Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3315985 times)

Pursuit

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #950 on: December 11, 2013, 10:30:56 AM »
Hey everybody,

My name's Nick. I finished college about a year ago in CT, and got my degree in Economics. I came across Mustachianism in mid July and have been lurking the site since. My shiny, new, 10 year plan is for FI through a combination of Mustachianism and dividend growth investing. Despite the fact that I haven't broken into a career yet, I graduated with no debt, and a net worth of about 5-6k wrapped up in my TD Ameritrade account. The car is paid off, so if we add that, I'm sitting somewhere around 15k.

See you guys around!

Al

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #951 on: December 11, 2013, 02:54:20 PM »
Hi,
My name is Alicia.  I'm married with 2 kids- 4 and 6. 

To this point, we have lived a very non-mustachian life.  We have been striving for the standard "American Dream" but it seems to be a moving target.  We're in a place where it seems like we have it, but we still keep wanting "stuff" and it feels ridiculous to me.  That, in addition to realizing that my husband never has been and never will be happy in a corporate job, has led me to blogs like MMM and others that have to do with simplifying life.  Strangely, my husband is not on board with me at this point, but I hope to change things. 

Here is our good news: We have no credit card debt.  I think that might be it- ha!
Actually, we spend less than 20% of our take home pay on our mortgage and still live in a pretty nice house. 


Bad news: (and there is a lot of it)
-We have 1 car loan.  (Just bought a new car in March of this year-  a 4 year loan at 1.5% and we're paying extra each month) At least it gets 43mpg.  Prior to that, we had 2 years of no car payments. 
-I have 1 student loan out still  for about $9K.  (This is super high on my hit list to take out)
-We live way out in the suburbs which makes biking impossible. (although I am going to try to get hired w/the local school district and I could bike then) But I drive 20 minutes to the grocery store each way at least once a week.  It's near my daughter's preschool so I combine trips.
-We have ridiculously high costs- our electric bill is nearly $300/mo!!!  (And the flip side of that is that we have room to change) 

So, for right now, I am cringing at everything we and everyone else are buying for the holidays.  And I'm vowing it will be different next year!  I'm so happy to be here for a little perspective. 



Miss Scribbles

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #952 on: December 11, 2013, 09:33:51 PM »
Hello to all,

I'm Miss Scribbles and I am just starting to save--and I am in my 50s.

Lordy.

But I am saving, and scribbling (which means working for me) and also looking for ways to work from home doing work that I love.

Is there a forum for us late starters?


And also, so glad to be here…finally!

annaraven

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #953 on: December 11, 2013, 11:39:18 PM »
I'm Anna. I'm an urban homesteader, married to a wonderful engineer, DH (dear husband). We live in Sillycon Valley, where housing is way overpriced. Nevertheless, I do what I can to help us live frugally. I coupon, keep a price book, shop costco and amazon, buy when stuff is on sale and stock up, and do a lot of DIY in the kitchen, so I rarely have to pay full price for our food. And we have chickens, so I get freerange eggs and mobile lawn ornaments, as well as great fertilizer for my vegetable gardens and fruit trees.

I also knit, weave and am learning to spin. I love making gifts rather than buying them. I get entertainment and useful stuff. And, when it got chilly here and DH needed a hat, I knitted him one. I'm working on my sewing skills and can at least mend things when needed.

I walk a lot and use my backpack to carry home groceries and such. I need to pull my bike out and start using that more so I can haul more (I have panniers in the back). When we drive, (DH uses a shuttle to work), it's in a prius. Unless I have to haul stuff, then it's my Toyota Tacoma pickup, which gets better gas mileage than most things on the road.

We're doing okay, but could be doing better. So, I'm looking forward to learning more on the boards here.

Big_Paul

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Hi everyone and a request for Australian members.
« Reply #954 on: December 12, 2013, 05:11:20 PM »
Hi all.

Paul from Melbourne here. I was wondering if we had an Australian members column in this forum.
I love this site but the US centric stuff doesn't apply sometimes so I'm looking for Aussie mustachian hacks.

Hoping to make some friends too.

Got my first child on the way. Try to keep all living expenses down as much as possible. Try to live in smallest house I can. Want to cycle more. I just want to exercise my frugal muscle a lot more. I'm saving into Vanguard now because of MMM. I just want to become a better happier person and retire early. Hopefully in ten years.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

blue mutant

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #955 on: December 12, 2013, 05:45:14 PM »
Scott from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. 35 year old family law lawyer who has only recently gone over the hump of increasing net worth in a given year. Still have credit card debt and my wife is taking a fine arts diploma as a somewhat mature student. One car (I walk to work), 2 kids and 1 dog. Hopefully I can participate and if there is anyone who wants a 2nd opinion on Canadian family law matters, feel free to ask.

lrgibs01

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #956 on: December 13, 2013, 10:49:02 AM »
I'm Lee from Louisville.  37 yoa, married with two kids (8 & 2).    Debt free, but pretty far behind on my FI journey.   Looking to catch up over the next ten years or so. 

Got a bike for Christmas.

2bfree

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #957 on: December 13, 2013, 12:28:29 PM »
Hi there. I am excited to be here. I am consumer debt free but have a mortgage. DH and I are pretty frugal but would want to be FI as soon as possible. I'm daring to dream big hence the reason I am here to learn as much as I can!

Pav

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #958 on: December 14, 2013, 09:59:22 AM »
Hey Mustachians. I am 28, recently married and a new homeowner. Although my income is not nearly as high as some fellow posters, I am starting to develop my goals of FIRE.

icebear

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #959 on: December 15, 2013, 03:45:14 AM »
Hi!

I am icebear and stumbled on this awesome blog a few months ago. Debt free and working my way to reach FI before 50... Married with two kids.

iheartfrugality

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #960 on: December 15, 2013, 11:27:14 PM »
Hi All,

31 from San Jose and been lurking for the past couple of months. I'm excited to finally say "hi!"
I've been learning so much from MMM's blogs. Saving money and being frugal comes naturally to me as I grew up pretty poor but never really had a high paying job because I was in school for so long. After I got my first real salaried job a few years ago, I kinda indulged more than I should have (sigh...wish I hadn't, I sure would have a lot more $$ saved right now).

Now I'm dedicated to starting my FI journey and am relieved to have found a community of people with similar goals! Looking forward to learning from you all!! Have a good day! :)

londonbanker

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #961 on: December 16, 2013, 07:38:15 AM »
Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum.

Until 9 months ago, I never really thought about retirement or saving to that matter. I always thought people being able to retire before 45 were either the "inheriters" or those who had sold their dotcoms.

9 months ago my partner and I found out we were pregnant, and this is when I realized that we would be getting old one day, and that our child would have to go to school eventually (and it probably won't be free either)...

The sad reality is that, although we are both in our early 30's and have been making over $500k a year for the past few years, our savings account is virtually in-existent... (Although we have a decent chunk of equity in our house).

Reading this website has been a great wake-up call, and my partner and I are committed to change our lifestyle in order to be able to retire before we get to 50 y/o.

Looking forward to learn about living more frugally and still be content and fulfilled.

LongBeachLion

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #962 on: December 17, 2013, 09:36:42 AM »
Hello,

I'm 33 and have been working for the same company since college.  Originally from the east coast, I've re-located five times, most recently to Southern California about one year ago.  I'm newly married, no kids, although my wife likes to think our dog is our kid, haha! 

The most recent move resulted in a promotion and moving into a different department.  Unfortunately, I do not like the job and it's been difficult to enjoy the California lifestyle when work is so frustrating.  With that said, I've always been a 'saver' my entire life.  I began working steadily at 14 and was able to minimize college debt by aggressively saving and continuing the work throughout my four years in college.  After graduating, I quickly eliminated school debt within the first few years after college.

I'm very motivated to have the ability to leave my job.  My biggest hurdle is rent expense as I pay $2500/month.  My relocation package gives me a stipend that helps to pay for this although it will go away if I leave the company. 

I look forward to getting organized and creating a great plan for future early retirement!

MontanaMoneyMustache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #963 on: December 17, 2013, 03:16:09 PM »
Hi all, new here. Posted my first topic which you can find here:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/first-job-out-of-school-paying-off-debt/

25, married with a 3 YO son, and getting ready to start my first full time job out of school in Januray.

Happy to be here!

aj_yooper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #964 on: December 17, 2013, 04:42:20 PM »
Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum.

Until 9 months ago, I never really thought about retirement or saving to that matter. I always thought people being able to retire before 45 were either the "inheriters" or those who had sold their dotcoms.

9 months ago my partner and I found out we were pregnant, and this is when I realized that we would be getting old one day, and that our child would have to go to school eventually (and it probably won't be free either)...

The sad reality is that, although we are both in our early 30's and have been making over $500k a year for the past few years, our savings account is virtually in-existent... (Although we have a decent chunk of equity in our house).

Reading this website has been a great wake-up call, and my partner and I are committed to change our lifestyle in order to be able to retire before we get to 50 y/o.

Looking forward to learn about living more frugally and still be content and fulfilled.

Welcome!  And, wow.  This could be an incredible story if you are interested in doing a journal here.


(Mod Edit: Fixed Quote Tags.)
« Last Edit: December 17, 2013, 07:41:55 PM by arebelspy »

Frugal Friar

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #965 on: December 18, 2013, 12:35:26 PM »
Hello,

I am new here and wanted to introduce myself.  My wife (perhaps I should refer to her as the money monk?) and I have been conventionally frugal for a while, but found MMM about a month or two ago.  since then, I have started to look around and see what I could do to up my savings rate and reduce my spending even further.

we are in our late 20s with three kids.  I work in accounting and she is a SAHM (perhaps we can consider that early retired already).
« Last Edit: December 18, 2013, 12:43:16 PM by Frugal Friar »

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #966 on: December 19, 2013, 02:13:30 PM »
Hi, I'm David from WI.

Married with 3 kids. Currently have a negative net worth of $27K (underwater house and student loans) but we're hoping to be debt free in 10 years and from there use the ERE method to be FI in 5 years, when I'll be 44 and my wife 45.

MMM really improved my outlook on life!

iannj

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #967 on: December 20, 2013, 04:29:13 AM »
Came across the blog about two weeks ago after reading a 'retire early' store in USA Today. I've been reading 2-3 "random" articles per day and other than the one I came across today that called Ezra Klein brilliant, I'm really enjoying it.

I'm about to turn 28 and certainly haven't lived the mustache lifestyle until this past year. Since last February, I've:
-lived in a ~420 sq. ft. apartment with my fiancée
-No car, we walk walked or used public transportation
-TV on less than two hours/month
-No kitchen appliances beyond a toaster, a two-burner stove and a 4.8 cubic foot fridge/freezer combo
-Shared cell phone
-Started tracking all my spending

I'd take some pride in this but most of it has been forced because we moved to Korea to teach English. I hated it at first but it's really grown on me and I'm looking forward to keeping things simple when we move back home in about two and a half months. The soon-to-be Mrs. is (mostly) on board.

Since being here, I've paid off her ring (I know, I know! It was 0% interest), made extra payments on my school loans.
Depending on the exchange rate at the time, I'll have about $12,000 when we return.
Five thousand of that will go to our wedding (again, I know).
Good news, I'll likely have a job before we're wheels up for the U.S.A.
I have two student loans, $4424 at 3.9% and $1779 at 6.55%. No other debt.

Look forward to talking to and learning from you all.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2013, 04:36:17 AM by iannj »

Sydneystache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #968 on: December 21, 2013, 03:41:52 PM »
Hi all or g'day,

Long-time reader of MMM blog before finding the forum so have been lurking for a couple of months' and finally managed to register through Google Chrome (had problems registering through Mozilla and ipad). Found MMM blog through No Harvard Debt I believe.

I live in the hideously expensive Sydney, Australia but in its more affordable, non-touristy area of its generally dismissed western suburbs. As a result of the blog and forum I also read YMOYL recently my biggest take-out from that is the cross-over point. I haven't reached that yet but saving my way (or stop spending!) to reach it.

Looking forward to interacting with you all.

b4u2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #969 on: December 22, 2013, 05:42:35 AM »
Hi I'm B4U2 (aka Will) I am in debt up to my eyeballs. Paying a hefty amount in child support. Trying to figure out why I suck at personal finance.

californiapuppets

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #970 on: December 22, 2013, 08:25:20 AM »
Hi Everyone,
This is Jungle Joe, I am a kids entertainer, puppeteer and a ventriloquist residing in SF Bay Area. I am also into puppet making business. I hope I am going to have a great company here and meet wonderful people :)

Squidrow Wilson

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #971 on: December 22, 2013, 01:39:11 PM »
Hi All,

Squidrow Wilson here (aka Drew). I"m a pretty young guy (24) who is a chemist in Chicago. I know, I know. That's not a very Mustachian city, but that's what studio living is for! Have some student loan debt and a little remaining on a car loan from last spring. Car loan should be paid off in May and I hope to have the student loans squashed by years end.

I've always been some form of Mustachian, just never had a proper name for it. The goal is FI by 40. Will require dedication and the right career moves, but I'm determined to do it.

mamagoose

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #972 on: December 22, 2013, 06:43:44 PM »
Hey Mustachians! We are a young family of two engineers and a new baby, recently became 100% debt free including the house and looking forward to our journey of working towards early retirement :)


Davin

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #973 on: December 23, 2013, 04:34:40 PM »
I am living the good life on the north coast of California. I am still recovering financially from a mis-spent youth and a bad marriage, but I am gaining ground fast. My girlfriend is down with FI and we are making it happen together. I am excited to have found a community of like minded people. Are there any other Mustachians in Humboldt County?
« Last Edit: December 24, 2013, 10:31:16 AM by Davin »

Bonyolult

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #974 on: December 25, 2013, 07:45:02 AM »
Greetings,

 My spouse and I are getting started on our plans for FI, though being in our mid forties we have lot of catching up to do.
 I've always been somewhat frugal thanks to the teachings to two Great Depression era grandparents.  However, I wish I'd found this site and advice a few years ago as it sure would have prompted me to make some way better decisions.
We have a pretty good life here in the Canadian Maritimes and with a new money philosophy we can make it even better.

Financial Cyclist

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #975 on: December 27, 2013, 06:18:35 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I have been reading this blog for about 4 months now, and finally decided to introduce myself. I found this blog when my friend sent me a link to "What Do You Mean “You Don’t Have a Bike”?!" and said "I just can't get over how much this guy sounds exactly like you!" I too am a bicycle advocate, and I too value minimalism as the gold standard for a happy life. While I, like everyone else, have plenty of complainy pants tendencies, I sometimes find myself wondering if I am actually learning from this blog, or just reading it to massage my confirmation bias.

heiding

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #976 on: December 27, 2013, 11:56:09 PM »
Hello

I've been reading for a while and thought I should say hi.  ive really enjoyed reading the forum, some of the posts crack me up!

was always pretty crap with money, living pay to pay etc.  grew up with 'poor me' silly attitude.  have two kids, and have been the sole provider for about 15 years.  they are basically grown up but I still help them out.  I found dave ramsey about 7 years ago and that helped me out enormously.  managed to rid myself of stupid debt and saved up to buy my first house at 44.  my lovely sis lent me $20,000 to help toward stamp duty (taxes on housing suck here in oz) but was able to pay her back within 12 months.   Then my job suddenly changed, and i found myself earning quite a bit less (was going to happen anyway, but not for 18 months).  moved back to oz a couple of months ago and my daughter asked me and my son to move in with her to help with rent. then my tenant moved out of my bought house, so we are all moving in there in a couple of weeks.  very small house, so should be cheap to heat :)  I got back in to dumb debt, so am hoping to be inspired by everyone on this great forum and get myself back on track!  i have a good and reasonably stable job.  no car - bike was stolen, unfortunately (i had it for 16 years) but my brother in law has offered me a reconditioned one for free - hoping to get that soon.  i love having a less complicated life in terms of cars/bills etc.  I'm moving overseas for work again in August next year with a much better salary, but would really like to be sorted out now rather than wait.  plus you never know what could happen, better to be prepared for any eventuality! 

Anyhoo, nice to be here :)


padad

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #977 on: December 29, 2013, 08:28:10 AM »
Hello all!

I'm a married father of one little boy in my early thirties. We have about $165k left on our mortgage plus $14k home equity line of credit, $20k in student loans.  Two older paid off cars and relatively healthy 401k accounts.  Unfortunately since our child arrived, we generally spend most of our $100k combined salary (after 17% 401k contributions), with perhaps only a few hundred a month left over for savings / investment.

I have been generally satisfied with my financial situation, but only recently realized the possibility of early retirement, and am starting to try to make it a priority in my life.  I'd really like to start investing and accelerating debt payments, while reducing wasteful spending.

I'm definitely the more financially minded member of the household...my wife has not yet quite come around to idea of living more frugally and saving for an early retirement,  and is much more open to taking financial risks than I am, so it will be a compromise.

We'll see how it goes!

Tyler Newleaf

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #978 on: December 31, 2013, 07:22:36 AM »
Hi,
I'm Tyler.  I've been reading the blog for about 2 months now and I am making my way towards a more badassity life style.  I am currently 60k in debt including my morgtage.  My goal is to have all of this 100 paid off by the end of the year.   I've made some rather drastic changes in the right direction and I know there will be times when it gets a little rough.  I'm hoping this forum will provide some camaraderie to help motivate me to stay on track.   Here are some recent steps I've made:

1. Just got a job working completely remote that pays well.
2. In the process of selling my car.
3. Bought a flip phone with no data to reduce my phone bill by 60%
4. Cancelled cable and replaced it with a Roku
5. Got a BJ's card for 10 bucks off Groupon
6. Actually set up a BUDGET!

I am looking to snowball my debt and and get on track to FI.  I'm 30 right now and I don't have a set goal for when I will be FI.  I need to do some more math and see how much this new plan will allow me to save. 

I look forward to reading and discussing with everyone!

CaliToCayman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #979 on: January 01, 2014, 03:55:32 PM »
Hi all,

I've been reading the MMM blog for a few months now and really began trying to become FI this year. My fiancé and I have a late start as we're both around 30 and spent our 20's on a lot of excesses. We used to live in Malibu, CA but in an effort to simplify our lives we moved to the Cayman Islands.

Since then we've managed to drop our car costs - we had a Lexus is250 and Toyota Tacoma driving over 20 miles each way to work. We also find it a lot easier to hang out with friends and yet still save as going out usually entails free activities. We've got a long way to go and don't expect FI until we're around 50, but we're hoping to have our $160,000 of student debt paid off in around 2 years now. The only other big financial hurdle we have is paying for our destination wedding, which was planned before we became more responsible.

terutt

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #980 on: January 02, 2014, 03:21:55 PM »
Hey, I'm Max, I live in Vancouver, BC, and I've been reading the blog for about a year now.

My finances are not *the most* messy. 23k of student loans, and that's it, but I'm only 25 and I'm really looking forward to starting the rest of my life on the right foot.

Happy Little Chipmunk

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #981 on: January 02, 2014, 11:44:50 PM »
Hiya!

I've been enjoying this blog for awhile and have been considering myself "semi-retired" for awhile as well. Semi tongue in cheek...I'm a stay-at-home mom who doesn't like that title because I'm not home much and I do everything my retired friends and family do: manage investments, watch the budget, volunteer, hang out with people I want to hang out with, don't punch a time clock, etc.

This blog has encouraged me to really drill into the details of our finances and tighten things up. It feels great!

And I'm getting VERY close to convincing my husband that he could be semi-retired too. I think he's ready to take one day a week of his very own to do WHATEVER. Maybe some personal coding projects, maybe some volunteering, maybe some home improvements. Should be fun and interesting!



Accountess

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #982 on: January 03, 2014, 12:17:40 AM »
Bumped in MMM via a business website in New Zealand.  Decided at 23 husband and I would live one income to pay down the mortgage. At the time this was $270,000. Bought an average house with an acre of land in 2011.  Trying to convince husband that in November we should live on 25% of out net income (gulp!) and really nail the mortgage (currently at $210,000). November we come to the end of our loan and will go shopping for a new one.

Both of us are naturally financially responsible so no consumer debt at all (ever). I have a measely $4000 in interest frees student loans. This will be paid off in November as well.

No children. One dog. Just over $100000 in income.

Want to have children one day. Will work at same time to get retirement fund together.

Clever Name

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #983 on: January 03, 2014, 01:42:03 PM »
Hi!  I found MMM a few months ago, but I was already in the process of cutting some of my ridiculous spending before then.  At one point I was spending close to $1000/month on food, just for myself.  Now that's down to about $350/month for two people, and since finding MMM I have also traded my 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid.  I don't have a specific FI goal, but I'm saving about 50% right now and looking for ways to increase that number.

mrsggrowsveg

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #984 on: January 03, 2014, 02:49:09 PM »
I've been on here a little while, but haven't introduced myself.  I am Erica and I work as a data analyst.  I am a recent grad with plenty of student debt that I have been paying down pretty quickly.  My husband and I have a dream to become full-time homesteaders/farmers.  We currently are setting up our 30 acre farm with some greenhouses, chickens and pigs.  We also plan to open run a farm to table food truck or restaurant.  We are currently tackling the mortgage on our farm and growing our business.  We hope to semi-retire together before I am 30 to work on our farm and raise our child.

fitzgeralday

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #985 on: January 03, 2014, 05:08:01 PM »
Hello everyone *waves*!  I've been following MMM for a few months now and absolutely love it and the community that has formed as a result :)  It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my non-conventional pursuits of financial freedom!  At 30 years old, I have student loan, credit card and two house payments (primary & rental) to eliminate - and based on my calculations I am well on my way to retirement at the ripe old age of 40, or hopefully sooner as my income increases ;)  If only I had become a mustachian 10 years ago.....  Since I lack the ability to travel back in time, I eagerly anticipate blazing a trail that will lead to prosperity on my terms and that will also be an inspiration to others.  Looking forward to soaking up all of the knowledge and wisdom that you all share!       

VuwylkOnlezzyen

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #986 on: January 03, 2014, 08:59:04 PM »
Hi, I'm stupid and am still working on figuring all of this out.

FrugalInKansasCity

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #987 on: January 04, 2014, 12:02:35 AM »
Hi, this is FrugalInKansasCity. I am a female in my latter 30's, and my longtime boyfriend is in his mid 50's. We are both pretty frugal and extensive DIYers. I was a Jacob ERE groupie prior to becoming a MMM groupie (including Mrs. MM too as the woman's perspective is just as important).

My boyfriend has been able to retire for a little while now, but is not ready to as he has not researched "retirement" himself due to lack of time, and possibly fear. We don't have much free time as we have been extensively rehabbing his 100 year old house all by ourselves for 9 years (on the same level as MMM's new house renovations, but we also juggle full time jobs, avoid contractors, and BF goes overboard on things). We have been mostly living at the house I own and eventually plan to rent it, once we can move out of it completely and renovate it (it needs 9 years worth of deferred maintenance).

The only debt I have is a $60,000 mortgage, and $12,000 in student loans (that will be forgiven in 4 years if I don't get them paid off by then). My boyfriend does not have any debt.  We have a good-sized retirement portfolio in addition to future income from rent.  We save about half of our income towards retirement, but don't track the budget as well as we should.  I am trying to learn as much as I can about "financing & managing two retirements", but things are slightly unique because of our 18 year age difference.

My boyfriend's retirement goals are to build things, windsurf & camp as much as possible, bike & walk more, and snowboard in the wintertime. I have too many interests to list (in addition to his goals), but plan to do all the things I never had time to do when I worked full time.  My goal is to have enough money saved up so both of us can fully retire debt free, but I plan to keep working part time (for money) on things that interest me. I hope to reach my financial independence in 4 years or less.

Since long-term care insurance seems sketchy to me, we are planning to fully dedicate all Social Security earnings towards long-term care if ever needed. If someone else has a better long term care plan, let me know.

Hope to bump into the MMM's someday.

mooshie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #988 on: January 06, 2014, 09:42:43 AM »
Hello, I just found this blog/forum over the weekend and the timing was great! DH (dear husband) and I are in our mid-thirties, have been debt free (except for the mortgage) for the last 7+ years, have 5 kids, I am a SAHM (stay at home mom), but just went back to school now that all the kids are in school all day (Oh yeah, and now that DH's income is enough to live on, pay tuition and put something into savings). I will graduate in 2 years, and plan to work part time only while the kids are in school. DH is a software engineer, who just graduated a year and 1/2 ago (I know, it's late but he couldn't decide what he wanted to be when he grew up), and in 2013 he got a great raise due to being laid off. So, now that we have a pretty good income I think it could be possible that we could be ready to retire in 10 years or less (depending on how much I decide to work after I graduate). I'm happy to have found MMM and this forum. I have much to learn, and I hope to be growing a nice money mustache of my own very soon.

Weedy Acres

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #989 on: January 06, 2014, 12:31:46 PM »
I'm Weedy.  I've always been debt-averse and a PAW (see: Thomas Stanley) without a specific goal in mind other than to pile up the net worth because it gave me freedom/options. 

4 years ago I parlayed a job loss into the purchase and re-start-up of a business 100 miles away that I proceeded to dump half my net worth into and not draw a salary.  So we completely frugal-fied our lives.  And it turned out not to be as deprivatious as we feared.   

We have now sold our previous 4500 sf/7 acres/lakefront house we called Weedy Acres and relocated to the new town to a 900 sf fixer that we bought as an interim crash pad but, given the low cost of a small house ($650/yr taxes!), we're going to see if we can make do in this tiny place.

So MMM's philosophies are helping me psychologically towards that end.  I may purchase a CL bike this evening, as I now live only 2 miles from work. :-)

beanlady

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #990 on: January 06, 2014, 02:45:05 PM »
Hello! I've valued my freedom enough to live a frugal life; health and family factors and a distaste for corporate life kept me from achieving financial freedom, but I paid off my house in ten years and was on track for early retirement until this past fall, when my husband suddenly left me. Now I have debt instead of savings from having to buy him out of our house, higher expenses with a lower household income, greater child care responsibilities, and an unwillingness to reduce my spending through dramatic changes because my kids have been through so much already. So I'm feeling demoralized and am joining the forum in the hope of reopening my eyes to better possibilities!

ZugZug

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #991 on: January 06, 2014, 02:54:10 PM »
This thread is so long I doubt anyone will see this lol but here goes. lok ' tar friends. I'm a 27 from Rochester ny. I work at a bank (not my ideal job but it pays the bills) and pt at a pizza shop.  started reading mmm a few months ago and I'm hooked. Right now I have a negative net worth due to stupid mistakes and student loans. My goal is to be Fi one day. Hopefully sooner than later

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #992 on: January 06, 2014, 05:05:54 PM »
I saw your post, ZugZug.  I like to read posts in this thread.  Welcome!

One of my favorite jobs was being a bank teller!  I didn't have that job long, but I liked that it all made sense, and there was never any homework!

Ebenezer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #993 on: January 07, 2014, 07:37:11 AM »
I'm in the UK, in my 30's and an IT contractor.

Have made some questionable choices in the past, but have survived more by luck than judgement and can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

ZugZug

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #994 on: January 07, 2014, 09:02:58 AM »
I saw your post, ZugZug.  I like to read posts in this thread.  Welcome!

One of my favorite jobs was being a bank teller!  I didn't have that job long, but I liked that it all made sense, and there was never any homework!

Thanks I'm a desk person so I open new accounts,  loans etc. I like it when it's busy but I hate making phone calls and having to make "sales"  I love helping people though

Skydog

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #995 on: January 09, 2014, 09:26:15 AM »
Howdy. I am a 50 year-old fart who has been lurking here since last spring. In that time, I've killed off my auto loan, refinanced my mortgage, cut my power usage, am switching from my $80/month gym membership to a $15/one, cut my phone bill from $90/month to $10/month--still need to go back and thank IP for his advice in that area--and set up YNAB to get a handle on everything else.

As a result, it's looking like I can live comfortably on about 55% of what I make, so I am trying to figure out where to put the excess--max out my 401K, fund my Roth for 2013-14, and/or start saving for a cheap house with a yard for my critters--so I can convert my current condo to a rental.

I'll probably start a thread or post on that elsewhere. For now, just saying hi and thanks! I still have a way to go, and at my age may never ER, but am on the right track and will be happy to R. :)

Paulie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #996 on: January 10, 2014, 04:38:52 AM »
Hi,

I'm 26 years old, live in the Netherlands and just started working a year ago. I don't like to buy new or a lot of things out of environmental considerations. And this goes very well together with the Mustashian lifestyle. I don't know my exact goals yet, but I'm trying to figure them out. I would love to, some day, live in a small cottage with a lot of land, solar panels, grow my own vegetables and have a few chickens (for the eggs, I don't eat meat). However, living in a city, as I'm doing currently has many perks as well.

I enjoy this forum so much, because we get to discuss money (which is hard to do with most of my friends) and lifestyle. So thank you all for that!

Paulie

mikaty

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #997 on: January 10, 2014, 05:45:18 AM »
Hi

I'm 29 (almost 30) years old and live in Johannesburg, SA with my husband and 2 cats.  I started reading MMM about 9 months ago and started lurking around the forum in December last year.  My husband also started reading MMM after listening to "So I read about this awesome idea on MMM today" about a hundred times.  We haven't quite jumped in with both feet and are just starting to dip our toes into mustachianism.

The forum looks like a great place for motivation and encouragement so here I am...

mikaty

LibrarIan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #998 on: January 10, 2014, 06:40:20 AM »
Hi,

My name's Ian. I'm 25 and live in the Greater Cincinnati, OH area. I stumbled on this site a couple months ago and realized how much I could really do to better my finances. I was moving in the right direction before, but now I have real goals and and a vague timeline in mind, which is better than before.

I currently work as what Phundit called a Lesser IT Nerd. I do lower level development on this insurance company's billing system. However, my real love is librarianship. I worked 6 years in a public library before my current job, some of that time spent working as the Teen Services Coordinator and it was the best job ever. The lure of the tech sector drew me away and, despite the better pay, I regret that move. I am now 2/3 through my MLIS (library degree) and the prospects for finding a fun/good job somewhere in Ohio when I'm finished this summer are looking good. I'd rather do what I love and get paid a little bit less than get paid more and hate my job.

I'm trying hard to embrace this MMM thing. My wife is less excited, but I think she'll come around. We have a good chunk of money saved up for an eventual home in a joint savings account, I'm selling off/donating a bunch of excess junk I don't need, I plan on buying a bike soon and I'm starting to look into investing money. I've never done stocks or any of that stuff before, so these are uncertain waters indeed.

Here's to the eventual good life,

LibrarIan.

jjquantz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #999 on: January 10, 2014, 06:43:38 AM »
Hello, everyone.

I've been lurking on the site for a month or so and have found it to be a great way to validate our lifelong habit of "conscious decision making" which has led to a reasonably frugal lifestyle. I have already mined useful tidbits from MMM and readers.  I second Paulie's comment from this morning, it is nice to have a place to discuss money issues - that can be VERY awkward with friends.  Just yesterday, my wife wandered into a money-related discussion with a friend who has recently become a mother.  They ended up discussing savings rates, wife mentioned ours (understating it by about 50%, she's not always good with numbers) and was greeted with shock, silence and a quick change of topic.

jjquantz