Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315957 times)

CookerS101

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #350 on: January 06, 2013, 08:53:55 PM »
I want to start new year right, that's why I want to learn more about handling my finances.

Budget_Ninja

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #351 on: January 07, 2013, 06:29:02 PM »
Hey, I tried posting somewhere else in the forum but after a lengthy response was kind;y notified I was unable to post.  So... testing?

tayl7784naj

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #352 on: January 07, 2013, 07:25:58 PM »
Hi.  I'm a recently divorced dad.  I pay spousal support and child support.  I had a poor lawyer that billed excessively during the 3 year course of the divorce and drove up high legal bills.  To satisfy legal bills I borrowed against my 401k.  This is all on me.  I get that.

I have maxed the loan amount from my 401k.  I live rather modestly, do not own anything and rent.  I have a car loan and a cycle loan.  I owe 3 k on the car and 5k on the cycle.  Neither could be flipped for cash.  I rent and do not own property.

Every month, 50% of my take home goes to x and kids.  I try to live on the rest but have been upside down on living expenses most every month.  My largest expense is auto and gas.  I spend over 500 a month in fuel over a long commute.  This on a car that gets 29mpg.  I cannot move any closer to work or I wouldn't be able to see my kids regularly.

If I were able to cancel just one of my 401k loans by a hardship method, I could live a normal life (well a new normal).  Short of buying a house and just wanting to survive the next few years, is there any way short of quitting my job to be able to declare a hardship and cancel out my 401k loan?  It's a quality of life issue.  Remember I do not live excessively in the slightest.

I would love to know anyone's take on what options are available to me.  I have nothing to sell.  Live check to check and have plenty of credit available but I do not want to keep going down that road.

My company 401k officer wants me to prove why I need it to the letter of the rule.  I'm not a lawyer so I need help to figure this out.

Thank you !!

John74

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #353 on: January 09, 2013, 08:51:36 PM »
Hi everyone,

I am a 38 year old guy living in the Bay Area. Married, no kids, 2 cats. Retired.

I enjoy reading MMM's blog posts as well as anything related to frugality, financial independence, and early retirement.

marty998

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #354 on: January 10, 2013, 03:06:28 AM »
tayl7784naj, my sympathies I give, you seem to have been through a pretty rough patch. For most of us we have a solid foundation to work from but you seem to be on pretty shaky ground.

I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way but you seem to be in a position where the only way is up. Your options may be limited but so long as you have the right mindset you always have the opportunity to improve your circumstances. Just keep your head up and keep plugging away and run with any piece of good fortune that comes your way (as they say, you make your own luck).

You seem to have your head screwed on right, especially resisting the temptation to dig a hole with credit. Maybe start a thread in the "ask a mustachian" section and post some hard numbers, there's an incredible number of people here who are willing to lend advice for free in a nonjudgemental way.

cheers

 

R0GUER0B0T

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #355 on: January 10, 2013, 10:32:37 AM »
Hello,

I have been reviewing the posts of Mr. Money Mustache for a few months now, on and off, and am utterly impressed.  I love the perspective, love the humour, and have been able to convince my wife that our goals should very well be debt free, early retirement, financial freedom, etc. 

As we work for the public service of Canada, we have pretty good pension setups already if we were to chose to continue to work until our set retirement without penalty (55, with 25+ years of service).  It changes a little once one looks into early retirement options, but that doesn't mean we can't do it.  We're pretty conservative in our spending anyway.  Our only debt, our mortgage, we plan to utterly destroy within a very short period of time. 

Anyways, just saying 'Hi', and that I greatly appreciate and am impressed by the sharing of truly beneficial information. 

Cheers!
- L.T. Smash

Viv A. Stache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #356 on: January 10, 2013, 10:40:45 AM »
I'm Jen and I've been lurking for 6 months. I was directed here by the FI subreddit. My husband and I have a 2 yr old daughter and live in MD. We've just started taking our finances seriously, and will be consumer debt free in 3 months, according to the plan. I use YNAB, and I'm in love with it. Since heading down the FI path, we've cut our spending down to 50% of our income, all of which will get banked as soon as the CC/Car loans are at 0.  I'm more seriously frugal than my husband, but he's on board if it means retiring before the little one is off to college. I'm in the Navy, and if I decide to make a career of it, I have 15 yrs to go til pension. I would love to get out and finish my bachelor's, but the military offers so much support and stability, I'm not sure its a good plan.  I'm here mostly for the advice, so I look forward to hearing from those of you who already have it figured out!

hoyahoyasaxa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #357 on: January 10, 2013, 07:21:07 PM »
Hi all,

I've posted a few times but wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.  I'm 27 and live in Queens just a few miles outside of Manhattan with my wife.  I am currently unemployed (worked for a campaign consultant through the election) and my wife works as a collections manager for a museum.  In just a few months here, we've cut our spending considerably and have grown quite a bit as husband and wife as we've become more and more on the same page about how we want to live our life financially.  I'm exploring a possible career change right now into financial planning (fee-only financial planning) and hoping it works out.  Oh, and as soon as I get working again, my wife and I are looking to move up to the Rockland/Bergen County area.

Ed Mills

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #358 on: January 11, 2013, 05:07:35 PM »
Greeting all,
I'm Ed and I've been reading M³ for about a year and a half.  I'm 49, married with a son.  Love to run, cook out, drink wine, lift weights, read, and travel.  I infrequently blog at www.millionaireeducator.com.  I hate to gush, but the blog is my favorite because it shows people how free themselves from the never-ending-work-drudgery-and-mindless-consumerism cycle.
If I can help any of you, don't hesitate to ask.
Ed     
« Last Edit: January 13, 2013, 06:17:52 PM by Ed Mills »

momo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #359 on: January 11, 2013, 05:57:38 PM »
Hello fellow Mustachians!  MMM's lucid and robustly empowering ideas deeply resonate in me.  My gf was the most anti-Mustachian person I ever met, but in recent months she has embraced a savers mindset.  It is a tough adventure but one I hope we can complete together.  For myself, I feel the BEST reward is getting closer to achieving freedom.   Adam Baker's TED talk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XRPbFIN4lk&feature=youtu.be expands on the very same idea.   

Glad to be among other contrarians seeking ERE.  Here's to growth, self-awareness and radiating Mustachian badassity!

Cheers!
« Last Edit: February 25, 2014, 03:12:20 PM by StashtasticMomo »

JRstasher88

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #360 on: January 13, 2013, 12:52:46 PM »
Hey all!

I'm a newish reader to the blog (been going through every post since the first one), and loving every minute of it! Thankfully I come from a family background of parents who live well below their means, and thus many of these principles are not too foreign to me.

With that said, it's certainly time for me to start sprouting my 'stache. I am an underemployed recent college graduate with a four-year degree in a weak field. Unfortunately, this has meant bouncing around between dead-end jobs making 8 or 9 dollars/hour while looking for stable work. Although it hasn't been easy, I've been staying frugal and am even making triple payments on my student loans (luckily with just 6k left thanks to my parents paying most of my education). It's certainly eye-opening to watch many 20-something peers party and waste hundreds of dollars a month on bars/clubs/gambling while knowing that many of them have even more debt than me. Instead, I can't wait to start investing and saving for the future.

I will be starting a new full-time salary position in February, but it only pays 20k/year with a year-end bonus between 4-6k. I plan to continue working one of my part-time jobs on the side, with the goal of bringing home about $500/week after tax. It's going to be a long year with very limited free and fun time, but I think it's a good first step in getting some better financial security. I can't wait to read more and learn more from everyone else on here.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2013, 12:56:00 PM by JRstasher88 »

Skyn_Flynt

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #361 on: January 13, 2013, 01:32:47 PM »
I'm 44, but achieving FI has been in the back of my mind since I read The Power of Money Dynamics by Venita Van Caspel back in high school. She emphisized in the book that a river of money flows through your hands over the course of a lifetime, no matter how modest your career is - make sure some of it is diverted into savings.

And I've always saved something every year, but the last few years have gotten me to sharpen the pencil and track expenses every month... compare to priors and look for ways to trim further...

My upbringing was very basic. My parents made clear to me by example, why you must save for unemployment phases, which seem to occur especially with recessions :-/ and can last for a year or more, while stitching part time jobs together. They drove old cars until they were junk, paid off their mortgage, bought clothes from Goodwill and consignment, etc.

I don't have a target date for FI - but I've accumulated a handful of rental homes and a 401K of about $70K, and that seems to raise eyebrows when I admit this to people. There are sadly quite a few non-savers even with professional salaries, it seems. :-(
« Last Edit: January 13, 2013, 01:35:33 PM by Skyn_Flynt »

mickmey

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #362 on: January 14, 2013, 01:56:03 PM »
Hello! I found your site while googling answers to my somewhat complex question.  While looking around, I discovered I liked your style!

My husband and I are both in our mid 30s.  We have two very small children (2 and 3 months).  He's active duty in the army with 7 1/2 years to go before he hits 20 and can receive a pension.  I did 12 years active duty and then transitioned to the reserves so I could be a SAHM.  I still make a good chunk at my "part-time" reserve gig, but we're essentially a 1-income family. 

We have no consumer debt, no vehicle loans, no school loans.  We do have mortgages.  One that we live in and two rental properties that were previous residences (love the military life!). 

We're kind of leary of the stock market.  Partly because we're very conservative investors and partly because we aren't really saving for the long term.  We'll both draw pensions, so we need money in our mid-40s when hubby retires from the army...not at 60 when we'll both be doing well with our pensions. 

I'm always looking for smarter ways to invest in a manner that suits our style!

Madame Toastmaster

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hello from Beautiful British Columbia
« Reply #363 on: January 14, 2013, 01:58:51 PM »
Hey everyone!
While I was doing some writing, I typed a quote into google to see its origin and somehow MMM came up and was # 3 on the list.  His writing totally cracked me up and being a fellow Canadian, I was hooked.  Mr. Money Mustache is my new hero.  Let's nominate him for a Nobel, shall we?  Been reading the entire blog to catch up.  My life has been coming together really well over the past few years.  I totally believe God brought me here to get the rest of my act together and I'm ready to do that.
I'm 44 and although my nature is to be frugal, I've lived wastefully for much of my life.  I'm married 8 years to my 43 year old awesome husband and we have a 6 year old daughter whom I home school.  Live in rural British Columbia, ferry-bound in quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth. 
My husband and I are both recovering alcoholics- 10 years for him and 9 for me.  Spent the first few years of sobriety just learning how to live like normal people. 
My husband works for the ferry corp and he also does landscaping in the summer.  He loves the ferry because he's so chatty and gets to see so many people every day but he is a workhorse and can't keep up the landscaping for too many more years imo. 
He just started making high-end knives and sheaths as a hobby and I believe he could sell them easily. 
I am working towards a part-time career as a public speaker as I want to home school my daughter the whole way.  Right now I am training to qualify for the World Championships of Public Speaking which will be in Cincinnatti this August. 
We make $40,000 a year though it is a feast in the summer, famine in the winter situation  that we have never remedied.  We've done too much gorging in the summer resulting in no savings. 
We have a work van paid for, a 2005 Honda Civic with 200 k on it, paid for, a 2007 bonneville Triumph paid for.  We just got our first mortgage which we thought was pretty miraculous in itself.  We borrowed the $17,500 from the sellers for the downpayment and the mortgage is $169,000.  We are also $9000 into our 10000 line of credit and owe approx $1500 on each of our 2 credit  cards. 
We are just making it by the skin of our teeth now, living in denial. 
I redid our budget this week and realized that I could save us $600 a month getting rid of crap we don't need and paring down.  My husband is the one I have to convince.  If we don't do this, we will never save any money. 
This week I am going to put together a proposal for him.  I've already found out that he will never have to miss a hockey game as they stream live from CBC, I've found a place where he can watch his rugby (which he rarely watches anyway and is just using as an excuse) and I promised him we would get Netflix.  I promised him he would eat delicious meals for the rest of his life and would never go without and we would all be happier and healthier and richer.  I've been trying to get him to dump the tv for a decade as I never had it in my prior adult life and know the benefits of ALL that spare time- I need to do this before Survivor starts or we may not have a chance!!!!!
Part of it is just addiction transfer- tv is the new alcohol so we need to make knife making and art and playing with the family the new tv. 
Anyway, I am very hopeful with my realism and realistic in my hope.  I have pretty much accomplished all of the things I have set out to do once I make up my mind and I am determined to make this happen.  Prayin' for help!
In the meantime, I'm enjoying the hell out of MMM's writing and think he's one of the funniest blogs going.  Nice ta meetcha all!

hurricane0884

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #364 on: January 14, 2013, 06:12:21 PM »
Hello Everyone!

I am Andrew. I have been silently following MMM and this forum for some time now and I have decided to join the fun!  I have just graduated from Arizona State and have a pretty good job lined up. I look forward to applying some of these skills I have learned!

My wife and I hope to be apart of this growing culture!

GoCubsGo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #365 on: January 15, 2013, 11:38:06 AM »
Hi I'm Nick, 39, married, two kids living in the Chicago Burbs.  Quit the corporate world three years ago to follow my love of Real Estate investing and haven't looked back.  Found the MMM blog recently and am starting to re-think some things....  I've been Mustachian w/o realizing it  in the past (which has led to a solid financial situation) but definitely need a few face punches going forward.

atlantalee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #366 on: January 17, 2013, 10:24:37 AM »
Hi,

I spent a lot of 2012 reading various Personal Finance blogs, most offering pretty standard advice.  I was starting to get bored when I stumbled upon this blog.  I've spent the past month or so clicking the "Random Article" button to catch up on all things Mustachian.  Finally, a PF blog that makes sense and challenges people to better themselves in more ways than just financially! I've already started incorporating bits of advice into my life... cut the cable (despite making a living working for a cable network), dusted off the bike for weekend errands, and I'm going to start commuting 7 miles to work once I find a decent bike.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Mustache for inspiring me to be more conscientious.

Tripcode

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #367 on: January 17, 2013, 10:35:09 PM »
Hi, I'm Joey.
I'm 23, with about 16k in student loan debt and I make around 22k after taxes.
I've got shit credit, and have to pay 600 a month to my loans.

Let's get this started.

turtlefield76

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #368 on: January 19, 2013, 02:41:06 AM »
hi all,

i've been a lurker for a while and have enjoyed reading through this blog quite a bit.  i've gone about things a little differently than most.  i was an extreme idealist in my youth and made a vow to myself to never spend my time or energy to working in job a hated making money for someone else.  i was very much of the 'follow your bliss' mindset and i decided i would only spend my life's energy toward the creative pursuits and lived much like Jacob at ERE in terms of lifestyle spending.  very very extreme.  at one point i was making $500-600/month playing and teaching music but still managed to save money for the year ($220/month rent $60/month food zero for everything else).  fast forward 10 years or so add a wife and daughter and have a spending lifestyle much like MMM's which feels down right luxurious.

my wife is in informal education and combined we've never made much money but have always spent way below our means.  it's just become natural.  i didn't get really interested in investing until we started saving for our first house and with the arrival of my daughter investing and financial planning has become quite an obsession.  not really saving for FI per say because i'm already living my dream life.  i'm here because it's great to find a group of people with similar frugal habits and lifestyle. 

French Freed

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #369 on: January 20, 2013, 04:14:37 AM »
Hi,

I'm a 36 years old guy, single, living in France. Pretty frugal from a long time, but far from retirement as I started to work lately...

"Owning" a Domain Name for years, I started to create my Website this morning, just before reading the latest article "How to Start a Blog". Ain't that fun?

Sorry for my poor English! Nevermind, most french people are really unable to read english, so I wonder whether MMM would allow me to translate articles in french on my own blog?

 Now I have to learn from reading community stuffs!


MrMoneyMotivator

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« Reply #370 on: January 21, 2013, 12:35:09 PM »
Hello!

I'm a newly converted Moustachian from the UK Soon(tm) to be a complete Badass!

I am blogging on MrMoneyMotivator.com (yes, I totally 'borrowed' the TLA from MMM, hope he doesn't mind too much!) and hoping to give a British style outlook on Financial Independence and Early Retirement (FIER me!), from an early 30's ex Army guy with no kids and an ex-wife!

Any UK Moustachian's are welcome to come on over and say hi, and you USofA'ians will be warmly received too :)

ccwishon

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #371 on: January 22, 2013, 10:19:58 AM »
Hello!

I'm a 26 year old Californian who is working to acheive financial freedom on an educator's salary. Having grown up in a very materialistic part of Southern California, I'm finding this blog and this community to be a breath of fresh air!

Also, thanks to MMM I have now made my first-ever investments in the stock market, and I enjoy checking on them every day and seeing the money grow :)

I am also embarking on a "buy nothing new" year and blogging about it here: ccwishon.blogspot.com

(Sorry for the shameless plug!)

ceh

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #372 on: January 23, 2013, 02:18:33 PM »
Hello everyone.  I started a couple threads already, but haven't formally introduced myself.  I hope to post more and contribute wherever I can.

I am 27 years old, married, and living in Maryland.  I worked for a few years as a mechanical engineer, and just recently started my PhD.  I have been reading the MMM blog for quite a while, and decided I needed to check out the forums to see how everyone else is living a mustachian lifestyle.  I wouldn't quite call my lifestyle mustachian, but I am definitely working on it.  I have always been pretty frugal, but I am working on finding other income streams while in graduate school so that I can increase my family's cash flow.

Other than that, I enjoy being active.  Unfortunately grad school and a long commute have cut down on my exercise recently, but I am determined to find more time for running and weight lifting.

Stashasaurus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #373 on: January 23, 2013, 07:03:40 PM »
Hey everyone,

After creeping on the forums since August 2012 I figure it is about time I post.  I am a recent graduate and feel like this blog and forum will help me keep myself on track.

My biggest goal post graduation is to have a 10 year career, something I would never have thought possible pre-MMM. I will have to post my monthly financials to get the necessary face punch. Sadly I am looking forward to it.

 

marty998

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #374 on: January 23, 2013, 11:45:06 PM »
Welcome Stashasaurus. As long as you don't have a boat, I think you'll be fine.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/im-new-here-slap-me-in-the-face-!-(-canadian-)/

If you do, maybe sell it before posting :)

PKFFW

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Read every article so time to join the forum!
« Reply #375 on: January 25, 2013, 03:58:14 AM »
Hi Everyone,

WOW!

Took me about 6 weeks of reading but I've now read every article.  Was a bit weird to read the straight line article just now and not have a link at the bottom to the next article!  So I thought it was about time I joined the forum and started reading it too.

So a bit about myself...

Firstly, TL;DR version......love the blog, we are doing pretty good but will be making some changes, glad to be here and will post when I think I can add something in the forums.

Long version.........

I'm 39 and my wife is 33.  Both work full time.

We are a DINK household.  Total household income last year was $136,000 after tax.

Last year we managed to save $65,000

Only personal debt is our home mortgage which currently technically sits at $300,000 at 5.44% variable rate, however we have $46,000 sitting in there saving us interest that we can redraw if we desperately need it so really the mortgage is $256,000

Living in Sydney, Australia it isn't as simple as "live close to where you work" unfortunately.  My wife, a Police Officer, has a 30 minute commute each way to her work but houses in that area would be way out of our price range anyway.  When her tenure is up in another 6 months she is hoping to get a transfer closer to home but we shall see.  I'm a fire fighter and part of my job is travel all over the place to cover for people who are on leave.  Some days that can be a couple of hours drive each way.  However, I do get paid more to do it and I also get paid extra per kilometer I drive.  That per kilometer part that covers my work related driving actually covers all my costs and makes me money. Her car is a tiny 3 door hatch back.  Mine is a ute but I need it to carry a load of work gear around the place and our dogs when we go camping or to the dog park.  It does get 29 mpg though so it's not all bad!

We have a combined total of $158,000 in our superannuation(our version of 401k stuff) which kind of sucks.  The GFC pretty much cut it in half.  The rules have recently been changed allowing us to manage this money ourselves.  So we are looking at setting that up and either investing in more property or in dividend paying index funds.

We have used the saved equity in our home to invest in property and we are currently in the process of purchasing a total of 6 investment properties.  Through the tax benefits and rents and a government incentive given to rent the properties to lower income families(but still good tenants with jobs) they will all end up being cash flow positive.  We will be better off by approximately $30,000 per year starting around July/August this year when they all get finished being built.  That will all go to paying down the personal home mortgage quicker.

Overall I feel we are doing pretty good, having never had cable tv, don't eat out much, cook our own food, only go to the movies on cheap tuesday and only about once every few months, etc.  Not a deprived life but careful and well within "budget".  About the only real "antimustachian" expense is our 2 large dogs and cat.  They do cost a pretty penny let me tell you!  However, they are part of our family now and our responsibility and we love them so don't even think about suggesting we get rid of them!  :-)

After reading the blog though, some changes are being made.  The grocery store is about 2km away so no more driving there, it's biking there now.  The coffee's we occassionally buy whilst out with the dogs are gone since we have a nice coffee machine at home.  We track everything we spend with an app on our phones.  Phones will be changed to a cheaper plan as soon as the contracts are up as well.

So there you have it.

William

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #376 on: January 25, 2013, 11:33:50 AM »
Hello, everyone.


I just turned 23 years old.  I grew up on a family farm in Nebraska so I grew up into a frugal lifestyle.  Many farmers net much higher than average salaries but they do not feel the need to show off.  I began investing at age 10, picking my own mutual fund.  I have a bachelor's degree and zero debt of any kind.  Soon I will be starting a new job in Lincoln, NE.


Thanks for having me!

Vanessa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #377 on: January 25, 2013, 02:07:30 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I have been a reader of the site for about 6 months now and I must say that I ressonate with what so many people say here, what they struggle with (that they admit they struggle) and how they live their lives.  I am lucky to have close friends who also think like this, though I feel family and community-at-large really can drain me on some of the philosophical differences of how people choose to live their lives.

A little background about me: My husband and I are in our early 40's and have a 9 year old daughter.  We lost our younger daughter to childhood cancer about 5 years ago now.  While we were always people who didn't follow the norm (keep up with the Jones mentality), the loss of our daughter takes us a major step further from the mindless-consumer-egotistical way of thinking and living. 

About a year ago, my husband, who is in the financial industry, decided that he is financially better off long term in this industry if we made the move to Chicago from Milwaukee, so we did.  Because we have been sort of mustachian people our whole life, we came out of the move okay, although I am really feeling the pinch of the much more expensive cost of living and tougher commutes.  I also work as an instructional designer (create e-learning) and found a gig that isn't killing me as far as the commute goes.  I am willing to stick this out- to the Rice Lake, WI guy (love your posts by the way)- I would live in that direction if I could figure out a way...I digress...

I will make the best of my situation right now though~ and I do fairly often see cool people posting in the Chicago area and I am glad there are many mustachians here.  I'd love to meet anyone in the area who is trying to raise a family with mustachian values- and who is looking for similar meet-ups. 

Love reading so many of your posts!!!  ~ Vanessa

ps. Pretty much my only non-mustachian habit is going to Depeche Mode concerts, which I will travel near and far to follow them.  If you are a fan of theirs, most likely you know they are releasing a new CD and going on tour this year...I'd also love to hear from anyone who is a huge fan.  Thanks~ these are the things that I look forward to most in life.

Purple

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #378 on: January 26, 2013, 01:34:25 AM »
Hi I'm Purple,

I am also an engineer and live in Melbourne Australia with my husband and two kids. The motto of our household has long been, 'Go Hard or Go Home' which is really about maximising badassity.

I am so grateful to MMM for his blog. What an awesome guy to be so independent minded but still connected and loving to humans ... and then, give this incredible gift to us all.

Our MMM journey is constantly evolving and I thank you all for your contribution to it.

Purple


tarantoga

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #379 on: January 26, 2013, 10:42:02 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I'm in my mid-40s with wife and 2 kids in the SF Bay Area. I believe we have many mustachian behaviors already (frugal with spending, usually buying older cars and doing the work myself, buying less house than being qualified for, doing most of house renovations myself, biking often, public schools for kids) but we're way behind on retirements savings despite a very healthy 6-figure income (one earner). Luckily I'm very compatible with my wife in the regard of finances and spending.

What brought me here is that I have a very realistic shot at getting a huge stock option payout from an IPO in the next 1-2 years. I want to make sure I'm ready to make it last for early retirement instead of buying the flashy car and house - and that will mean we'll have to become even better at being mustachian. And of course there's always the possibility that the IPO won't come through - and then we need to make more drastic changes to allow for retirement "some day". This blog showed me that it's possible without sacrificing a good life.

earlybird

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #380 on: January 27, 2013, 01:44:35 PM »
Hi All! 

Like others I found MMM from GRS and it's a much better fit for me. I love MMM's sense of humor, cursing, and writing style. I'm sure I can be punched in the face for a few things but I'm making positive changes.

I'm 49, a registered nurse, and soon-to-be-married again. I was widowed at 45 when my DH of 20 years died after a short illness. We were DINKs. During our marriage I was not at all frugal. We both made good money but I liked to spend it on stupid shit that I now see didn't make me happy. We had good credit but were really in debt. Long story short, luckily we had life insurance or I would have lost our home. I couldn't afford the mortgage on a nurse's salary alone. Not to mention the CC debt. I put the life insurance money to good use and paid everything off including the house. One of my goals this year is to not purchase any clothes, shoes, or jewelry. I have enough.

Fiancé has been a lifelong saver. I'm quickly learning. Unfortunately he was laid off from work and is currently looking for a new position. He's very smart so I'm sure something will come up. Since he saved so much for so many years we've had no problem adjusting to his loss of income. He isn't on board with ER just yet but I think he will be soon. I can't wait to retire! Nursing is a difficult career.

I've been lurking here for quite a while and only recently finished reading every single blog post and thought I'd get started in the Forum. One day soon I will start a post about our financial situation so that I can get wise advice from others in the Forum.

Noblesse Oblige

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #381 on: January 27, 2013, 09:13:56 PM »
Hello Mr. Money Mustache Community.

I would like to begin my maiden post with a message of gratitude.  Thank you Mr. Money Mustache for creating this website and sharing your message with the world.  Your outreach has touched the lives of many, mine included.  I would also like to thank the MMM Community for its dedicated and provoking participating in this forum.

It has been one year, to the day, since I discovered MMM and found within me the long-dormant qualities and characteristics that this community is built upon.  Though I have not been an active participant, I have been a faithful, if silent, companion.  MMM has become a daily indulgence and I have watched this community grow, as I have grown with it.

I am originally from South Dakota, but moved to the Washington D.C. area in 2010.  I serve in the United States Federal Government.

Prior to "my MMM awakening," I was the victim of ignorance and apathy. My circumstances were not poor, but I was without bearing and lost in the doldrums of middle-class American society.  Since then, I have learned to appreciate financial responsibility and wield my ambitions.

I will do my best to bring value, in whatever form it may take, to this community.  I am a stranger to online forums, but shall strive to emerge from the back-benches, now and again.  I anticipated anxiety, perhaps even a degree of fear, when contemplating participating in this forum; however, as I write these words to you, I find it pleasantly liberating.  I suppose that I should not find this all that surprising.  After all, for me at least, that is what is at the heart of FIRE:  liberation. 

I thank you for your indulgence in reading. 

Purple

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #382 on: January 28, 2013, 01:42:46 PM »
Good one Noblesse Oblige

babycakes6001

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #383 on: January 28, 2013, 02:42:13 PM »
Hi my name is Elyse and I am new into the financial business as a CSA.

taxman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #384 on: January 28, 2013, 08:10:19 PM »
Finally finding my way.  Not sure I perfectly belong in this special mustachian group -- feel too "lucky and privileged" based on reading many of the entries.  But, I am already trying to figure out how to make sure my kids understand the MMM philosphy -- as they grow up in a much more privileged way than my wife and I did. 

Basically had my head buried in work and many other activities for 20+ years.  Never bothered thinking about liberation!  Regardless, perhaps I am as lucky of a mustachian as they come.  Just passing my mid-40's and finally figuring out that MY TIME is too valuable to continue working 50-80 hours a week.  Making north of $200k a year, saving close to 50%, after tax.  Ironically found this website with a thread on severance that was very controversial in mustachian-land.  I am quitting soon, but have lot of deferred comp and figuring out whether there is some way to scrounge some from my employer as I depart. 

Saved a LOT in route to getting to this point and investing wisely.  Always get more of a thrill saving money than earning it.  Often feel I don't belong in the community in which we live - everyone spends like there is no tomorrow.  Have a nice house, small mortgage, but no other debt, nice wife, 2 boys (16 and 13) - but not nearly enough time to truly live/enjoy/etc.!

Looking forward to reading more, joining in, and ENJOYING life.  Best of luck to all of us!

martynthewolf

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #385 on: January 29, 2013, 02:16:37 AM »
Hi all,

I'm Martyn, I'm 25 years old, hailing from the U.K. I have recently found out about this forum. It's opened my eyes quite a bit. I have a decent income and a small amount of debt that I'm starting to much more aggressively reduce thanks to posts I've read on this forum and I'm starting to think about getting some money put away and working for its' self. At the minute though I don't even know where to begin with doing so.

So I hope all you kind MMMs will be able to guide a financially naive guy towards FI.

Thanks for building such a great community.


FattyLumps

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #386 on: January 29, 2013, 11:26:40 AM »
Read the entire MMM blog in about 3 weeks and it really resonates with me. Frugality is in my blood, but my big financial "mistake" (depending on who you ask) was student debt; my wife and I have about $50k in student loans. Speaking of the wife, she's about 50% on board with Mustachianism; pretty frugal, but doesn't see early retirement as a goal etc. I'm 23 years old, so we have time but our low income is going to make overcoming the debt a challenge.

Looking forward to rubbing elbows with some real mustachian badasses.

alex808

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #387 on: January 29, 2013, 09:08:51 PM »
Aloha from Hawaii

My name is Alex and I have been living on Oahu for 4 years, previously lived in Florida and NJ

I work for a government contractor building websites for the DOD

If anyone has any questions about living or traveling to Hawaii let me know

duckybelkins

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #388 on: January 30, 2013, 08:56:53 AM »
Hi! I'm Heather, I'm 25, and I'm a student.

I'm very intimidated by this website/community because so far I make no money, rely entirely on my parents, I'm new to finances, and I'm probably very wasteful.

But I feel very very useless because I don't make money right now so I'm hoping this website will help give me ideas about saving money, making money, and where to put what little money I have so that it'll work for me.

AccidentalMiser

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #389 on: January 30, 2013, 11:58:42 AM »
Hello,

I am attempting to repair a quarter century's worth of questionable money moves.  Finding this blog has changed my life in some important ways.  My wife and I have five grown (or nearly grown) sons, three of whom still live with us. 

Because of what we've learned here, we have paid off a ton of debt and are on a five-year glide path to Independence.  It may take six (or four) but we'll get there soon.  For most of our married life, we had one income and spent it all and then some.  We are both now employed and in the process of saving and deleveraging.

I look forward to joining this community as we all journey to the sunny uplands of freedom!

JamesL

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #390 on: January 31, 2013, 10:43:21 AM »
Hi everyone,

I'm glad I stumbled accross this site because it's turned my thoughts of early retirement upside down. I originally wanted to retire in my 40's-50's, thinking that was early. Now after reading this I'd love to shoot for my 30s!

I'm a 23 year old college student who is also working for the University, which gives me free tuition because I'm a full time employee. So I'm making money and getting free tuition, all while living at home. I took the safe route, by going to Community College and then this sweet deal.

Unfortunately I spent some time trying to figure out what to do and am still somewhat in that process (changed majors 3 times). I have 17 months until I finish my undergrad, in accounting. So I'll be 25 when I finally graduate, but better late than never I suppose! Hopefully I can make some nice $$$ as an accountant, and continue to live frugally.

I've always been pretty smart with money, but this site gives me even better goals and opens my eyes to silly spending. I drive a Toyota Echo (I saw that was one of your recommended cars- booya!), and ride my bike to work when I can (11 mile ride each way). I just opened a Mint account but by my estimates I'm saving around 80% of my income (living at home rent free and majority of food free can't be beat).

My income is barely over minimum wage, but I have employment matching for my roth account up to 7%, so I've been doing that since I've been eligible. I also maxed out my Roth IRA last year and am now saving for a house slowly but surely. Because of health insurance benefits, free school, and my matching retirement, my low paycheck doesn't make me feel too bad. I live in Southern California though so house prices would make most people cry, but that's the price I'm willing to pay to stay near family (and the weather, although I prefer a more low key vibe other states like Idaho have)

Anyway, I look forward to being a part of this community and I'll be soaking in all the knowledge I can!

Mountainman75

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #391 on: February 01, 2013, 03:06:13 AM »
Always enjoyed the mustachian-esque lifestyle, and been reading the blog for a while now. Finally decided to pony up and register for the forums after reading a few threads on rental refinancing, etc.

My wife and I are stationed overseas, currently in Vienna, Austria. She is employed by the US govt. which brings us lots of perks, but also the hassles of managing properties in the USA remotely. We currently own 2 rental properties in Washington DC and rural Virginia.

My current "day job" is working for a small renewable energy engineering company, but I have a lot of side gigs catering events. Between us we do more than OK, and manage to wipe out $75k of debt over the last 1.5 years. Working towards managing our properties better, with the goal of being able to retire on passive income sources inside of 15 years.

Bill76

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #392 on: February 01, 2013, 08:20:34 AM »
Hey, I'm Bill.  I live with my wife, 3 kids, 3 chickens, 2 ducks, and 1 dog in Tennessee.  I just discovered MMM a couple of months ago, and after reading everything on the site, I'm starting the process of moving us towards badassity.  Thankfully, my wife is naturally pretty frugal (moreso than I am), so she's been on board with the small changes we've made so far.

My day job as an engineer pays pretty well, and my wife stays home with the kids.  She brings in a little bit of extra income selling things on Etsy and craigslist, but we don't count on that in our monthly budget.  We currently own one rental property (my house from before we got married), netting around $450 monthly before factoring in maintenance and repairs.

I probably won't post a whole lot, but I'll share my opinions every once in a while.

Kenoryn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #393 on: February 02, 2013, 03:16:02 PM »
Hi! I'm Kenoryn. I'm a 28-year-old civil servant in the Ontario government. I'm a musician, and play in band and in my local symphony. I'm slowly learning woodworking and woodcarving. I bought a fixer-upper house a couple of years ago with no reno/construction experience and have been slowly renovating it and gaining all kinds of new skills along the way. I hope to build my own house someday (with my boyfriend). I grow most of my own food (that is, I grow almost all of my produce, including tomato sauce, salsa, ketchup, jam, etc., and I'm just getting into growing grains (we bought a grain mill last year!)  We eat very little meat, but what we do eat, as well as dairy, and the more exotic spices and things like coffee that just don't grow in Canada, although we're trying, we buy.) I'm interested in health from a diet perspective, an environmental perspective and a fitness perspective. And I have all kinds of other skills I wish I had more time to learn. :)

I was thrilled to find the MMM blog and discover there are other people there whose lives don't revolve around working and acquiring stuff! Still have lots of improvements to make in my own life.

Parkertom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #394 on: February 03, 2013, 07:38:30 PM »
Hi, my name is Tom. I just happened upon MMM during a google search last weekend. I promptly spent the whole last week reading every blog post from start to finish. I am excited to put the Mustachian principles into practice. We do a pretty good job at saving and have been saving about 25% of our gross income. Have a ways to go. I am excited about what we can do.

I live in Northern Virginia, which is a pretty high cost of living area. My wife is a teacher and we have two children, a 7 year old and a 5 year old.

Time to get a bike, sell my 2012 car and get started!

crazy jane

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #395 on: February 05, 2013, 02:21:27 PM »
Hi, I'm crazy jane. I have been a regular reader for the past six months and have always been on the frugal side.

I live in the Chicago area and I biked to work in the snow today. This is normal for me as I've been biking regularly to work (junior high math teacher) for seven years. I drive a Ford Focus stick shift on occasion. The rule is "Don't mess with lightning!"

My two kids are 21 and 24. They were raised to be independent and have left the nest. I'm using Mustacian principles to pay off my only debt which is a small mortgage.

Looking forward to financial independence and continued learning from MMM and all the people in the forum.

NickG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #396 on: February 06, 2013, 08:10:24 PM »
Hi, I'm Nick

I'm a 24 year old Ohio native that loves the outdoors and fitness. I'm an office monkey presently, working on getting my monthly savings up around 55%.

I came across this website just surfing the interwebz a few weeks ago. My financial life isn't in the worst shape, but the discussions here and on the blog have gotten my gears turning with new ideas on saving and and supplemental income.

I look forward to having discussions with everyone here!

Wooderson

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #397 on: February 06, 2013, 09:28:27 PM »
Hi, Wooderson here.  39, married, children on the way.  I have always been frugal, averse to debt, etc. but never thought about FIRE until I ran across MMM.  It may be a possibility for me, we will see in a few years.  Interests would be auto racing, soccer, biking, metal work, home projects, hunting, personal finance, camping......  Maybe I need to be more frugal in my interests :)  I look forward to following along and hopefully providing insight where I can.  BTW, I posted in Investor Alley looking for advice about a 401k to Vanguard IRA rollover, among other things.

Rural

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #398 on: February 08, 2013, 04:45:58 AM »
Hi, I'm Rural, and the name is true. Married with dogs, and nearly finished building a house in the woods. I found MMM through another money-saving site and I think it's a much better fit for me. We're currently saving around 60% of our net income (in the form of equity, mostly, as we've been building), and soon we'll be ready to start sinking that amount into true retirement savings instead of a place to live in retirement.

I won't be joining in the biking discussions; it's five miles, minimum, to anywhere from here, and 35 to work for me. It's 45 to his work, and he's looking to make a change to that when he can (teacher on a yearly contract); meanwhile we carpool. We won't be moving out of the house we've built with our own hands, though. :)  We will be retiring to it eventually, maybe soon, maybe not, but we intend to work longer if that's what we choose, not because we have to.

BPA

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #399 on: February 09, 2013, 07:35:03 AM »
Hello.  My name is Lisa and I live in southern Ontario.

I've used frugality to help me afford working part-time for the last 7 years.  Working part-time has been a big sanity saver since I am raising a son with special needs and school days can seem too long for him.  It was great to be able to pick him up at noon and not worry about losing my job. 

That frugality is making it so I will be able to retire in 1967 days with a small, defined benefit pension.  My major goal is to pay off my mortgage, so that I can keep my house here and live comfortably on my pension.  Should I fall short of that goal, I have a couple of back up plans, but all my spending decisions now end with me thinking, "Will this decision result in me having to work past June 29, 2018?"  Keeps things in check.

Love the MMM and ERE communities.