Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315961 times)

Corrugated Ironic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3200 on: April 01, 2017, 11:52:26 AM »
Hi all. I just finished reading the blog and thought I would join the forum. It is nice to see a whole community of people who embrace something like the corrugated ironist philosophy in which I was raised (the core tenets of which are Sales Resistance, Money Is For Investing and Don't Make Decisions Based On What Other People Are Doing). I'm mid-twenties, just finished school and starting a professional career. My goal is to work a fairly conventional career path for 5-7 years, then start my own business in a way that reflects my values, puts me in control of my time and still makes sense financially.

zscore

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3201 on: April 01, 2017, 09:17:51 PM »
I'm zscore.

I'm 28 and live in the metro Detroit area. I've been reading the MMM blog for motivation on scaling back to my pre-steady employment level of spending, while increasing expectations on my quality of life (like fitness, DIY knowledge, things like that). My main challenges come from my perfectionism, and worrying over little details. Since I'm a woman, people are more than happy to support me in this: "Don't go walking alone because you could be kidnapped", "Don't get too in shape or you'll get too bulky", "Don't bike alone or you could be attacked", etc.

I joined the forum because of the marketplace, tbh. Craigslist in my area is...a mixed bag of "normal" and "scammer", whereas MMM forums are self-selecting.

So, hello!

Jaayse

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3202 on: April 02, 2017, 01:40:43 AM »
Hi everyone,

I found MMM through a cousin of mine linking the surprisingly simple math for retirement post on his facebook.  I have always been a bit mustachian with my spending, but it took reading that article to open my eyes to a new goal, FIRE! 

I graduated college in 2009 and the job market was not very kind to someone with an Anthropology degree with minors in Business and Italian.  So I decided to join the Navy as an officer.  I am writing this post from the Indian ocean after having spent the past few months very painfully loading every MMM post and reading them all, think dial up speed... 

Despite having only just found MMM, I am 30 and have almost 170k in liquid assets (investments, CDs, IRA) and 95k in equity in my condo with no debt other than my mortgage.  I will soon be changing stations from my current home base in San Diego to Naples, Italy.  Now that my eyes have been opened to the opportunities in life, I am going to leverage the hell out of my language skills and run some side hustles with Airbnb and renting out my house. 

Cheap_Freedom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3203 on: April 02, 2017, 04:04:13 PM »
Hi I just started reading MMM a few months ago. So far I love the blog.

I also just finished saving my first 10K for an emergency fund. Currently working on a way to invest everything else I'm planning on saving.

andlu89

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3204 on: April 02, 2017, 08:16:45 PM »
Good evening everybody,

I finished reading through the MMM blogs and happy to register and join a community of like-minded individuals!

I am 28 y/o male, single, and currently am Active Duty with the Public Health Service, a non-combatant branch of the Dept of HHS.
I'm really lucky to have discovered the "Your debt is an emergency" series and it encouraged me to use my sign on bonus and special pays to pay down my debt instead of buying a Challenger like I nearly did. Looking back, I am VERY glad I did.

I am working on being more efficient with my food spending, since I am a competitive amateur olympic weightlifter and eat enough for two people.
That and getting motivated enough with the little energy I have left after work and training to discover other streams of income that align with my interests.

I hope to meet some of you in the future!

sentry

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3205 on: April 03, 2017, 05:31:12 AM »
What's up Mustachians!

Been lurking around the forums for a while and figured I'd introduce myself. I'm 27 y/o active duty military, married with one kiddo. Working on streamlining our expenses, building our 'stache, and learning as much as we can! My wife is currently doing the stay at home thing, but may pick up a job in a year or so (my son's still very young). We currently save about 50-55% of our income after getting our finances in order over the last year and absorbing the information on this blog. Goal is 65%!  Here's how we stand right now:

Emergency fund: $1500
Roth TSP: $10,000
Vanguard Roth IRA: $11,000
Vanguard Taxable: $20,000

Mortgage: $203,000@3.8% w/ ~$6,000 in equity
1 Car paid off worth $16,000
1 Truck on loan $17,000 remaining will be selling soon @ $20,000 (face punch me...)


Chairman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3206 on: April 03, 2017, 08:10:42 AM »
Hi. Longtime reader of the Boglehead forums, and have been aware of MMM for some time. Decided to create an account here to get a different perspective. Seems that some Bogleheads are Mustachians and some Mustachians are Bogleheads, but being a Boglehead doesn't make you a Mustchian and being a Mustachian doesn't make you a Boglehead. In a way, I am here to find out what I am.

Sydneystache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3207 on: April 03, 2017, 08:56:09 AM »
Hi. Longtime reader of the Boglehead forums, and have been aware of MMM for some time. Decided to create an account here to get a different perspective. Seems that some Bogleheads are Mustachians and some Mustachians are Bogleheads, but being a Boglehead doesn't make you a Mustchian and being a Mustachian doesn't make you a Boglehead. In a way, I am here to find out what I am.

Perhaps you're a bit of both and sometimes neither?

Welcome anyway. I have read Bogleheads but have yet to join and post.

NiccoloM

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3208 on: April 05, 2017, 04:39:09 AM »
Hi I'm Jack, and new to this whole place, but i have found it as one of the most concentrated and honest sources of good solid financial and life style advice on the entire nets. so prepare to have your brains picked.

alycks

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3209 on: April 05, 2017, 01:06:34 PM »
Hi! I've been reading MMM for a year or so and never registered for whatever reason.

Quick background:

I live in Wichita, KS with my wife, dog, and two cats. I'm a data scientist, work from home and my wife is a resident physician (psychiatry). We don't have kids, but will be starting that in a year or so.

I've always been fairly frugal, with a few glaring exceptions. I haven't paid anyone to cut my hair in at least 3 years, I cook almost every meal, I always try to have a home gym. I do all my own auto maintenance and I build as much of my own furniture as I can. Her car is a 2000 Honda Civic she got for free from her grandmother, which we've spent about $20 on in 5 years (broken doorhandle). My car is a 1999 Subaru Outback which I bought for $1,000 with a blown head gasket, fixed/refurbished for about $1,000 and have spent nothing on it since except for tires. My phone (Nexus 6) is from 2014 and my main laptop is from 2008 (Thinkpad x200). We produce one trash can's worth of waste in a year. No cable, I garden, I drive less than 5,000 miles a year (bicycle year round), all that MMM stuff.

Now for the bad stuff: I fell into the reddit-centric trap of justifying "BIFL" (buy-it-for-life) goods which are hardly ever BIFL. In the past 5 years, I've spent:
  • $390 for 2 pairs of raw denim (I later sold the $220 pair for ~$200)
  • $120 for a mechanical keyboard
  • $200 for headphones (later sold on craigslist)
  • $120 for earbuds (sold on eBay)
  • $600 for a fancy new Dell laptop (sold)
  • $400 on Canadian boots, presumably assembled by a grisled old cobbler in a BC cabin
  • $180 on a Vitamix blender
  • $500 on stereo equipment for the whole house
I could go on, but you get the idea. Some of these are embarrassing (the /r/headphones people really roped me in, dammit) but I still like my Vitamix, which I got refurbished, and ghastily expensive boots. I use the Vitamix once or twice a day to make meal replacement protein shakes that cost less than $0.90 and I've owned shitty blenders before that don't last 100 duty cycles. I hope the boots last the rest of my life and, if they don't, at least I learned a valuable lesson. My wife and I also have a high-end restaurant habit we have to kick. There were months we spent over $500 on restaurants.

These spending habits aren't anywhere close to as bad as those as my friends and my wife's coworkers. But they are embarrassing because I still have student loan debt and my savings rate, up until recently, has been very low. But I've cured myself of all this stuff now, my wife and I have a nice 'stashe growing, and life is better now.

Going Forward:

My wife and I are looking to be FI in about 7-8 years (age 38), which should be no sweat as our income now is ~$135,000 and she's still in residency. I don't make the mistake of counting my chickens before they hatch, but she's gotten a few job offers in the $250,000 range and her attendings agree that that's roughly what she can expect to make. I'm playing around with the idea of stopping my career even sooner (like 34-35) and working on side hustles, managing our money, and raising our kids.

Last year, if you don't count student loan payments (which should be gone in <3 years), and rent (buying a house very soon) we spent $28,000 without even trying to be frugal. This year I hope to get below $20,000. We're very lucky that she has a generous, wealthy mother (who is amazingly mustachian herself) who in the past 5 years has taken us to NYC annually for Broadway shows, Park City, UT for annual week-long skiing trips and to London, France, and the Grand Canyon. So we never feel the need to travel and we have an amazing life. We do go camping a lot.

So anyway, that's my story. Great to be here! And if you're in Wichita, let me know!

Gone_Hiking

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3210 on: April 05, 2017, 09:15:22 PM »
Hi all, my name is Kate and I live in southern Arizona with husband and a child under 10.  I found this forum a few months ago and have been lurking.  Because I am serious about reaching FI within 8 years - and you, the MM Community Members, know what it means - I am happy to jump in, share what I learned and ask others when I have a question.   

Singletrack

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3211 on: April 07, 2017, 06:38:16 PM »
Hi, I'm Charlie.

Long time reader of the forums but first time post. I live in the Ogden area north of Salt Lake City in Utah. My wife and I work and have 4 kids at home.

I've read all the MMM articles within the past year and agree with many of the principles. I've started to adopt many of these into my own life and looking forward to being FI within the next few years.

Some recent changes I've made;
1. 12 months from paying off student loans due to increase in monthly payment.
2. I will have a 3 year old car payed off at the same time as the student loan.
3. Started to track my Net Worth each month. Watching the numbers climb is addicting. Debt reduction and savings really do start to add up.
4. Maxed our 401K contributions for each of us and get our employer match. This is automated and very simple for both of us. I have had to comb through the investment options and select those with low(er) fees.
5. Looking to accelerate my FI with real estate, specifically buy and hold investments. Hoping to learn from others on their experience. I'm close to taking the leap.
6. Working on being a better person, not just FI. The MMM forum and articles are a piece but also reading and learning from other sources.
7. Actively seeking those with similar mindset and values. I love the "Community" mindset. That can be a challenge for an introvert :)
8. Put the house on a 15 year fixed mortgage 2 years ago. Working to downsize the McMansion which takes gentle persuading of the wife. She loves the neighborhood and schools and kids are close to friends. I can see a way to pay off a smaller house within 5 years but also see her side. This takes compromise and time.
9. Sharing what I learn with my wife. She recently graduated and loves her career. FI isn't just about retirement but a way of living. Hoping we can discuss these principles and the benefit it would bring to our life. She's coming along!
10. Working to reducing our cost of living without feeling deprived. We cut cable years ago and bought 2 Rokus and an HD antenna. Cutting out the DVR was a game changer. The library visits have increase and downloads from our library for audiobooks are very easy and educational.
11. Becoming a fan of Stoicism. Excellent practices that help center my day to day frustrations and put things into perspective.

There's more to list but gives you an idea.

Looking forward to interacting on the forums and following any meetups locally.
 
« Last Edit: April 07, 2017, 06:42:32 PM by cgreen224 »

notpennysboat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3212 on: April 08, 2017, 02:04:54 AM »
Hi! Heard of MMM for several years, finally jumped in deep along with numerous podcasts and other sites. I've drifted over to FIRE from the travel hacking community. I'm looking to learn more about leveraging taxes during planned unemployment and buy-and-hold rental properties as a FIRE strategy.

Currently, we have ZERO income (am I doing it right?) I'm 31, partner is 32, and in 2016 we quit our jobs to travel. Partner quit consulting (~$135k) and I finished my residency (non-physician) which paid peanuts. We saved for this trip for a few years, along with lots of travel hacking. We're 6.5 months in to a 12-month timeline on this trip. We spend around $2700/month total without much frugality (so this number could be cut quite a bit). We have no debt, no home, almost no stuff, ~$100k in various retirement accts, and around $15,000 in our "return home fund" for when trip money runs out. We are also able to move anywhere that will have us.

I'm currently looking to find ways to generate income from the road so we don't have to go back to typical 9-8 jobs/settle life, but in the meantime, I'm wondering about any tax opportunities to leverage should we still have little to no income in 2017. Also, I'll be digging further into the real estate threads to decipher if rental properties are right for me! (And maybe if there's some overlap between tax opportunities and real estate!)

Excited to join a supportive community!

josiah44

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3213 on: April 09, 2017, 12:43:00 PM »
Hey everybody.  Ran across MMM while looking for financially like-minded individuals with advice on generating passive income.  Only spent a few days in the forum thus far, and I'm inspired.

Me: 32, Software Product Manager
Fam: Married (10 years) with a 2 yr. old
Debt: 72k left on the mortgage & never had credit, student, or auto loans
NW:  Right at 100k w/o home equity, ~450k w/ home equity

Gonna head over to the 100 to 250k race thread to get started.  See you out there!

sleepyjen

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3214 on: April 10, 2017, 08:01:54 AM »
Hello, my name is Jen and I'm a new Mustachian. We've been recording our expenses this year and it turns out our financial drain, despite my rhetoric, is me, so I'm here to learn.

Ninjasandpancakes

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3215 on: April 10, 2017, 12:07:11 PM »
Hello! Like many, I'm a long time reader but new to the forums. My partner and I both have natural Mustachian tendencies, but still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go.

We are in our late 20's and have a 7-month old. No debt except mortgage (275K left) and we have about 150K in our various accounts.

One of us will stay at home with our little one for at least the next 5 years, which will cut our previous take home pay in half, as we have comparable salaries. (Will receive EI to supplement our lost income until August, thanks to Canadian parental leave). Looking at ways to further reduce our cost of living so we can save a higher percentage moving forwards.

Most of our savings are currently with an asset management company with very high MERs, so my immediate focus is learning how to invest on my own (looking into Questrade).

It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to interacting on forums.

gex

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3216 on: April 11, 2017, 10:53:24 PM »
Hi there,
Long time reader, finally decided to join the forum. MMM posts have helped me tremendously, so I thought it's time to get move involved in the community.

ExpatChina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3217 on: April 12, 2017, 08:57:37 AM »
Mustachians, I'm sending sincere and heartfelt gratitude your way. I almost got caught up in an ILAS scheme through deVere and RL360. Your experience (and the math behind it!) saved me from 20 long years of watching my hard earned money drain away.

My wife and I are American, living in Shanghai, China for the past five years. We save 65% of our combined annual salary and intend to use the information available here to pursue FI in the next 20 years or less.

We are currently looking into the best way to begin investing from China. I'm leaning towards Charles Schwab International Brokerage and their commission free ETF's. Though I'd love to hear your opinion.

If there are other Shanghai Mustachians out there, I would greatly enjoy hearing about your FI journey and the strategy you've learned along the way.

divinejayku

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3218 on: April 13, 2017, 01:06:17 PM »
Hello! Thirty-three year old husband and father. My wife and I have a nine month old daughter and I stumbled across the forum in search of a new career. I'll post more about that in another section.

s_17

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3219 on: April 13, 2017, 03:13:17 PM »
Hey there!

I've been reading MMM for a few years now but finally decided the check out the forum as well. Totally hooked already!

I'm in my early 30s and live in one of the Nordic countries. I think I've done my fair share of travel for a while (having lived in six different countries and visited a bunch of places), so looking for a more balanced/relaxed life back home at the moment. I used to be very ambitious professionally speaking, but I'm not so sure about that anymore. I suppose there are other things to life than work ;)

Great to be here!


EMMoneY

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3220 on: April 13, 2017, 04:32:17 PM »
Hi : )

Found the MMM site last week, have read nearly non-stop for days!

I'm 50, have been an at-home mom for 14 years (had my first kid at 34), first a WAHM then 2 yrs later became a SAHM, have 2 kids (almost 16 - eek! - and 12), a hubby (40) and a dog (1).

Fiscally we aren't in the worst condition, but there's massive room for improvement.  First thing to do is get rid of the approx $6K of consumer racked up for what at the time seemed like good reasons.  Should have it wiped out by the end of July. 

Time to go read around here, too. 


Andy90

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3221 on: April 15, 2017, 03:16:19 AM »
Hi everyone!

Long time lurker on these forums and have been following MMM since last year.

I'm 27 from Sydney Australia and have not long started my path to FIRE. I'm at home with the parents making the most of it as Sydney is expensive. Housing market is up the tube for a first home buyer. 12 times average wage I heard lately..

Any who I'm looking to change careers to move to Brisbane to be with my SO soon and look forward to the lower cost of living for even more frugality.

Currently saving and investing in ETF's, no debts but I did buy a clown car a few years back which is now paid off *slaps younger self*.

Currently just starting to sell old games on Ebay as a side gig. Trying to save 66% of my income. Its been kind of fun culling out all the clutter in the finances.

Happy to be a part of the community and to continue learning from all the wonderful people here!

Cheers!

Dina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3222 on: April 15, 2017, 05:54:14 AM »
Hello everyone. I had been a long time reader of the blog and thought it would be fun to be on the forum with likeminded people from all over the world.
We (me, husband and now 4 kids) moved to Norway in 2014. It set us back financially to zero but we desperately wanted to live here and there has not been a day we have regret it.
Now life has gone -relatively- back to normal it is time to build something up again. We can live frugal & minimalist rather well and I am happy to see my bank account grow again.
We can not get a mortgage here, so we rent. Rather expensive but without any worries about marketvalue, rotting wood and painting when we actually want to make a trip with our little boat (summer is not so long here). So it is pretty much perfect :)

nick663

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3223 on: April 15, 2017, 03:38:31 PM »
Hi Everyone, my name is Nick.  Early 30s with an engineering title in a lower cost of living area.  Always been pretty frugal and DIY but haven't been managing finances as closely as I would have liked the last few years (we've been saving ~20k/year and living debt free outside of mortgage but we could be saving a lot more).

Always been aware of MMM but never joined.  Pretty much everything in my life has changed in the last year (employer, location, etc) so with that I am deciding to spend more time surrounding myself with people that can get me to my ultimate goal of financial independence sooner.  Look forward to contributing and learning.

Sillbeer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3224 on: April 16, 2017, 01:22:58 PM »
Greetings all.  I've been on the site for a couple years but haven't been active.  I'm finally to a point that I'm tired of being broke so I figured I should start getting involved.  I've been married for 13 years and have two young kids, 3 and 5.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to getting my debt paid off and watching my money grow.

- D

eatmorespinach

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3225 on: April 16, 2017, 05:28:46 PM »
Hey All,

My name's Drew, and I'm a 28 year old who's always aired on the side of frugal. Discovering MMM through Tim Ferriss' podcast has prompted some interesting thoughts and chats with my partner. Big fan of all MMM's material that I've been gobbling up lately, especially his visions of a new frugal utopia.

I live in a very expensive area (Palo Alto) where I work in tech (marketing, not an engineer). I currently rent, but have been shelfing away savings and am more motivated than ever to eventually move back to the Pacific Northwest where I'm from. If anyone has any tips on becoming a first time home owner from another state (buy in WA or OR, live in CA for now) feel free to get in touch.

Cheers,
Drew

Reirs

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3226 on: April 19, 2017, 05:20:52 AM »
Hi all. My name is Patrick, I'm from CO, married have a doughter, Nice to be here! at the moment i have some health issue and i was spending a lot of time on  pharmacyreviews.md . So I'm really happy to be here!
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 09:17:59 AM by Reirs »

NoLongerCollegeRaven

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3227 on: April 20, 2017, 12:07:53 AM »
Hey Everyone!

I'm Raven, a college sophomore currently living in Upstate NY.
I discovered MMM a few days before starting College and it has since become my usual procrastination website :p
I'm really interested in the Natural Sciences and of course the MMM lifestyle.

I'd really like to connect with other college Mustachians and recent grads so say hi!


sith02

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3228 on: April 20, 2017, 02:37:22 AM »
Hey people, James here. Recently married, so all unnecessary spending is over. Here to learn other people's way of living and saving.

msmargarita

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3229 on: April 20, 2017, 08:53:01 AM »
Hello Everyone!  I'm msmargarita, and I'm a WAHM.  I've read lots of great advice on here, and decided to finally "delurk".  My husband and I are working hard on our goal to retire in 10 years, and I hope to stay motivated by reading all of your success stories!

jlkpony7

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3230 on: April 20, 2017, 03:58:11 PM »
Hello,

I'm so glad to have found this community! To put it kindly, my husband (47) and I (37) are "late bloomers" in the financial knowledge arena, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can and choose our financial strategy/investments wisely. My husband is a teacher, and I'm in the non profit realm, so we are not "high earners" but we are certainly comfortable. 

Our only debt is a 3 years-til-payoff car loan and a $217k mortgage (home value is approx. $325k).

We have a hodge podge of retirement savings and e-savings, much of which needs to be consolidated and I'm not exactly sure where I should start. We both have pension plans - and will each be "vested" with 5 years of service by 2018. Hoping to learn more about how to create a good strategy for us in the coming days.

The hubs is happy where he is, but I am desperate for a career change. I just cannot take much more of a cubicle-existence, staring at a screen all day doing work that isn't particularly urgent or, I wonder sometimes, even necessary? Yikes. The only problem is - I'm just not sure what is next for me! I have too many ideas I guess. Currently reading "The Art of Work" by Jeff Goins which explores how people find (accidentally or otherwise) their calling. I want to work, but I need more activity and more flexibility in my current blase, 8-5 windowless world.

That's all I've got for now.  Thanks for listening, and I look forward to learning from ya'll!

SharkStomper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3231 on: April 20, 2017, 06:26:11 PM »
Hey guys,
I'm a recovering consumer and new to the forum.  I like what I see and decided I needed to sign up.  Early retiring is likely not in the cards for me as I'll be 48 this year with a smallish nest egg, but who knows.  The wife is onboard with my newfound thriftiness and saving plan, so wish us luck!

eddie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3232 on: April 22, 2017, 08:27:46 AM »
Hello,

I've been a reading the website for 2-3 years but I'm new to the forum.  My wife & I are 34 and have a beautiful baby girl.  I work in specialty retail and my wife works in healthcare.  I both used to be super thrifty in our single days, but mostly out of necessity.  When we got married 5 years ago we both started making a lot more $ and lifestyle started creeping up.  We love to travel, we bought a new car, started going out to nicer restaurants, etc.  I started a side business that failed and sucked up a bunch of $.  We've both always contributed to retirement so our net worth would keep going up little by little.  I made some investment mistakes in my 20s and just haven't felt like we were making as much progress as we should.

Last April/May we finally got on the same page, started planning, started doing written/cash budgets every 2 weeks, set goals, and have been making a lot more progress.  So instead of our net worth going up $20-60k / yr like it had been, it went up about $115k in 2016.  We're not as frugal as many here, but we're way better than we used to be.  We also have a higher FI number than most here, but by 2027 we should be able to amass $1.5mil in invested assets, plus a paid for house, and adequately funded college account(s).  That's the goal.

JessicaCoaches

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3233 on: April 22, 2017, 11:24:34 PM »
Hi I'm Jessica,
I've been reading MMM for a few years now and never breached the forums before today. I decided to come on here because I keep finding these great websites and oh wow they are into MMM as well!  Getting on here has been a little overwhelming, there is just sooo much.

A little about me.
Happily married with three little boys.
I've been a low-income hustler.
We have three rental properties. (7 doors)
Hoping to go FIRE next year and go somewhere with a low cost of living. We love traveling. :D
I started a blog recently and am really enjoying finding all these other FIRE bloggers! (jessicacoaches.com)

Looking forward to being on here, I will be trying my best not to lurk as I often tend to do on forums.

telegraphtightwad

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3234 on: April 23, 2017, 07:03:04 AM »
Hi I am Telegraph,

Have read MMM since beginning. Been in this space since the tightwad gazette (newsletter) and 1st edition of Your money or your life.  I am 55 and in process of purging again to be location independent. Investigated the tiny house movement back in 2013.  Happily renting(recovering homeowner, miss digging in the dirt, not the hardware store runs) have moved from expensive north east US to NC. Future Blogger.

Enjoy The Day!
T

spamking

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3235 on: April 24, 2017, 07:01:55 AM »
Hello . . . I'm brand new to everything MMM.  Heard about the place on another forum and thought I'd come check things out.  I've got over 22 years in with Uncle Sam and plan to retire when I hit 30. 

orangepalm

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3236 on: April 24, 2017, 09:35:33 AM »
Hello all!

I've been reading MMM's blog for years now and recently started lurking here in the forums too. Figured it was time to start participating as well. I discovered MMM in 2012 or '13 and it was quite an eye opening experience (started reading it alongside ERE and some other blogs). Not so much about being (extremely) frugal (my wife and I have always been that way), but more about the concept of early retirement, and the power of a high savings rate. We save about 70% of our relatively moderate income (we both work in academic research), purchased a house recently with large down payment and we have no other debts. We're still pretty early in the our path to FIRE, another 10 years at most hopefully!

hoppingoff

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3237 on: April 24, 2017, 06:54:59 PM »
I discovered MMM a few months back and this information couldn't have come at a better time. I am a 45-year-old mom currently homeschooling my 11 & 13 year old sons. My husband is 52 but HATES his job with a passion. Problem is, since I've been out of the regular work force for so long and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area, any job I could likely get would only be enough to maybe cover the mortgage, so he's got to stay on the treadmill as long as we live here. That's the awful part. The good news is that I've discovered from reading MMM that and other FI blogs, that with the large amount of equity we have in our house, purchased in 2003, plus our more moderately sized retirement accounts, we actually have enough to hop off the treadmill now if we want to. My husband is not currently a citizen, so we need to deal with that now while he still has a job, as I fear the immigration folks wouldn't know how to interpret the situation if we just retired on a minimal income (lazy deadbeats!).

Overall, if I could go back and redo things I most certainly would have done things at a more accelerated pace with the finances, but saying that, even though we have done some things "wrong" we are not in such bad shape. I'm hoping we can stop regular work (which I may be going back to temporarily) soon. I haven't ventured into the forums much yet, but I am learning so much every day on this journey and am excited to learn more.

gredenko

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3238 on: April 24, 2017, 10:43:04 PM »
Hello all. I'm new but I like what I've seen here so far, with people being smart and thinking about their future as much as their current situation. I'm just looking for ways to grow my incomes and enjoy wealth while I'm young. Currently hoping to build something successful with affiliate marketing (ebay, amazon), and also trading in the financial markets.  If there's anyone doing something similar or who uses ebay a lot, feel free to contact me! I would love to share ideas and build something together.

bicycleriders

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3239 on: April 25, 2017, 06:05:42 AM »
Hello everyone, Maria, and I am new to this forum, coming to here I have got pretty nice conversation area where I can discuss openly about my several matter. Actually this is a wonderful media indeed I think.

JStrider

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3240 on: April 25, 2017, 03:19:05 PM »
Hi I'm James,

I discovered the site a few months ago, and just recently finished reading every blog post and a lot of the comments!

I've always been pretty frugal, debt averse, and a good saver.  Contributed a bit to my 401k, and maxed out my roth IRA, then put the rest of my savings into my mortgage, and a savings account.  After finding mustachianism I'm now maxing out my 401k, IRA, and have moved most of my savings into investments.  I've also started more aggressively working to get rid of a bunch of stuff so I can downsize my living space needs, with the end goal of moving into my girlfriends house, halving both of our living expenses.  This will also bring me closer to my current job (but still pretty far) and about ~6 miles from downtown, where I have been putting feelers out for locating a closer/better job.

Recently my girlfriend and I had a bit of a sit down and I helped her look at her finances, and we made a plan of attack on her aggressively getting her car loan paid off, and then quickly getting her mortgage paid down enough to eliminate her mortgage insurance.  She's also realized how much driving to work and paid parking was costing her and has started taking the bus to work most of the time(on the companies dime even!).

I'm super excited to actually know what to do with my money, and have financial goals that will allow me to be FI, (i think around 40, but still figuring it out for sure).  I have also been talking with my younger siblings, trying to encourage them to more mustachian ideals as they start their lives.

looking forward to continuing my mustachian journey

ItalianGirl

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3241 on: April 25, 2017, 09:17:17 PM »
Hi All,
I've been lurking for about 6 months and finally registered. I am so happy to find a group of people as obsessed about FIRING as much as I do...
Here is my 411:
I'm 48/ hubby is 47
We live in Colorado with our 14 yr old
Planning to FIRE in 2022 with goal of 1M in retirement/cash
Currently saving about 50% of current income and trying to get expenses cut back further.
I own my own marketing consulting agency.
L

Kooljohn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3242 on: April 26, 2017, 07:44:19 AM »
Hello Everybody!

I've recently discovered Mr. Money Moustache via Tim Ferriss' podcast and instantly resonated with the message and particularly FIRE.
I'm an Englishman, living in Ireland to a beautiful Irish woman and soon about to embark on home ownership here.
Currently saving 32% of income and aiming to get this to 50% over the next 2-3 years, even with a 1200 euro per month mortgage which, after the insurances are added in, will come to double what we currently pay in rent.

It sounds like an impossible challenge, getting to 50% of income saved, but I like a challenge!!!

I'm delighted to be here amongst like minded FIRE devotees and frugal living minimalists and hope to contribute rather than lurk.

:)

StaceyR

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3243 on: April 26, 2017, 02:22:56 PM »
Hi All,

I've been following MMM for a number of years and just this month declared myself FIRE'd at 59.  The DW is close behind at 57.  We've long resided in sunny SoCal but are considering moving from The OC to greener, and hopefully less expensive, pastures now that we are freed from the chains of employment and parental care (mother recently passed away).  Unfortunately, our income will drop to almost nil and SS won't kick in for ten years but our investment portfolio is healthy and we have enough liquidity to see us through stormy weather.  Our balance sheet is helped by zero debt. a mortgage-free house and no kids to support but we really need to work on the spending side.  This why I've decided to get off the sidelines and get educated by those wiser than I (pretty much everyone here). 

Cheers!

Infraredhead

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3244 on: April 29, 2017, 12:04:37 PM »
Hello there,

I feel so fortunate to have found my people on this forum.  My husband and I have always been big Dave Ramsey fans.  We have no debt, our house is paid for, and we have saved like crazy to reach this moment in our lives.  I retired in December and my husband just announced his retirement at work.  We are really excited to start this new chapter in our lives.  Some of our friends are very happy for us but others think we have gone completely crazy. It is reassuring to read about the journey of others. Cheers!

#MoneyGoals

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3245 on: April 29, 2017, 04:03:30 PM »
Hello!

I am a 21 year old in Dallas, about to graduate next year with a Finance degree with no debt and a little over 30k in Roth and taxable accounts. If anyone in the area wants to get in touch feel free to email me!

I also run a blog at www.hashtagmoneygoals.com feel free to check it out!

OthalaFehu

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OthalaFehu 2.0
« Reply #3246 on: April 29, 2017, 06:58:18 PM »
After 3 months on a wordpress starter blog, I have finally taken the plunge and reset my site to my own domain. Feel free to check out my Net Worth Blog at http:othalafehu.com
« Last Edit: April 29, 2017, 07:01:51 PM by OthalaFehu »

JanetJackson

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3247 on: April 30, 2017, 07:34:06 PM »
Hello!
This is literally the first forum I have ever been on!  Very exciting.

I am a 33 year old female, serial side-hustler, and am currently paying my way through my undergraduate degree after taking several (*cough cough, ten*) years away from school following my associates degree.  I've hit a brick wall career-wise, and want to eventually have my own business so that I can live to work a bit more than I currently work to live..... If that makes sense.  I understand that even owning my own business, I'll need some credibility, so I am buckling down to finish that dang degree.  I currently go to school full time, and work three to four longer days per week (about 25-30 hours) for a decent salary (but no benefits) at a local non-profit and work about 5-6 other side jobs, some consistent, others more random (average about 7-10 hours a week).

I am a single lady, divorced almost ten years ago from having gotten married when I was far far too young (for me) with no children and no plans to marry again or have children (although I am borderline obsessed with my dog, so that sort of counts). 

Having played roller derby for just under a decade, I took some time off about a year ago when I no longer had health insurance & needed to give my body a break.  I currently train at a Crossfit gym (which I am certain I will hear about when I post my case study) and love it- although I'm not sure why I thought that would be any safer?  :)  Ha.

I'm working on my financial independence on a very small income (currently saving 40% of my income), but luckily I appreciate and even enjoy frugality and have a vision for my future.


Happy to be here!
« Last Edit: April 30, 2017, 07:36:45 PM by JanetJackson »

Gravel Guager

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3248 on: May 01, 2017, 11:14:07 AM »
Hello all y'all.  I'm very excited to join the MMM forum and the had been introduced to MMM by a good friend of mine I met through work.    He is putting  about 60% into investments  and when I heard that I couldn't fathom it- not until I began reading the MMM blog.

About me and how I got to the MMM blog- I'm a 32 year old male.  After college I moved from New England to Texas to work in the oilfield.  I met my ex wife who pushed the Dave Ramsey lifestyle onto me.  I agreed and I did the debt snowball paying off college and a car loan to the tune of $82,000.   As my income grew so did the spending.  Fast forward to 2014- oil prices plummeted and so did my income.  Debt accrued and then came the inevitable divorce.  Now I'm a single father trying to work my way back to zero debt and I've been reading the blog a week now.  I've decided to sell, donate, give away, and keep a few things that will fit in my camper (means to cut bills down).  Profit money will go to the credit card debt.   I'm also considering selling my truck for a older truck (Currently have a 2011 Tacoma 4x4 Manual regular cab) and propelling the profit towards debt.  If the storage is gone, credit card and camper paid off I will have nearly 60% of my current earnings ready to invest.  I'm looking forward the badassity of being free of the high income high spending life style.  And hopefully my story helps someone else some day. It is reassuring to read and relate to other stories here.  Thank you!
« Last Edit: May 01, 2017, 04:43:34 PM by Gravel Guager »

spaniard999

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3249 on: May 02, 2017, 09:29:17 AM »
Hi, my name is Angel. I'm from Spain but live currently in the US.
I always tried to be frugal but never with the mindset of saving that much for investment.
This blog is rocking my world!