winnipeg, and are considering the Gulf Islands off of Vancouver Island. Our son would just have finished grade 8, so it should fit nicely.

Our spending is pretty good, but it is always good to get new pointers on places to save. My savings situation is a bit complex to figure out with my pre-tax deductions for my pension (which are huge, but I am not complaining) - but once the loan and Credit Card Transfer are paid off, we will be saving $300 bi-weekly to TFSA,  $300 bi-weekly to my RRSP, and $200 bi-weekly to an Emergency fund (for a year and a half, then it will go to our Mortgage). The percentage of take home going to savings is around 47%, and any excess from overtime goes into savings of some sort.

That is it for me for now, the boy wants to watch a show (on Netflix of course!) .

Glad to meet you all!

Noel

barkerl2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2944 on: October 17, 2016, 07:29:45 AM »
Howdy,

First post on the forum, but I'm excited to be here. My name is Larry and I've been binging on MMM blog posts over the last week or so.

Here's a question: I've tried budgeting for the last year or so, but I'm afraid I haven't done a great job of expense tracking. Any tips on how to calculate expenses (monthly/annually/etc)? Do you know know of any spreadsheets that have been shared on the forum in the past that might simplify it?

I'm really trying to hone in on our regular expenses so  that I can identify areas to cut back and can determine our savings rate.

Thanks!

TheUniverseGuru.Com

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2945 on: October 18, 2016, 10:36:17 AM »
Hello Everyone!

We are a family of 5 and 4 years away from FI (august 2020).  Hubby will be 48 and I will be 39 when we officially FI.  We have been followers of MMM and overall FI community but new to the forum area.

To keep ourselves accountable - we have been sharing our journey on your YouTube Channel and hopefully bringing a few other people along.  If nothing else, figured it would serve as a great video series for our children when they are older.  FI is very much a family journey for us and we love keeping our kiddos in the loop as well.

Looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Mina & Irfan

EMPrindle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2946 on: October 18, 2016, 11:18:58 AM »
Hi! I'm Elizabeth.

I'm happily married to my spender and I'm his saver--love that we make that dynamic work well in our marriage :).

We have a very happy, healthy six month old baby Leah who we're over the moon about.

We live part time in the Bay Area in California and part time in the Sierra Foothills.

We have a plan for financial independence and we work that plan every day together as a family.

Looking forward to learning more from everyone!

Car Jack

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2947 on: October 18, 2016, 12:51:51 PM »
Hi, I'm Jack and am probably already to be FI but the wife doesn't believe we ever could be (blue collar upbringing....how could we possibly stop working ever?).  We've always been frugal, having both put ourselves through college and living like that for years after.  Even so, I know we can always do better.  I drive THE favorite vehicle of this entire forum.  A Jeep Unlimited!  (let me snicker in the background as I listen to the cyber groans and boos)  Hey..I started out as a bike mechanic and bike racer........so I can't be so bad, right?

jeeebus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2948 on: October 20, 2016, 07:41:08 AM »
Hi,

This is my first post on the forum, although I first stumbled on MMM just over a year ago. I'm 29 and prior to discovering the blog I was always living slightly beyond my means, despite having earned a good income for the past 6 years. I leased a nice car, my girlfriend and I ate out often, and I was always buying crap from Amazon and other websites thinking that it would improve my life. I also had a few credit cards that I couldn't afford to pay off every month, so they always had a moderate but recurring balance on them.

In the last year or so I have completely changed my ways. By trimming the excess I have been able to pay off my credit cards one by one, build a modest emergency fund and start to passively invest in Vanguard funds. In addition to this I have amassed 6 months’ worth of mortgage payments in a separate bank account, which will cover my girlfriends half of the mortgage for the year of maternity leave that she'll be taking in March when we are expecting the arrival of our first child.

Oh, and the lease car was returned at the end of the contract in April. My girlfriend and I went halves on a 6 year old Hyundai instead. And we also cancelled our TV subscription :)

Although my girlfriend is not fully on board with the Mustachian way of life, she understands why I am and I managed to persuade her to save and pay off her small loan and credit card.

Since making these changes our lives have improved dramatically. We no longer argue about money, and we now have very few worries between us. We can think clearly and focus on planning ahead for the arrival of our baby next year.

MrSwayze

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2949 on: October 20, 2016, 05:08:50 PM »
Hi, I'm Mr Swazye, I got the nickname from a friend and got new license plates made (before I found MMM) and they messed up and didn't put the space in between and now everyone calls me MrsWazye.

I've got a bunch of credit card debt that I've been paying down as aggressively as I can to help me reach FIRE by 40~. I've got a live in GF that has the same dreams as me which helps immensely because she keeps me grounded and on the path. We both bought bikes so we can commute to work 10km roughly round trip for both of us. I've got a very anti mustachian vehicle with a Lincoln Mark LT, but it's paid for and I can't sell it for much of anything since it won't pass the new Ontario safety regulations. I also use it for my side business mowing lawns for people that are too busy to do it themselves.

Long story short, I've seen the mistakes I've made in the past and I also don't want to work until I'm 65 and too old to do much anymore, so I've been paying off my debt and should be free and clear by Feb. After that, it's all going towards my RRSPs.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!