Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3316021 times)

poniesandFIRE

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3050 on: January 06, 2017, 10:55:09 AM »
Hi!

Longtime lurker, first time poster. 32, 1 kid and a spouse. We are planning to pay off our house aggressively, get focused on investing and then cut hours drastically or semi-retire by 2025. Currently both have full time+ jobs, plus I have my own business on the side.

We paid off around 70k in cars/credit cards/wedding/student loans/401k loans in last few years. Next up - kill the mortgage, start a 529 and increase our 401k contributions.



Spicolli

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3051 on: January 06, 2017, 11:11:31 AM »
Hi, I'm Tom...49 yo...looking to retire from current job in 5 years/3 months (1904 days) or less! Not that I'm counting or anything.

Status: Married (also 49) with a 9 yo son, wife in the Navy who will retire in 3.4 years as an O6 with 25 years service. Combined pensions of 110K -145K depending on if I retire this year or in 5. No debts outside of 320K in mortgage. About $1.6 M in savings/assets. We're not true Mustachians but are willing to learn.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3052 on: January 06, 2017, 10:24:39 PM »
Combined pensions of 110K -145K depending on if I retire this year or in 5. No debts outside of 320K in mortgage. About $1.6 M in savings/assets. We're not true Mustachians but are willing to learn.

With that kind of savings plus an incoming pension, you should definitely be able to be FIRE! Read up on MMM and this blog to learn how to reign in your spending so that you can retire earlier than 5 years! Good luck!

cyclelove

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3053 on: January 07, 2017, 06:32:16 AM »
Hello, James here, a mid-thirties web designer currently living in London but moving to Scotland (Glasgow) later this month where I own my own small apartment.

Just binge-read 75% of the MMM blog over Christmas (via Kindle) and fired up about paying off the remaining £75K on my mortgage.

cpaw

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3054 on: January 07, 2017, 03:53:40 PM »
Hi there, Cara here. I learned about MMM almost 4 years ago now, recently out of college and beginning to seek out alternatives to mindless consumerism. I was chatting with a like-minded friend about Your Money or Your Life, and she said "You have to check out MMM!"

And it changed my perspective forever. I continuously feel like I'm in on the greatest and best secret of life, and love learning and working at it every day :)

I've been a lurker and am happy to finally post today. Looking forward to learning and sharing more!

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3055 on: January 07, 2017, 10:52:57 PM »
Hey, was reading up on cults to join and ended up here. I consider membership here a form of prophylactic "chalking the door" to prevent worse catastrophes from engulfing me (adorning my door with lamb's blood might be a superior religious analogy, but hey, it's the Epiphany).

My job is tangentially connected with selling people stuff they want but probably don't need and almost certainly can't afford, hence my maxed-out name. The aversion I feel about this sort of activity personally probably makes me a hypocrite, but I'm sure economists have come up with a clever-sounding euphemism for this sort of thing (Japan came up with "comfort women" after all!)

My interests are varied but mostly center around combating various psychoses and mental health problems, as well as earning money and not spending it promptly as a good consumer must do. I may not have much sense, but I have a few dollars, at least!

My goals here are modest (figure out what I should actually be doing with my life and making sure that money isn't an obstacle to pursuing that end).

I'll probably save my crazier biographical information in a journal. Anyway, hi!

Mrtreasuretoupee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3056 on: January 08, 2017, 01:43:57 AM »
My name is Ben and found this site be accident.  I found that I already fit about half of MMM's suggestions ( I did just buy a brand new car though :/ ) I look forward to learning and maybe even helping.

valeriesue

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3057 on: January 09, 2017, 08:22:13 PM »
Hi friends! I love hearing all your wonderful, diverse, inspiring stories.

I got a nice, impractical philosophy degree in college and managed to get my diploma with only $27k in debt. That used to seem like a lot, but my perspective has changed since reading MMM. I'm 27 years old and I have a job I like and side gigs I like even more. I'm hoping to retire when I turn 36. In the meantime, I can't shut up about this blog and I'm learning patience when it comes to reactions:

But you really have to live while you're young, right? #YOLO
What if you just drop dead and die one day after amassing all your wealth? Will it still seem worthwhile when you're DEAD?
I can't give up restaurant eating, cars, Whole Foods groceries, [fill in the blank]. They're the only thing(s) that remind me I'm human.
I'm really very good with money. Sir, I accused you of nothing!

HernandezPrime

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3058 on: January 09, 2017, 10:55:23 PM »
Hi everybody!!

I'm HernandezPrime, from Sydney, Australia. I started reading MMM posts last April, and quickly read all of them. Then I delved into the world of FIRE blogs and forums. Only now have I been brave enough to jump in and start mingling with everyone in this forum :)

Just as a quick background, I started last year with thousands of dollars in student debt and credit card debt. About $9000 all up. Now, I have zero debt and all the money I save has been paying for my wedding in May, with no debt required for any expenses! Mr Money Mustache has changed my life in a massive way, and I'm pretty excited to be here now :D

linorusk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3059 on: January 10, 2017, 04:28:57 AM »
Hi everybody! I'm a 26 y. o. girl living in Norway together with deyoswed, a mustachian since 2013, and our little cat:)

We've been working towards FI together for 3 years now, and deyoswed has been doing this alone for about 5 years.
Our goal is to become FI before the end of 2018, when deyoswed is turning 30 y. o. We are frugal people who spend very little money on consumer articles and food.

At this moment we're looking for a commercial building to invest in, that will be our primary income (passive). Earlier we've invested in various companies and stocks, besides working mostly with private rental business in Oslo. We both have fulltime work as primary income while we're living in Norway. As expenses are high, we will move out of the country when reaching FI, and probably travel abroad for a while too!

We're looking for friends with shared interests whom we can talk about FI with, feel free to share your tips and thoughts with us:)

/Linn

MrBrutalHonesty

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3060 on: January 10, 2017, 06:00:16 AM »
Hi all,

I go by Brutal Honesty and I need punching in the face.

I have wasted my money, not my life mind you, because that money was spent doing things that I love (travel), things that are on my bucket list (travel) and learning the skills of my favourite hobbies (surfing, are you seeing a theme yet).

But for all the fact that I've done loads, I haven't got a penny to show for it. In fact, I'm 36, single, earning 30K a year in base salary, with a hair under 8 grand in credit card debt (7K of which is on interest free cards), a shitty flat on an interest only mortgage, and a sudden yearning desire for early retirement that dates from pretty much the moment that a friend linked to the MMM blog. In the three weeks or so since I've read every blog entry, and the vast majority of the comments. I've slashed my spending by almost 40% and am working on another 10% or so in the next month.

And I've calmed down.

Mentally speaking I worried about money, all the time, but ever since making the simple decision that I intend to beat my dad to retirement (he retired at 53, giving me 17 years) I've stopped worrying about money. I'm kidding, beating my dad to retirement age isn't actually the goal, more of a fun little extra.  My expenses come out of my bank automatically as Direct Debits are a big thing, and I no longer waste money on a daily basis. I feel like I've hit an almost zen like level of calm.

I still have work to do. I've got a 40 mile round trip commute, and the property market in my home town being what it is, I cannot afford to move. So instead, I'm looking for work local to me. That alone will knock almost 150£ a month off my bills. (yeah, Brits get raked over the coals for fuel costs compared to Americans). I actually only learned how to drive and bought a car because of this job, I've always lived near to where I worked.

Being raised Dutch, I'm an avid cyclist, even now that I own a car, but I'd love to leave the car for long trips such as visiting my parents and not for day to day nonsense.

I'm also trying to eliminate frivolous entertainment spending. The cable bill is on the chopping block, and other things are being evaluated on the strict Mustachian criteria of 'will it give me longer term happiness, than getting my debts paid off'.

I haven't got a clue where Brits should invest their money, from what little research I've done so far (and keeping in mind I'm probably 6 or 7 months away from paying back all my credit card debt, so I still have some time) I can't buy Vanguard funds directly since it's an American thing, but I'm equally sure that these forums will throw up a batch of answers once I start digging.

So here I am, not earning a lot, having lived wild and free, and wanting a better life.

I'm also already somewhat Mustachian (call it an 8th Mustachian if you will). I've always cycled, because I love cycling. I'm a minimalist by inclination, having figured out years ago that stuff doesn't make me happy. I don't occupy more space than I need to (my 350sq ft flat is perfectly sized for me, annoying neighbours notwithstanding), my first and only car was a decade old when I bought it and was paid for cash, and I'm perfectly capable of living within my means.

Counter to that however, is that I'm mentally lazy. My friends joke that I'm Mr. Easy Mode, and if I can trade money for convenience I have historically done so. After all, what's the point of money if you don't use it. I just never followed that thought through to it's logical conclusion of using my money to make more money. So this is where I need that punch in the face, because my mental laziness is a real problem. It leads me down roads such as half-assing my career (because I'd rather not work than work in my cubicle job, and why I'm still only on 30K), not paying attention to my money (because it's effort, and there's more of it next month) and other really bad habits.

All of which changed overnight when I started reading the blog. I actually felt acutely ashamed at the way I'd treated money, and by extension myself, when I had so many options open to me when I was young. Hell, had I realized this blog was around five years ago I'd be well on my way to retirement, as it is, well, I'm still on my way to retirement, just running a bit late.

So yeah, that's me. If anyone wants details, ask and ye shall receive. I'm Dutch so I consider my finances perfect fodder for publication.

One main thing I'm going to do this year once my spending is under control, is look for better paying work. I'm a little envious when I see all the case studies of people earning 50K or 100K and talking about living on 'only 30K' and realizing their bottom level is more than I bring home in a year after taxes. But then I punch myself in the face and remind myself that I'm not them, and I'm not living their life.

Sadly, I don't have much to sell (I'm a bit of a minimalist as mentioned), and I'm probably going to need to retrain as while my IT skillset is still current, it's also become depressingly commonplace in the UK, so it's harder to command a decent wage. I've got a decent following on Instagram (53K and climbing) but have so far failed to find a way to earn money doing it. So if anyone has any good suggestions on how to add a few K's to my income, bring it on. I'm eager and ready to learn.

Shieldmaiden

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3061 on: January 10, 2017, 07:42:24 AM »
Hello.

I'm a senior in college looking to pay off her student loans and help my mom (who is in the middle of long overdue divorce proceedings) raise my younger siblings. I'm a frugal person, but I love buying things for people way too much and am extremely inexperienced when it comes to employment. However, I am no stranger to hard work. I want to achieve FI so I can support my mom through this difficult time and her elder years, and because I want the freedom to see my family and friends in other states without having to work around a job. I live and go to college in Florida, but I have family and friends- many of whom are elderly- in North Carolina, Wyoming, Alabama, and New York. I've been following/binge reading the MMM blog for a few weeks and am very uneducated about stocks and bonds and have almost no savings to my name, but I am determined to make a better life for myself and my family.

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3062 on: January 10, 2017, 08:39:07 AM »
Hello.

I'm a senior in college looking to pay off her student loans and help my mom (who is in the middle of long overdue divorce proceedings) raise my younger siblings. I'm a frugal person, but I love buying things for people way too much and am extremely inexperienced when it comes to employment. However, I am no stranger to hard work. I want to achieve FI so I can support my mom through this difficult time and her elder years, and because I want the freedom to see my family and friends in other states without having to work around a job. I live and go to college in Florida, but I have family and friends- many of whom are elderly- in North Carolina, Wyoming, Alabama, and New York. I've been following/binge reading the MMM blog for a few weeks and am very uneducated about stocks and bonds and have almost no savings to my name, but I am determined to make a better life for myself and my family.

Welcome!

Here's a great place to start learning about stocks and investing:

http://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/

soundFool

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3063 on: January 10, 2017, 08:59:50 AM »
Hello,

I go by the online name sound fool. I chose that name because I made many foolish mistakes with money and hope my future money decisions are sound. I am new to the idea of early retirement but am 100% committed.  I started a blog to track our progress and share analysis on our family spending habits, you can find it at http://www.soundfool.com/ I look forward to learning here and hope I can contribute useful information along the way.I hope to learn more about investing, not just stocks, but real estate and other ideas.

Thanks for having me.


Ritchie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3064 on: January 11, 2017, 05:41:21 AM »


Hi mate I was quite heartened and inspired to read your post, as the similarities with my own situation are quite striking.

Here we go:

I will turn 35 this year and over the last 3 years or so I've really started to feel a growing unease about my future, and that of my future family, due to my financial situation. Although I am fairly frugal by nature (I generally go for the cheapest option in almost any conceivable spending scenario), I've ended up in my mid 30s without having a great deal to my name. I've managed to save up about £20k, and I have a car worth about £3k, but I also still have £8k student load debt and I don't own a house. I did a PhD and then lived abroad for a year, so I've only been earning a proper salary for about 6 years. Most of the salary has gone on rent, but I've also enjoyed a fair bit of travel and beer ;-) We live in the UK, where the housing market makes it extremely difficult for first time buyers to get on the ladder and private rent is generally pretty high.

I'm not aiming to retire early, but I would like to try to ensure we are not destitute in our retirement!  As I've only been working for 6 years my National Insurance contributions are probably fairly meagre for someone my age, so my state pension isn't going to be great, and I foolishly declined to join a private plan through work a few years ago. However discovering MMM a few days ago has given me hope that my wife and I can still end up reasonably comfortable in our old age if we're smarter from now on. I'm on £32k per year and my wife is on about 17k at the moment but we are planning to move to Portugal this year, in which case both our salaries are likely to take significant hits, and our job security will also be more precarious. However house prices are lower and we're hoping to buy a house with a fairly low mortgage. So, buying the house is the big goal on the horizon at the moment, and after that I will be trying everything possible to make our money work for us by following the advice on this site, and hopefully investing well.

Looking forward to learning and contributing to this forum as I go.

Cheers,

Ritchie

sixkids

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3065 on: January 11, 2017, 09:44:07 AM »
Hi, I guess this is where I post an intro...  I'm 38 years old, from Ohio.  Married with 6 kids.  Income is decent, but I hate, hate, HATE my job.  Still in early stages of worrying about my future and my kids future, so forgive me if I say or do the wrong things.  I'm here to learn.  At this point, we are renting a house, have about $3,000 in credit card debt, two car loans (well, a loan and a lease) and about $10,000 in savings. 
My goal is to get the one car paid off, and buy a house in the next year or two.  I'd like to retire as soon as possible, and I know I'll need to reallocate a LOT of my finances toward doing that

cantgrowone

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3066 on: January 11, 2017, 11:57:09 AM »
Hi all. I'm cantgrowone. I physically cannot grow a mustached; facial hair doesn't come in right. I'm 29 and looking for early financial independence. The house will be paid off in July, woot.

Looking to grow my money mustache further. We spent more than we should in 2016, everything was paid for with cash.

Fish Sweet

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3067 on: January 11, 2017, 02:06:56 PM »
Hi y'all.  I'm Fish.  I've been lurking around the MMM blog and forums for a while, and finally figured I wanted to start chiming in.  I'm in my mid-twenties, pretty early on in my career, but I'm going to be honest, I'm already tired of working and am looking forward to being able to FIRE sooner, rather than later. 

I've always been a saver by nature, but without early retirement sites and MMM, I  probably would've just let all my savings rot away under a mattress or in a .000001% interest savings account somewhere as I muddled along, so I'm starting to cautiously invest and be more proactive about saving, rather than falling back on okay habits that could be polished and made better.  I'm not an engineer by nature (English major, hurrah), so the careful balancing of money, investment vehicles, taxes and percentages etc.etc. that a lot of MMM folks seem to have well in hand is hard, slogging work for me, but I'm working on it!

Currently have about 95k total net worth, no debt of any kind.  18k in liquid savings/checkings, and over time, the rest of it in investments.

Corazon

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3068 on: January 11, 2017, 08:37:31 PM »
Hi Folks, I am a long time lurker and just signed up to the forums. I'm too old to retire young but still plan on FI/retirement by 55. I just started a five year plan to get me there. I live in Brooklyn and have a high savings rate as my employer provides housing, utilities, cell phone etc. I have no commuting expenses and my needs are few. I started reading MMM a while back and it all sounded very familiar as I read Your Money or Your Life over 20 years ago. The ideas are very similar but I never could put them in place as I was married to a high spender. I hope to learn a lot from the forum and contribute in any way I can - if not as an example at least as a warning.

WordBird

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3069 on: January 12, 2017, 01:49:17 PM »
Hi there:

I'm WordBird, living near Toronto, Canada with my wonderful husband and two kids, ages 12 and 9. Always had relatively mustachian approach to our finances, though we occasionally fall off the wagon. On target for me to retire / pursue my passions in 2021, though husband will keep working (his choice).  I'm way more mustachian than him, so we're comprising. :)

Wood_Stacker

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3070 on: January 12, 2017, 06:47:01 PM »
Hi - I found MMM via the New Yorker article awhile back, read through, and my wife and I said, this is us, were we better organized. But it took me awhile to finally land here...

Growing up in the rough piece of Brooklyn NY in the late 60s and 70s, I organized snow shovel brigades in my neighborhood, which was a big business! esp as it required lots of ancillary pieces, EG serous protection - a time for which i have no nostalgia - those were serious street battles. But gave me a bankroll at an early age, and also taught me to share my $$ with my cohort so long as we all worked together.

Thereafter I was working on my own business fulltime at 14, concurrent with dropping out of school [and then dropping college] 

Starting in my 20s I built and sold a few small companies, the largest one being a tiny sale to a fortune 500 co when i was in my 30s. That allowed us to take a few years to figure out how to move forward not tethered to employees. Our current work is landscaping, farming, house reno, and craft manufacturing.  But we want to stop that again and just look about the world. We’re in our 50s

Concurrent with the small company ventures, I always renovated buildings, lofts, houses, as a backup plan. In the 15 years since my small exit, we have pushed together a real estate and investment portfolio of 5.5, with 1.5 in leverage which we plan to unspool this year even if Crazy Uncle Donald f*cks it up beyond all reasonable etc.

We have a 15 year old son who we homeschooled some, who is now in a specialized private school, but who has been working along with us farming since he was in his small basket. And his imenent departure (in the next few years), continues to untie us from our homestead and real estate.

So what to best do with our 4mm net in the next few years to maximize it’s benefit? Very delighted to have landed here, and hope to contribute in excess of the great stuff I've already dug out of here.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2017, 10:57:28 AM by Wood_Stacker »

mjdh1957

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3071 on: January 13, 2017, 07:02:34 AM »
Been lurking and reading for a while now.

Retired at 57 two years ago. I receive a widower's pension from my late partner's pension fund. He was a manager-level with the Co-op so a very good pension with equal rights for same-sex couples. I stopped work during his final illness and he died in March 2015 aged only 50.

I live in Hebden Bridge (the locations for the recent TV series Happy Valley are around here) and am really enjoying being retired.

actionjackson

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3072 on: January 13, 2017, 09:45:51 AM »
Stumbled across this site the other day, referred by Scooby - the fitness guy. I'm into all this no BS approach to life, in fitness, career, finance etc.

32YO, Aussie expat living in TX.

Wife and I think we've been reasonable savers, but reality is that we have pretty decent incomes comparatively, and so we require less savings discipline than some others might. 2017 is the year to change that though. Wife is more frugal than me, so I lucked out there!

Figures in Aussie $, although we have money split across AUS and USA investments/accounts. NA= ~$200k, 401k or Super as the call it in AUS is $100k between both of us.

Savings rates for each Quarter last year were, Q1, 41.65%   Q2, 31.93%   Q3, 19.46%   Q4, 49.89% - We improved in Q4 as we downsized to a single bedroom apartment in a more affordable area. Goal is to get >60% savings this year of after tax income.

Our hobby is rockclimbing, which is great for living frugal, because the gear you need is <$1k and you only need to replace it every 5 years or so, and it keeps us fit, happy and motivated. 

omachi

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3073 on: January 13, 2017, 12:32:28 PM »
Hello everybody. I've long known to save, invest, and spend less. I owe my parents a huge thanks for setting a good example and actually teaching me some of this stuff.

I have been reading MMM for a bit, and lurking the forums for a little less than a bit, so I thought I'd register an account. I've been looking for an outlet to discuss money and related life topics, since nobody but my wife and my parents seem to really understand that you can actually accumulate wealth these days. This seems like a reasonable place to do that.

KOdelphia

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3074 on: January 14, 2017, 01:06:05 PM »
Hi,  I'm Kevin and I've been reading the blog for about 3 years, and am ready to start participating a little more.  My wife and I have our debt paid down and i'm ready to start making some moves to make the rest of my life a lot smoother.  I'm a Naval Officer, biker and musician, and I look forward to getting involved on the forums.

Moiser

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3075 on: January 17, 2017, 02:22:57 AM »
Hey guys!

I've been reading the blog and lurking on the forum for around six months.

I'm a 31YO English expat with no fixed residence.

I currently work in the offshore oil and gas industry on a 28 day rotation, I spend 99% of my free time traveling. I've started to apply what I've been reading here and have started to take steps to secure my financial future when I decide to leave the oil and gas industry to pursue something that I have a little more passion for.

Looking forward to getting involved in the community!

Mon

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3076 on: January 18, 2017, 08:28:57 AM »
Hi!
Montse from Spain.

Gal2016

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3077 on: January 18, 2017, 12:07:29 PM »
Hi. Gal2016 here.  I've made a habit of living rather frugally over the last 8 years, but am now married to a spender who needs lots of help digging out of the credit card hole that he inherited in his divorce. This last year has meant a geographical move, a new job (making 30K less than my previous) and step-kids.

Coming here for encouragement.  We make a good living, even with my reduced income but have a tremendous debt-load.  Slowly whittling it away and will be debt-free except for mortgages and student loans by the end of 2017.  I've got a house on the market, and it will be a huge relief once it sells.

We've both got pensions/retirements and I have a 403B that I've contributed to for a decade.  Once the CC debt is paid off, I'll max out my 403B (no employer match, unfortunately).  We're looking to semi-retire in 13 years to travel and pick up work as we feel the need.  We'll be 55 and 53 at retirement, if things go as planned.

Guide2003

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3078 on: January 20, 2017, 02:21:12 PM »
Hello, I've been lurking for a couple years and am current on all the blog articles. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm not able to get simple answers from quick google searches and it's forcing me out of my introvert's shell! While I've fortunately gotten a great start due to good parenting, I stumbled on MMM as I was entering a critical time in life where I was unwittingly setting up some long-term financial priorities.

I'm currently in military aviation living in southern Alabama (not a whole lot of Mustacians in this area it seems) but my wife and I are really excited to keep the momentum going on this journey. I look forward to gaining more personal advice and wisdom through this forum, and hope some day to meet some of you in person!

cognitiveitch

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3079 on: January 20, 2017, 11:01:49 PM »
Hi, everyone! 33-year-old tech worker from LA here. Only about two years into my Mustachian ways and still learning a lot of hard lessons (kicking myself for not maxing out my 401K last year, for instance). Recently got my husband on board after breaking down all the numbers of exactly how much we need to earn and save in order to retire in under 10 years.

Already learned a lot by lurking and excited to contribute to the community!

MrThatsDifferent

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3080 on: January 21, 2017, 02:41:30 AM »
Hey everyone!
American living in Sydney, Australia for over a decade, mid-40s.  In the last year I've secured a great job that pays very well.  I've never been a saver, even though I've had generally good jobs.  Because of some weird circumstances I got into deep debt that I've managed to get myself out of last year.  I discovered MMM a couple months ago and it's changed everything. I'm focused on FIRE in 5 years, 8 max and we want to travel the world for a while. I've been reading everything to work out my strategy and make the changes necessary to improve our lives financially.  Reviewing our finances, we're not quite as bad as I thought and if we act now, we'll catch up quickly.  Very grateful for all the great advice and generosity from everyone sharing.

AnswerIs42

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3081 on: January 22, 2017, 12:48:29 PM »
Hello everyone, from London. I've been lurking on this forum for a few years now, so decided I may as well sign up :)

I was on the path to FI even before discovering MMM, but it's nice to know that others are doing the same thing. My thinking is that I work too hard for my money to waste it on crap. I started investing mostly in equities in 2007 or so, so managed to pick up quite a lot of bargains during the crash, and on the way back up again.

I checked my quarterly spreadsheet last month, and I've finally reached base-level FI! Well, not entirely, as a large proportion is locked away in a pension 'til I'm 55 (probably 58 by the time I get there). Also, the latest gains are somewhat illusory, due to the weakness of the pound, and I'm not sure I trust the 4% rule on these valuations. Plus, I want to move away from London when I RE, and hopefully have a bit more than base-level FI then. But still - it's practically in the bag at this point, everything else is just gravy. It's a nice feeling :)

taxedatty

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3082 on: January 22, 2017, 03:59:34 PM »
Lurking for years, decided that perhaps I should register and contribute to the discussions. I'm an attorney in philly working at a b4 accounting firm.  Married.  Husband and I are saving and investing to retire early, and although pretty frugal, we are not as mustachian as many here!!  But we are content, which we believe is really the name of the game. 😀

katscratch

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3083 on: January 22, 2017, 09:31:55 PM »
I never properly introduced myself - 42, work in healthcare.

My values have always been Mustachian, my bank account not so much. 

I have one kiddo in college who is on his way to FI - he'll probably outpace me, darn engineers ;)  I can't let my son retire before I do, so the race is on :)

K-12FI

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3084 on: January 23, 2017, 12:16:10 PM »
Hi, just registered. I'm a 26 year old Middle School English Teacher who's recently started throwing all extra money towards loans. I was a spending freak, driving my wife crazy until i discovered MMM and the FI/RE mentality. Now my whole focus has shifted, and I feel better about it!

TheBeardandTheBohemian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3085 on: January 23, 2017, 01:38:48 PM »
I just  registered my wife and I have lived very frugally and invested most of our income for the past three years  we live very similar to most people on this form we are in our early 20s  she graduated this past December from college and I quit my professional sales job and we are traveling the country for 2017 in our 1998 Ford e- 350

romanh

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3086 on: January 24, 2017, 12:51:34 PM »
Hi people,

I'm Roman from Germany, I was always a somewhat frugal person but I also enjoyed my life somewhat with cheap-isa travels.
This blog is a fairly interesting site, although I really don't understand the massive numbers which the americans toss around here (e.g. increase net worth by 100k in 1 year).

Might have to do with massive taxes in Germany and / or higher salaries/wages in the US.
Anyhow, I plan to improve my financial situation long term.
Cheers!

jessicat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3087 on: January 25, 2017, 08:15:19 AM »
Hi!  I am a stay at home mom.  I am 43 years old. My dh is a software engineer.  we have six kids.  (Yes on purpose)  We have been married 20 years.  10 years ago we found Dave Ramsey.  He help change our financial lives and get on the same page.  We paid off 35k of debt in one year while my dh was making 69k.  Fast forward 10 years.  Last April we paid off our house 244k and now have 325k in retirement savings.  About a year ago I was looking for more financially.  we have done well but I wanted more.  That is when I found mr Money mustache.  I am more security oriented, my husband is more of a risk taker with investments.  We talk our way to the middle together.  We are both tightwads.  I agree and love many things I have read here.  The ones I don't agree with are more negotiable to me. I won't ride a bike everywhere.  My town isn't set up for it and yesterday I had an epic bike crash.  I am a bit old for skinned knees and elbows. I do ride for fun.  And we own a 2002 suburban because it seats 8.   I am excited to start the next part of our journey by stepping up what we are doing.

Mr Chin Stubble

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3088 on: January 25, 2017, 09:47:25 AM »
Hi I'm Mr Chin Stubble. I liked one of the articles (Millioniaire is minted 10 dollars at a time)and want to retire. I also seem to run up credit card debt.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2017, 07:37:36 PM by Mr Chin Stubble »

SDF

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3089 on: January 25, 2017, 05:32:56 PM »
Hello from Portland! I have been reading MMM for a couple years, and just started exploring the forums a few weeks ago. My oh my there is so much interesting and useful information here! The posts here have encouraged me to go even farther in my 'stache-building and create/adapt some new spreadsheets to even more completely and accurately track my spending and retirement contributions. So THANK YOU all for posting such great stuff here. I hope to be able to contribute some good things and keep myself accountable through writing here as well.

LittleTree

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3090 on: January 25, 2017, 08:27:44 PM »
Hi I'm Casey. I live in NYC with DH and our two middle schoolers.  It's taken a while for me to overcome my shyness and register but now I'm really excited to participate with you all in the MMM community.

I found MMM a little over a year ago. (From Frugalwoods!) We had just started Dave Ramsey's debt snowball a few months earlier and I was trying to find motivational websites to help me change our financial life. I felt like an ostrich just taking my head out of the sand. I was 44 and we were living paycheck to paycheck in spite of good jobs and some assets acquired before having kids. We are very close to completing Ramsey's baby step 2 which will be almost 180k in 24 months. To say we've had to make deep cuts in our life style is an understatement but it will all be worth it when we cross the finish line. We will still have our primary mortgage but 1 step at a time. I've been so focused on this goal that we really haven't made any concrete FI plans or milestone dates. That's what we're looking forward to next.

Anyway I look forward to reading, learning, and sharing in the successes and encouragement of the community!


SmartyCat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3091 on: January 26, 2017, 10:31:55 AM »
Hello from the Seattle area! I'm SmartyCat, and I stumbled across MMM a few months ago in the process of decluttering and thinking about how much is "enough". Until last year, DH and I were kind of . . . "I'll work until 62 and he wants to retire around 70, tralala. .. . (I know, right??). . . .until the day the light bulb went on with a major WTF moment. We've been frugal in some areas, spendypants in others, so there is some cleanup to do. We're aiming for FI by January 1, 2020. I'll be 58 and DH will be 65, so it only moves the timeline up by four years, but I'm super excited to have the countdown clock launched.

WinterSkies

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3092 on: January 26, 2017, 11:27:04 AM »
Hi folks!  Thought I'd introduce myself, as I've been lurking around for some time and have finally registered.  I'm WinterSkies - located in Winnipeg, Canada.  DH (34) and I (33) are both engineers, and have two young children (4, 2).  I stumbled across MMM late last year, and have been catching up on the blog, and more recently, reading through the forums.

I will start a journal at some point, as I like to talk about finances more than DH likes to listen!  So, the MMM forums shall become my outlet and potentially my sounding board for our plans to get to FIRE.  Thankfully, DH and I are both savers, and agree that we want to make changes that will allow us to get out of the rat race a lot sooner than average.  We're at a decent starting point - regular RRSP contributions since we started working 10 years ago, no consumer or car debt, an emergency fund to cover 2 full months of expenses and an aversion to debt in general.  We have a mortgage (314k at 2.35% variable), and are paying into it weekly, plus occasional lump sums.  However, we don't track our spending, and that is hurting our savings rate immensely.  I know that our potential for further savings is great - I just need to identify it and make a plan. 

I am looking forward to learning from everyone here, and giving and receiving encouragement.  This looks like such a great community!

Swish

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3093 on: January 27, 2017, 10:22:36 AM »
Hello,

I have a small family, wife and three kids under 4. I keep having self inflicted wrenches thrown into my financial plans so trying to keep our home as accountable as possible. I have no idea how far out FIRE is but would like to figure it out. Found this site looking for a electric shaver by mistake and have been reading almost every day since.

"If you want what everyone has do what everyone does."

I want something different.

CC

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3094 on: January 27, 2017, 12:01:34 PM »
Hi all,

A 26yo midwest senior mustachian in training here, currently working through all of the posts from the very beginning (As of today, ‘I’m on Get Rich With: Good Old-Fashioned Hard Work’ from February 2012 so quite a ways to go). Learning so much already, nice to see so many like-minded people here. Looking to be FI/RE by age 40 with the knowledge of MMM and you all!

-CC

MinimalistGal

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3095 on: January 28, 2017, 05:11:33 PM »
It has been at least 2.5 years since I found MMM and JLCollins that changed my life. I have always been relatively careful with money but finding these blogs brought perspective.

I would like to learn more and contribute as well.

frugalwitch

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3096 on: January 29, 2017, 08:20:39 AM »
Hi !

I'm a 27 yo college teacher in Canada. I've been through a long way to become more frugal as I was a very spendy witch 5 years ago. Trying to do the math and see if I can be FI at 40!

Kiwi Fuzz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3097 on: January 30, 2017, 07:11:37 AM »
Hello!

I'm a Kiwi living in Massachusetts with my US citizen husband. My goal with FI is to have more stability than I did growing up and to be able to say FU to abusive people (bosses, landlords, anyone really) in my life and walk away if I need to. Also to know that the husband would be financially secure if my income was gone since he can't work. My goal for RE is to focus on my writing (creative fiction fantasy/sci fi) without the pressure of making it an income generating job.

My interests include, but are not limited to: cooking, baking, writing, reading, video games, drawing, painting, carpentry, DIY in general, languages (French and Japanese I know a little), philosophy, science, knitting, and other nerdy things.

alexanderhamilton

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3098 on: January 30, 2017, 03:24:42 PM »
Hello!

I am 43 and wish I had found this forum sooner! I have always been financially responsible (paid off house, no other debt) but could have done so much more. I do love my job but that could change and I like to have options. Husband is not extraordinarily frugal (he likes to eat out) but he knows we have a good lifestyle because of our frugality. We do travel as much as we can and that is what we love.  I come from a small family and we are spread on three continents, so that is where our fun money goes!
I have two kids, one super frugal and one not.

Vibrissae

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3099 on: February 01, 2017, 11:06:02 AM »
Hello! I can't recall how I found the MMM site--presumably someone on another forum somewhere recommended it--but I've been lurking about for a little while and finally decided to make an account. I'm in my late 40s, single with three cats, and work in academic publishing. The money's not tremendous, but it's decent and comes with great benefits, plus I love my job.

Financially I'm in tolerably good condition, which I owe utterly and entirely to my parents, who, while not quite at Mustachian levels of thrift, were still very money smart. It's due to them that I own my own home (their home, which I inherited when they passed), have no student debt (they paid cash!!), and have a sizeable 'stache in an investment fund. They were also the ones who taught me to pay off my credit card balance in full every month and generally to live within my means. I've been sliding a bit over the last decade or so, though--I really haven't been saving at all, and I've dipped into the investment fund a few times (okay...maybe more than a few) to cover some expenses that have cropped up.

So here I am starting out a new phase of greater willpower and money-savvy. I've finally evicted my ne'er-do-well best friend/housemate (I love her, but wow, was she ever a drain on my mental and financial energy), and I'm working on taking a weed-whacker to my expenses. I've already seen so many good tips on here already, and I'm planning on taking them to heart.

Change is exciting! I'm looking forward to the journey. :)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!